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Question about sim cards in iphone 3g

G

grimreaper1377

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 20, 2007
218
0
Hi,

I have a quick questions regarding sim cards in the new iphone. If I have a sim card from an old phone that is already with cingular, and i put it into the iphone, will it detect it and allow me to activate? Or does it only recognize the sim card that it came with?

Thanks
 
Friday morning with the issues Apple was having activation I tried my old iPhone sim in my new iPhone 3g and I was amazed it worked. I had service right away.

I don't think I needed to activate but later in the afternoon I activated my new iPhone with my old sim card with no problem.
 
The phone will allow you to use another sim card in it without activating it over again. But if you have pulled emails watch out because they will charge you per a kb if you do not have a medianet plan.
 
sfwalter said:
Friday morning with the issues Apple was having activation I tried my old iPhone sim in my new iPhone 3g and I was amazed it worked. I had service right away.

I don't think I needed to activate but later in the afternoon I activated my new iPhone with my old sim card with no problem.
Click to expand...

Sorry If I wasn't clear about this - my old sim is not from an iPhone. Its from some other phone, but its still from ATT.
 
grimreaper1377 said:
Sorry If I wasn't clear about this - my old sim is not from an iPhone. Its from some other phone, but its still from ATT.
Click to expand...

You can use any sim as long as it is cingular. In another thread someone stated they put their brother's cingular sim card and was able to use the phone.
 
Okay. One more question - Will it override any other plans that I have when activating it again? The thing is that since I'll be buying it with one number, then swapping sim cards so I can get another number, it might think that I have two plans, and might charge me $60/month :eek:

Is there any way for it to know that I am overriding the previous plan?
 
grimreaper1377 said:
Okay. One more question - Will it override any other plans that I have when activating it again? The thing is that since I'll be buying it with one number, then swapping sim cards so I can get another number, it might think that I have two plans, and might charge me $60/month :eek:

Is there any way for it to know that I am overriding the previous plan?
Click to expand...

Two things:

- You don't need to reactivate after you put in the new SIM. Or at least I didn't. Just put the SIM into the already-activated phone and it should work.

- You only have as many plans as you have signed up for. If you have obtained the phone without purchasing a plan (such as on eBay for example) then you are set. AT&T won't even know you have the phone and they certainly won't go monkeying with your rate plan or account settings.

- As advised (wisely) above by one poster, make sure the account you are going to use has an unlimited data plan. Else you are going to get a bill for one beeelion dollars from using data features. You might be able to add MEdia.NET unlimited to your plan via logging into your acct. at the AT&T website. If not then you can do so via the shop link on the website also.
 
mkoesel said:
Two things:

- You don't need to reactivate after you put in the new SIM. Or at least I didn't. Just put the SIM into the already-activated phone and it should work.

- You only have as many plans as you have signed up for. If you have obtained the phone without purchasing a plan (such as on eBay for example) then you are set. AT&T won't even know you have the phone and they certainly won't go monkeying with your rate plan or account settings.

- As advised (wisely) above by one poster, make sure the account you are going to use has an unlimited data plan. Else you are going to get a bill for one beeelion dollars from using data features. You might be able to add MEdia.NET unlimited to your plan via logging into your acct. at the AT&T website. If not then you can do so via the shop link on the website also.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I'm still a little confused. Instead of getting a media net plan, should I get the iPhone plan that goes for $30/month? And if I do re-activate, will I get charged twice?

Thanks
 
grimreaper1377 said:
Thanks, but I'm still a little confused. Instead of getting a media net plan, should I get the iPhone plan that goes for $30/month? And if I do re-activate, will I get charged twice?

Thanks
Click to expand...

You can get the iPhone plan, but I'm pretty sure then you will have to call AT&T to tell them you have an iPhone. It won't let you add the iPhone plan to your account otherwise - at least it would not let me. The only advantage I can find is that you get Visual Voice mail. If that's worth another $15/mo to you then you should do it I guess.

As for getting charged, same thing here, the only way they charge you for things is if you add them to your account. Activating a phone does not effect your account. Only when you purchase the iPhone directly from AT&T or Apple do they update your plan and account features to reflect it. Either way, I would only reactivate the phone if it does not get service. All the process does is de-brick the phone. Since yours is already de-bricked, I don't see the point in it.
 
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