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Upgrade Swap
- Thread starter Clusty
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If you upgraded on a different line and activate with the new SIM that comes with it, the old SIM on that line will be activated. Why? You'll have to ask AT&T. I just know it happens, I've experienced it myself.
If you take out the new SIM and put yours in before activating the phone, I don't think the old SIM will get deactivated -- but I also don't know what will happen in terms of AT&T's systems marking the upgrade as complete and initiating the new contract term. In the years I've been with AT&T and done several upgrades on non-iphones, I've always had to call in to activate and the automated system set the contact counter to the day I activated the new phone.
What will happen if you do this? Maybe nothing? Try it and see what happens in a few weeks. I'm merely trying to offer a suggestion based on what I've seen in seven years with five lines on AT&T.
If you take out the new SIM and put yours in before activating the phone, I don't think the old SIM will get deactivated -- but I also don't know what will happen in terms of AT&T's systems marking the upgrade as complete and initiating the new contract term. In the years I've been with AT&T and done several upgrades on non-iphones, I've always had to call in to activate and the automated system set the contact counter to the day I activated the new phone.
What will happen if you do this? Maybe nothing? Try it and see what happens in a few weeks. I'm merely trying to offer a suggestion based on what I've seen in seven years with five lines on AT&T.
Once AT&T's system detects that the phone line does not have a smartphone you will be able to drop the data. However, any line that has a smartphone will need to have at least the $15 data plan which cannot be removed as long as the line has a smart phone in use.
My wife and I both have the iphone 4. She is eligible for an upgrade, I am not. Being the great wife that she is, I am getting the upgrade. So I ordered the phone under her number to get the cheaper price.
What I am planning to do - and someone let me know if this for some reason wont work...
When it arrives to my house (its being shipped) I will plug the new 4S into itunes, it will activate and her existing iphone 4 will be deactivated.
From there, I will just remove my sim card from my iphone 4, place it in the 4S, and take the newly activated sim from the 4S, and put it in my wifes old iphone 4.
This should all work unless I am missing something. We also both have unlimited data on the same family plan, so shouldnt be any kinks there.
I wonder why everyone doesnt do it this way, but I suppose the only pitfalls to this approach would be if both people didnt already have micro sims and/or both people swapping were not physically in the same location (ie the kid away in college scenario)
Thoughts?
What I am planning to do - and someone let me know if this for some reason wont work...
When it arrives to my house (its being shipped) I will plug the new 4S into itunes, it will activate and her existing iphone 4 will be deactivated.
From there, I will just remove my sim card from my iphone 4, place it in the 4S, and take the newly activated sim from the 4S, and put it in my wifes old iphone 4.
This should all work unless I am missing something. We also both have unlimited data on the same family plan, so shouldnt be any kinks there.
I wonder why everyone doesnt do it this way, but I suppose the only pitfalls to this approach would be if both people didnt already have micro sims and/or both people swapping were not physically in the same location (ie the kid away in college scenario)
Thoughts?
I have a question along the lines of this thread.
For a non-upgrade swap.... Giving my "old" iphone4 to my wife who is using a 3gs. We are on a family plan.
I already got a new microsim from the att store to use the in iphone4 that i am giving to my wife. Can i activate it using itunes after i put the new microsim into it? Can i just hook it up to itunes and restore it from her 3gs and it will activate it as well? Or do i still need to call att?
For a non-upgrade swap.... Giving my "old" iphone4 to my wife who is using a 3gs. We are on a family plan.
I already got a new microsim from the att store to use the in iphone4 that i am giving to my wife. Can i activate it using itunes after i put the new microsim into it? Can i just hook it up to itunes and restore it from her 3gs and it will activate it as well? Or do i still need to call att?
In your scenario that will work. Everyone doesn't do it this way because of different sim card sizes and phones in different locations.
Can I call ATT to do an upgrade swap before I get the phone? I'm sure it will be a long wait until I can talk to a rep tomorrow
You should be good to go, you already went to AT&T and hopefully they assigned her phone number to that new sim you received from them no?
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No. You have to give them the identification number of the new sim card.
Haven't gotten a definite answer yet
Scenario: My sister and I both have iPhone 4's. I used her upgrade to get the iPhone 4S. I am going to use my current sim from my iPhone 4 in the new 4S. Will I have to do anything with her sim or give her the new sim to use?
Scenario: My sister and I both have iPhone 4's. I used her upgrade to get the iPhone 4S. I am going to use my current sim from my iPhone 4 in the new 4S. Will I have to do anything with her sim or give her the new sim to use?
They might charge you $25, sometimes they do when crossing from basic to smartphone, but you can ask them to waive it since you are going to sign a data plan
No. He asked for any number on the account which to me meant that it wasn't assigned to a specific number. Maybe just assigned to the account?
Just put your sim card into the new iPhone 4S before you activate it in iTunes. Nothing else needs to be done.
Now your old iPhone will need a new sim for whoever would want to use it.
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Then I think he just gave you a blank sim card. In this case you would need to call them first, to make sure the number you want is associated to that sim. You can do this before you receive the phone since you already have the sim.
Yes I think it will. Better wait until you have the phone in hand.
Think of it this way.. The phone is not the phone. The sim card is the phone. Makes sense? The sim card is what gives you a particular phone-number. You can't have 2 phones with the same phone number, one has to be deactivated first.
I have a question okay my mom has the iphone 3GS. I used her line to get the upgrade for the iphone 4S. right now i have the iphone 4. I'm giving her my iphone 4 to here since i'm getting iphone 4S. So what do I need to do? in here iphone 3gs its using that old sim card (not the micro sim) how would she be able to use the iphone 4?
And for me all I do is pull out my micro sim and put it in the iphone 4S then connect to itunes right?
thanks for your guys help
And for me all I do is pull out my micro sim and put it in the iphone 4S then connect to itunes right?
thanks for your guys help
This is the best way to think of things. Essentially, AT&T does not care what phone you are using. Right now you can move your sim card to any phone you want, assuming it fits.
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- Plug new phone into iTunes and activate phone.
- AT&T will transfer her account to the new 4S' sim card. The phone is now "hers".
- Switch sim cards from 4 to 4S. The 4 is now hers, and your number is now on the 4S.
- Enjoy!
Edit: I reread the original post.
Take your sim from your 4 and put it in the 4S. That's it. Then plug it in and activate it. No more steps needed. No need to call anyone or visit an AT&T store. Back up your 4 first then restore your 4S to the 4 backup.
Take your sim from your 4 and put it in the 4S. That's it. Then plug it in and activate it. No more steps needed. No need to call anyone or visit an AT&T store. Back up your 4 first then restore your 4S to the 4 backup.
This will require a call or visit to Verizon. Verizon and Sprint don't use Sim cards. Their sim cards are "embedded" meaniing the info required from the sim is built into the phone.
Verizon phones don't use SIM cards. Not sure if you can do it over the phone or you have to take it to the store, but you definitely have to talk to Verizon.
I am in the same boat but could you do this?
- Move my existing iP4 sim card to the new iP4S.
- Turn on the iP4S and the new phone is yours
- Move NEW sim card to iP4
- Activate the new sim card via iTunes
The only reason I ask is that I have the 4S coming to my work and I would end up deactivating my wifes phone until she got home. If I do the above steps that I listed, I could do the last 2 steps when I get home and she is there.
So, this is exactly what I want to do (getting 4S, have a 4, giving 4 to my wife who has a 3g) but I've seen so many people say that you need to call ATT so they can associate the proper number with the IMEI of the phone. Is there any truth to this? Are the data plans also tied to the SIM?