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swap AT&T SIM into Verizon iPhone X?

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bremmma

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Nov 13, 2013
15
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I am on a work phone plan on AT&T using an iPhone 7. Since it's a business plan in my employer's name (I can't personally order phones through it), I used my parents account info and ordered an iPhone X through Verizon.

From reading threads last week (that I can no longer find) I am under the impression I can take out the Verizon SIM as soon as the new phone arrives, before I turn on the iPhone X, and put the existing AT&T SIM in its place - and I will be good to go once I turn the phone on. Can anyone confirm if this will work as expected? Do I need to inform AT&T somehow (or talk to my work IT department) or should the new iPhone X just start working with AT&T since my existing SIM works?

Appreciate any help. Thanks.
 
should be ...doing this last few years, and planning to do it with X as well, however, I was doing the ATT model for my tmobile
 
I thought you'd have to activate it on verizon first and then put in the AT&T sim? It's my understanding that at some point you'll need carrier info to get the phone activated (assuming you have no access to work carrier info). Once the phone is activated using the verizon sim, you can remove it and put in the AT&T sim with no issues since verizon doesn't lock their phones.
 
bremmma said:
I am on a work phone plan on AT&T using an iPhone 7. Since it's a business plan in my employer's name (I can't personally order phones through it), I used my parents account info and ordered an iPhone X through Verizon.

From reading threads last week (that I can no longer find) I am under the impression I can take out the Verizon SIM as soon as the new phone arrives, before I turn on the iPhone X, and put the existing AT&T SIM in its place - and I will be good to go once I turn the phone on. Can anyone confirm if this will work as expected? Do I need to inform AT&T somehow (or talk to my work IT department) or should the new iPhone X just start working with AT&T since my existing SIM works?

Appreciate any help. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Let me know how it goes. There are probably thousands of others waiting how it goes for you.
 
arggg14 said:
I thought you'd have to activate it on verizon first and then put in the AT&T sim? It's my understanding that at some point you'll need carrier info to get the phone activated (assuming you have no access to work carrier info). Once the phone is activated using the verizon sim, you can remove it and put in the AT&T sim with no issues since verizon doesn't lock their phones.
Click to expand...

Someone in an earlier thread said the opposite and actually said I would be charged a Verizon activation fee if I did this, whereas taking out the SIM from the start, and replacing with the existing AT&T Sim before first turning it on might be able to waive the Verizon activation fee...
 
I've heard conflicting things... If i sell to my friend and they just swap in their sim card do they still need my information to activate it?
 
I'd love to know the answer to this question. How come there isn't a straight answer?
 
arggg14 said:
I thought you'd have to activate it on verizon first and then put in the AT&T sim? It's my understanding that at some point you'll need carrier info to get the phone activated (assuming you have no access to work carrier info). Once the phone is activated using the verizon sim, you can remove it and put in the AT&T sim with no issues since verizon doesn't lock their phones.
Click to expand...

This strategy is specific to to reseller flex models you get at 3rd party resellers - they’re universal models (same as Verizon and sim free) but they lock to the first carrier they’re activated on. Verizon doesn’t lock phones, so activating with a Verizon SIM gets you a universal unlocked phone. If you were to put an ATT sim in one of these to activate it would lock to ATT.

With a Verizon phone from Apple you shouldn’t need to do this.
 
Atomic Walrus said:
This strategy is specific to to reseller flex models you get at 3rd party resellers - they’re universal models (same as Verizon and sim free) but they lock to the first carrier they’re activated on. Verizon doesn’t lock phones, so activating with a Verizon SIM gets you a universal unlocked phone. If you were to put an ATT sim in one of these to activate it would lock to ATT.

With a Verizon phone from Apple you shouldn’t need to do this.
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have a Verizon phone, from Apple. It sounds like you're pretty confident that I can remove the Verizon SIM before I ever turn on the phone, put in the AT&T SIM in its place, and I should be all set. I can try it in a few hours...
 
verizon phone is already unlocked. just insert the ATT sim and you are good to go!
 
MuGeN PoWeR said:
it will not be locked! since it was not bought from ATT!
Click to expand...
So I need to put the Verizon Sim in first? Who would it be locked to? Why is any company lockung a phone that is fully paid for? I'm really struggling to understand this.
 
For VZW - If you take the SIM out before turning the device on, that's fine. You'll still need to call VZW to complete the activation process. You'll be charged $30. VZW has had this fee since 2017.01.09

There is no way around this. All these people selling the device on eBay without activating it first - good luck with that for your feedback rating/buyer. Granted you can still salvage the situation by calling your carrier and having them activate the device, but I think your buyer expects to have a working device in their hands. And yeah, the only way that happens is if you open the packaging and activate it. It has been this way for busy launches where Apple forces you to order via a carrier, for years. The X was so popular they've returned to this option to try to ward off scalpers (lol).

Once the device is activated you can put in any sim you want, and restart the phone - you're good to go.
 
u9721510 said:
So I need to put the Verizon Sim in first? Who would it be locked to? Why is any company lockung a phone that is fully paid for? I'm really struggling to understand this.
Click to expand...

All the phones which are fully paid for come unlocked. No one is locking the fully paid phone. Just insert ATT sim and activate it!
 
It will ask you to activate the phone with the SIM provided, but if you click on start over it should go through normally. That’s what happened to me.
 
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cwosigns said:
It will ask you to activate the phone with the SIM provided, but if you click on start over it should go through normally. That’s what happened to me.
Click to expand...

Yep this is what I had to do. I ordered my X through the iUP using ATT but I ported over to Cricket earlier this week. I didn’t even THINK about it, and probably should have waited until AFTER getting my X to port. My phone prompted me to activate with ATT, which obviously I do not have any longer.

Once I hit start over I was able to get it activated using my Cricket SIM.
 
So then for a "Verizon" phone purchased from Apple, if I want to swap in my existing AT&T SIM in order to activate on my current AT&T account - is the thinking that I should do so before ever turning on phone? And if the phone asks me to activate with the SIM that came with the phone, I can click "star over" and it will activate with my AT&T SIM?

@kupkakez and @cwosigns - is this the process you both followed (and was it Verizon to AT&T)? What about the earlier thread that says you need to call Verizon to do this and there's no way around it?
 
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