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Slimmyhendrix

macrumors regular
Original poster
Sep 14, 2014
246
27
MN
So I want to get another 5c for use with pandora and other apps, basically an iPod.
Anyway I have looked a lot on using one with a bad esn and not much info. I am looking at used phones with a bad esn WITH SIM card included and no iCloud lock.
Will these phones work for just an iPod or will I need to purchase a new SIM card? I don't care for use as a cellphone ever.
Any suggestions?
Thanks
 
It seems as I have read, you can't activate the phone for iTunes use without an activated SIM card and then just take the card out after activating.
I don't have my old SIM cards as they went with my phones when I traded them in for credit on my 6's
 
It seems as I have read, you can't activate the phone for iTunes use without an activated SIM card and then just take the card out after activating.
I don't have my old SIM cards as they went with my phones when I traded them in for credit on my 6's


i don't know about bad esn. i am simply saying the sim card does not need to be activated at all. it just needs to exist, match the network that the phone works on, and be inserted.

it does not need to have service
it could be a dead sim that has been cancelled

i think its okay to leave the sim in the phone at all times
 
i don't know about bad esn. i am simply saying the sim card does not need to be activated at all. it just needs to exist, match the network that the phone works on, and be inserted.

it does not need to have service
it could be a dead sim that has been cancelled

i think its okay to leave the sim in the phone at all times

That is how I use my original iPhone. It has a dead SIM
 
So basically as long as it has a SIM card installed it should be good to go for iPod type use?
 
If you restore it or update it you will need a sim from the network its locked to in order to get into the home screen and passed the activation screen.
Without a sim you will not get anywhere.
 
If you restore it or update it you will need a sim from the network its locked to in order to get into the home screen and passed the activation screen.
Without a sim you will not get anywhere.

Are you sure? I was able to set my iPhone 6 up with a "dead" SIM
 
Are you sure? I was able to set my iPhone 6 up with a "dead" SIM

With a dead sim or any sim you can activate it.
I activated many iphones with deactivated sims too.
But you will need a sim. You cannot activate it without a sim that's all I was getting at.
It needs to be a sim from the network the phone is locked to. You cannot activate an AT&T locked iphone with a Tmobile sim for example.
If its an unlocked iphone you can then activate it with any sim.
If its locked it will only activate from the same carriers sim even if the sim is deactivated or dead for example.
 
Are you sure? I was able to set my iPhone 6 up with a "dead" SIM

Dead is fine... But if the phone is locked to a carrier, the dead SIM must be from that carrier.

Case in point: we moved my husband's AT&T nano SIM to from his locked iPhone 5 to an unlocked iPhone 6. The 5 immediately went to an "activation required" screen. Putting a T Mobile SIM in there did absolutely nothing to remove that screen. So I put my own inactive AT&T SIM in there and the activation screen vanished...even though that old SIM has no service & was not tied to his account.

An unlocked phone doesn't card what carrier SIM is in it, so long as there is one.
 
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