SIM card errors are now thankfully less likely to occur than they were in the past. This is mainly due to the fact that technology has advanced. At the same time, the use of SIM cards is a bit different from what it was back in the day. Although, since we are a site that advocates for the use of foreign SIM cards when you travel we do have to account for issues that can occur during a SIM switch. From what we’ve been able to gather most of the SIM card error situations come up as a result of some type of outer issue with the card itself.
Having said this, we can’t forget that now eSIM cards can also develop problems. What we want to go over in this article is pretty simple. First and foremost we want to talk about what most likely causes the SIM card error that you’re facing. Naturally you’re going to want to avoid these situations in the future. If you do have an issue with an errant SIM card there are safe ways to be able to fix the problem. When you do have a problem your phone shows the dreaded SIM card error notification we are going to let you know if you should panic or not. Here are more of the subjects that we aim to cover in this article:
- Noticing A SIM Card Error
- SIM Issues With eSIM Cards
- Regular SIM Card Don’t Panic Clean The SIM Card
- Can’t Fix The SIM Card Cleaning Now What
- Prevent These Things From Happening
- Can A Regular SIM Card Develop A SIM Card Error With No Removal?
Noticing A SIM Card Error
The good thing about these problems is that for the most part you either have it or you don’t. In the sense that, if you have a SIM card error your phone is going to let you know right away. On the main screen a warning sign is going to pop up notifying you that there’s some type of problem with your SIM card. Usually what’s going to happen is that some of the functions on your phone are going to be limited. For starters, you’re not going to be able to make calls. Sending regular SMS text messages should also be affected. As well as access to certain apps that are linked to a particular phone number. A lot of the messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram fall into this category.
If the warning doesn’t pop up is there still a chance that you have a SIM problem? Yes, but it’s less likely. The way that you would be able to spot a SIM issue whether it be with a regular SIM card or an eSIM is usually if you experience data loss. The most common of these problems would be if you feel that all of a sudden you started losing some phone contacts that you had. We see this more often when you make a SIM switch. Data loss is possible when you switch your SIM card. There are a couple of reasons for this. Usually with a regular SIM card it has to do with external damage to the card itself. With an eSIM card that’s not a problem, but they tend to be more prone to a virus or a hack.
SIM Issues With eSIM Cards
Right off the bat we want to be clear here. eSIM cards don’t commonly develop problems. That being said, these can eventually show up. For the most part, as we’ve mentioned these are going to come up in the form of a computer virus or some type of hack. Really the best thing that you can do is prevent this from ever happening. That obviously would be rule one or ideally your first course of action. Most of the issues that develop in eSIM cards can be traced back to downloads that you made from foreign sites. Particularly if you downloaded some type of bootleg app.
Also clicking on spam emails is a very common way to allow a virus to enter your phone. That can potentially have a direct effect on your eSIM card. Clicking on a spam email from her phone was the way that they got Hilary Clinton! That’s a real threat. Yet, we do have to take into account that if you’re not a high-profile target it’s not something that you should lose sleepover. In any case, what we are trying to get at here is that eSIM cards obviously are not going to take physical damage. Usually, SIM issues that we see with these “cards” steam from some type of virus.
Regular SIM Card Don’t Panic Clean The SIM Card
The first thing that we would recommend that you do if you get the dreaded SIM card error warning on your phone is not to panic. 80 to 90% of the time the problem stems from the card not being properly inserted. The second issue is that there’s dirt or scratches on the card itself. Our recommendation for SIM issues with regular cards would be to first remove the card, and insert it again properly. If you want to take the extra step, take a cloth-like one that you would use to clean glasses and just clean the card gently. Again a lot of times the issue is some type of scratch or imperfection. Very similar to what we saw from CDs back in the day!
There are a couple of things that you’re going to want to account for here before you start thinking about “fixing” your SIM card. Make sure that you are inserting the card in the right outlet. More often than not, that’s one of the problems that people face. They make the SIM switch, and then they want to put the SIM card where the SD card goes. Also, make sure that the phone that you’re using can read that type of card. If that’s not the case you may need to use an adaptor.
If you’re reading this saying, “I’ve never removed the card, and it doesn’t work”. That’s sadly more of an indication of direct malfunction of the card itself. Even in those cases if you dropped your phone or something like that the card could have moved. Therefore, it could be a good idea to try and remove it and put it back in the right way. Do all of this a couple of times before you panic and you really start looking for an external solution!
Can’t Fix The SIM Card Cleaning Now What
This could be the situation that many of you ultimately find yourselves in. We wanted to make sure though that you didn’t make any irrational decisions. It’s like when you’re at the doctor you have to know you’re sick before you get some real medicine. Really the best advice that we can give is to go ahead and go to your service provider and get them to help out. More often than not this is something that they are going to be able to do for you free of charge.
The reason why we would recommend such a conservative approach is because if you try your hand at repairing it through software or apps that you can download your service provider may not cover the repairs. Therefore, you could end up having to change phone numbers. A lot of times the cost of a faulty repair that you tried on your own can far out way the benefit of a quick repair. We understand though that maybe you’re talking about a very old SIM card. You essentially want to see what it has or what you can do with it.
I Want To Try My Hard At Repairing My Own Card
As we mentioned you could go through apps. Really the thing about apps is that it’s really hit-and-miss. Some apps could work wonders for you, and others could be a total flop that is actually going to make things worse. The biggest issue with trying apps is that you can potentially be introducing a virus into your phone through it. So, if you had only a SIM issue you know you have a device issue. Plus, none of the apps that we’ve looked at really pass the test. There’s an old-school way to get a SIM repaired though.
What you have to do is to buy what’s called a SIM Card reader. It’s like a USB, but you’re going to be able to insert your SIM card there. Usually, these will come with a program that you need to install. That way you can use your desktop computer to look at all of the data that’s on the card and potentially fix it up. This is actually also a way to look at data from old SIM cards. When you don’t have a phone that you can use them on anymore.
The issue with this idea is that usually, the software is kind of old. A lot of these mini devices are coming from AliExpress and Chinese merchants that may or may not be trustworthy as well. It’s not that we want to play devil’s advocate, but we just don’t feel comfortable backing any device. Just to recap here are the things that you can do when you know that you have a SIM card error.
- Take it to your service provider for maintenance
- Download an app that promises to fix it
- Get a USB SIM card reader and download software to fix it up!
As you can see most of the solutions that we’ve put forward can’t really guarantee success. Particularly the ones that involve yourself or someone other than your phone company trying to fix the SIM card. Actually, the best way to fix a SIM card error is to literally take the phone to your service provider. They are going to be the ones that have to answer for this type of problem. As we mentioned most of them really won’t give you a hard time about fixing a SIM issue. In fact, even if they tell you that the SIM has total data loss you can ask for it back and then try the other ideas on the table.
Prevent These Things From Happening
Your best bet is obviously going to be to avoid these issues altogether. For the most part, when you keep your SIM card inside your phone at all times a SIM issue is highly unlikely. That’s certainly a positive that we can point to. If you have to remove your SIM card and actually keep it outside a phone for an extended period make sure that you store it in a safe spot. When you want to put it back into the phone make sure that you clean it properly. If you do that you should be able to avoid most of the issues.
Earlier we made the comparison that SIM cards were a lot like CDs. In that, you need to make sure that you store them correctly so that they don’t start picking up dust or develop scratches and things like that. There are actually special cases that you can buy to store SIM cards. If you need to keep it outside your phone for an extended period. That may seem like a bit too much for some people. However, with how ineffective fixing these cards can sometimes be it makes more sense to take extra steps to avoid problems.
Can A Regular SIM Card Develop A SIM Card Error With No Removal?
Technically yes, but in reality, it’s highly unlikely. Usually, the problems are going to develop because there was essentially a bigger problem with the phone itself. For example, when you drop your phone into a pool, or it breaks and other types of things get in. There are a ton of SIM cards that have been able to survive a phone drowning. Particularly because they were properly enclosed in the phone. Plus, they are actually not as sensitive to water as some other components in your phone. We’re not saying that you should shower with one, but a little water on them is ok.
A lot of times when you get the SIM card error message when you have not removed the card at all, it’s usually an indication of some type of issue within the phone. In some cases, you’ve dropped your phone, and you really can’t see a ton of damage on the device. However, the impact has caused the position of the card to shift. Causing the phone to not be able to read it correctly. In those cases, the problem is usually in the phone and not in the card itself. You’d do well to recognize that before you potentially start fixing things that aren’t broken.
SIM Card Error Conclusion
There are different reasons why your phone may be showing the dreaded warning sign for SIM card error issues. When that happens as we’ve mentioned the first thing that you’re going to notice is the other warning that tells you that you can only make emergency calls on the phone. It’s super important though not to panic, and make transcendent decisions in the moment. More often than not the card has shifted because of the movement of the phone. If the phone fell that could’ve been the movement that we’re talking about. The card could be dirty, or just not inserted properly in the first place.
When you ultimately do get around to verify that in fact, you’re dealing with a SIM issue your best bet could be to head over to the nearest store that your regular service provider operates. Really SIM issues are not going to be as big a deal. A lot of times if you fail trying to fix it on your own the worst-case scenario is that you’re going to lose your regular number. That could be a bigger issue for some than for others. That’s something that we recently recognized. Ideally, try and prevent these things from happening. If the problem is upon you try and get certified help. If not there are a ton of cool gadgets that you try out. These can potentially help you fix the problem. Really though, that should be your last option!