I put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work? Here’s why

I put my sim card in another phone and it won t work, what is the reason why such happened, what is the sure solution to this very problem.

I’m here to explain the reasons why the other phone couldn’t detect the sim card along with a good solution for you.

However, the first thing I want you to know is that there’s a high tendency that the other phone is locked or probably the sim slot is faulty, or maybe the network frequency doesn’t match the sim card.

Now let’s jump in to the question we have, i put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work.

I put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work

This usually occurs when a cell phone is locked to a specific network carrier or the sim card being incompatible with the cell phone in terms of network reception, and the sim size. 

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So let’s see the reason why such happened, and the solution to it.

1. The other phone is carrier locked

One of the major reasons why sim cards doesn’t work in a phone is because of the phone is carrier locked. Once a mobile phone is carrier locked, not every sim card will work in the phone except if the sim card is same carrier with the locked phone.

For example, the other phone is an AT&T locked phone and you’re trying to use a T-Mobile sim card in the phone, there’s no way the sim card will work in the AT&T locked phone unless you use an AT&T sim card.

THE SOLUTION 

In order to make the sim card work in the other phone, you should unlock the phone though it will not be easy for you as you have to meet with the carrier network to unlock the phone.

Once the phone is fully unlocked, definitely the sim card will work in the other phone and you wouldn’t have any reason to complain or ask i put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work.

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2. The frequency doesn’t support the sim card

Another reason why a sim card won’t work in another phone is due to the fact that the phone frequency isn’t compatible with the sim card or the sim card doesn’t support the phone frequency.

i put my sim card in another phone and it won't work

It has happened to me when I bought a phone from Aliexpress, the network frequency isnt compatible with my sim card and even though it detected the sim card, I couldn’t make calls or browse on the phone.

This type of phone is usually called country unlocked phones cause it is only compatible with sim cards or mobile network in its country. Any other network outside the country will never work in the phone, and this is very common in Chinese android phones.

THE SOLUTION 

There’s no solution for this cause you can’t even fully unlock the phone, and I’m saying this based on my experience. It was really frustrating though in my own case I returned the phone back to aliexpress.

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3. Sim slot issue

SIM slot issue can also cause such problem to occur in the other phone, maybe the other phone has a sim slot problem which you didn’t know about.

In this case, what you have to do in order to be sure that the other phone sim slot is faulty is by testing three different sim cards in the other phone, and if the phone is fully unlocked but didn’t detect the sim cards, then there’s a likelihood that the other phone sim slot is damaged.

In this situation you have to change the change the sim slot and changing a sim slot is very cheap than you think.

As long as the sim card is faulty and not damaged, these are the three major reasons why you’re having this issue of i put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work. 

Why won’t my sim card work in another iphone

The major reason why your sim card is not working in another iphone is because the iPhone is carrier locked, and the sim card isn’t compatible with the iPhone.

I gave this example, let’s say the other phone is an AT&T locked phone and you’re trying to use a T-Mobile sim card in the phone, there’s no way the sim card will work in the AT&T locked phone unless you use an AT&T sim card.

Once you have a fully unlocked phone, every sim card thrown at with will definitely work.

How to make a sim card work in any phone

To make a sim card work in any phone you simply  need to have to have the every phone to be fully unlocked cause if the every phones are carrier locked or sim restricted, a sim card in another carrier network will never work in these phones.

I repeat again, there’s no way to to make a sim card work in any phone if the phones are carrier locked and not compatible with the sim card. You only need to unlock the phone in order to make any sim card work in the phone.

So if you’re looking for how to make a sim card work in any phone, I’m sorry but you need to have those phones fully unlocked or the sim card must be of the same carrier network with the locked phones.

My sim is not working in my phone but working in other phones

This is usually caused when a sim card is not of same carrier network with the phone or probably the phone sim slot is damaged and which requires to be changed. 

Talking about my sim is not working in my phone but working in other phones, there are two major things involved and they are;

  • The sim card and the phone are not compatible with each other and that is to say that the phone is carrier locked or sim restricted.
  • The phone sim spot has been damaged and requires to be changed.

In order to be very much sure that the problem is caused by the sim slot, you have to insert another compatible sim card into your phone and check if it will work. If it didn’t then it is likely the problem is from the sim slot and which requires to be changed.

Changing of sim slot doesn’t cost much as you will get a new one around $3 depending on the type of phone you are using.

Old sim card in new phone not working? Here’s why

When an old sim card is not working in new phone, this may be due to the fact that the network frequency of the new phone and the old sim card are not compatible with each other, or the new phone is sim restricted.

But honestly I don’t see the reason and the need to use an old sim card in a new phone even if the phone sim slot is of the same size with the sim card. To save yourself the stress of asking sim card not working in new phone, please kindly request for a sim replacement, do a sim swap and you are good to go.

If i put my sim card in another phone what will happen?

It will work if your sim card is compatible with the phone, but bear in mind that you texts messages won’t be moved to the other phone. Once you put your sim card in another phone, new text message will now be stored in the phone and you can receive calls and text messages as well.

How to get my sim card to work in another phone

The only way to make a sim card work in another phone is by making sure that the sim card is of same network service with the phone.

If the phone happens to be locked which is the major reason why people ask this question of I put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work, then you have to unlock the phone. Once you unlock the phone any type of sim card can work on the phone.

Sim card not working after switching phones

Before switching phones you should make sure that they sim card and the phones are of same network or compatible with each other and this includes the network frequency.

Can i put my sim card in another phone?

You can put your sim card in another phone as long as the phone is carrier locked or probably unlocked, and it is of same network with the sim card if the phone is locked.

I put my sim card in another iphone and it won’t work

This is causes when the sim card and the iPhone is not of same network, not of same network frequency or probably they are incompatible with each other.

Don’t expect a sim card from AT&T network to work on T-Mobile locked phone.

In this case you will have to get a T-Mobile sim card for the T-Mobile locked phone or you should unlock the phone then all sim cards from different carriers will be compatible with the phone.

EDITORS RECOMMENDATION

I put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work?

Reason being that the phone is carrier locked, the phone network frequency is completely different from the sim card frequency, or probably the other phone sim slot is damaged or faulty and requires to be changed. These are the reasons why a working sim card doesn’t work in order phone especially if the phone is carrier locked.

With this i come to the conclusion of this post on i put my sim card in another phone and it won’t work, and if the sim card is working, and the other phone is fully unlocked but still didn’t detect the sim, I recommend you to contact your network provider.

About Kennedy

I'm Amaechi Uchenna by name, a mobile tech enthusiast who love writing articles about tips and tutorials especially relating to gadgets.

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