The iPhone SIM Not Supported error prevents you from making/receiving calls, sending SMS, and using your iPhone properly. Depending on your iPhone’s iOS version, the SIM Not Supported error may also appear as:
- SIM Not Valid
- SIM Card Νot Ιnstalled
- Invalid SIM
In this post we will answer the following questions:
- What is an iPhone SIM Not Supported error?
- Can you request an iPhone SIM Not Supported bypass from a carrier?
- How can you find out which carrier is locking your iPhone?
- How to achieve an iPhone SIM Not Supported bypass with an IMEI Unlock?
- How do you Bypass the SIM Not Supported error to a SIM-Unlocked iPhone?
What’s the “iPhone SIM Not Supported” error message?
An iPhone SIM Not Supported error means that the SIM Card you’re using, for some reason, is not supported by this device.
By identifying what is causing this error you can find the proper method to Bypass the iPhone SIM Not valid/supported error.
How do you request an iPhone SIM Not Supported bypass from a carrier?
As you can see below, the iPhones that use even the most popular US carriers are not immune to the SIM Not Valid / Supported error.
Most of them have already tried contacting the carrier’s customer support to help them fix this error, but nothing good has come out of it.
Carriers want their customers to continue using their services, so in most cases, they might even suggest that you do not need to bypass the iPhone SIM Lock.
However, since their SIM Not Supported Bypass services are free or at least very cheap, you can go ahead and give it a shot!
If you do not know which carrier is responsible for the SIM Not Valid/Supported error, then you can find it instantly with an iPhone Unlock Check service.
How can you find out which carrier is locking your iPhone?
Knowing which carrier is locking your iPhone has two benefits:
- Find out which carrier to contact and request a SIM Lock bypass
- Find a service that will bypass your iPhone’s SIM Not Valid / Supported error, in case your request gets rejected
Knowing the carrier that locks an iPhone that was purchased by an official store is easy (they cannot lie about the status of an iPhone). However, the situation becomes more complex when you have to deal with used devices. Used iPhones can have multiple issues, such as being blacklisted, having outstanding financial balances, or having an active contract. These issues are more than enough for an automatic iPhone SIM Not Supported Bypass request rejection from carriers.
How can you Bypass the SIM Not Supported error with an IMEI Unlock?
In cases where an iPhone SIM unlock request is being denied, a third-party IMEI Unlock Service is needed.
However, there are new questions added to the table:
- Which service is suitable for you?
- Does your iPhone fulfill the necessary requirements to use a service?
- Is the service currently active and stable?
An iPhone IMEI Unlock Check will reveal your iPhone’s status accurately in just a few seconds. On top of that, iPhone unlock specialists will suggest the most appropriate SIM unlocking service for your case.
7 ways to a successful iPhone SIM Not Supported bypass
Frequently the solution is much simpler than you think because your iPhone is not locked.
If your iPhone isn’t actually locked by a network, follow the steps below and put the error screen behind you in just a few minutes.
However, if your iPhone is locked by a mobile network, then the following methods will not be able to fix the SIM Not Supported error. In this case, you will have to identify what network is locking your iPhone and find a proper iPhone IMEI Unlock service.
1. Make Sure the SIM Card is Active and Works
As obvious as it may sound, remove the SIM card from the SIM tray, and then reinsert it. Make sure the SIM holder closes correctly. Sometimes using a card from a different iPhone model or another smartphone manufacturer can cause an Invalid SIM Card issue.
Make sure the SIM card that you inserted is still active with your mobile network. Contact your Carrier and check for activation or network problems. You may need to replace your current SIM card.
Try using another SIM card. Perhaps the one you already used caused the issue. After all, messages such as “SIM Not Valid” can also appear when a SIM card is damaged.
If another SIM card was used with this iPhone until recently (even if its contract expired), the iPhone may need this particular SIM card to be activated.
One more thing you could do is after removing the SIM-Card and ejecting the SIM-tray, clean them really well with a handkerchief (or something similar), and then put them back inside.
2. Restart the iPhone
The first thing PC or Mac users do when something stopped working or gets buggy is to restart their devices.
If the SIM Not supported issue is due to a software issue, then restarting your iPhone should fix it. How you will do it depends on your iPhone model.
If your iPhone has a Face ID, press and hold both the power and a volume button until the “slide to power off” appears on your iPhone’s screen. Swipe it (from left to right) and after it shuts down press and hold the power button again to turn it on.
If your iPhone does not have a Face ID, follow exactly the same procedure as above, without holding down the volume button.
You can find more about restarting your iPhone on Apple’s website.
3. Try turning the airplane mode on and off
A more detailed guide about Airplane mode can be found on Apple’s support pages.
4. Fix SIM Not Valid by making an Emergency Call
Return to the activation screen, press the Home button and select Emergency Call (911 in the United States or any similar number depending on the country where you live) and disconnect the call as soon as it is connected and tap the Power button.
If this trick is successful then you will be transferred to the main screen of your iPhone, successfully bypassing the SIM Not Valid error screen.
Have in mind that in some countries calling an emergency number for no reason is frown upon. So, make sure that you will not get in trouble by calling an emergency number.
5. Fix SIM Not Supported by updating your iPhone to the latest version of iOS
Apart from the fact that it is always better to have the latest iOS version on your iPhone, it might also fix the SIM Not supported error.
You can do it through iTunes or through your WiFi (avoid 3G/4G/5G since you might get charged).
The process is very simple:
- Go to your iPhone’s Settings
- Tap the General and then the Software Update
If there is an update available, tap the Download and Install and wait for a few minutes to complete the iOS updating process.
6. Use iTunes
Make sure that iTunes is updated to the latest version.
Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone
- If “Set up as New” or “Restore from Backup” show then iTunes activated your iPhone and iPhone SIM Not Supported bypass is completed successfully.
- If iTunes says that the SIM card isn’t compatible instead, then you can try using recovery mode and restore your iPhone
If none of the suggested SIM Not Valid solutions worked then your iPhone is definitely locked.
7. Resetting iPhone’s Network Settings
Before proceeding with this step, make sure to note down all the following settings, because the Reset Network Setting option will reset EVERYTHING to factory defaults and you will lose them.
- WiFi passwords
- VPN settings
Also, you will have to reconnect all your Bluetooth devices.
So, to reset your iPhone’s network settings you need to:
- Open iPhone’s Settings
- Go to General and then Reset
- There tap on the “Reset Network Settings” option
If you have your passcode enabled, there is a good chance that you will need to enter it to complete the network reset.
Conclusion on iPhone SIM Not Supported Bypass error
SIM Not Valid/Supported can be fixed regardless of whether your iPhone is unlocked or not. The only difference is that in the first case it is free but in the second case, it isn’t (unless you manage to send a successful SIM Not Support Bypass request to your carrier).
The difficult part is to locate the source of the SIM Not Supported issue and unlock your iPhone.
However, with an iPhone IMEI Unlock Check, you will find out if your iPhone is locked, blacklisted, iCloud locked, by which carrier & how to Unlock it in just a few seconds.
10 comments
Does it work with iPhone X on T-Mobile?
Hey Henry,
Yes, of course it works. But first you need to identify the Blacklist status, the financial status, the contract status and the iCloud status.
You can click one of the links from the post and get an iPhone Unlock IMEI Check.
Hi
I’m using an iPhone 6s
It was used in the United States and it was brought to Nigeria the country I’m currently in but the SIM card in my country does not work for it. How do I resolve it?
Hello Chris,
First, you need to know if your iPhone is SIM-Locked (And to which network), if it is Blacklisted and if it is iCloud Locked.
From what you are writing, most likely it is only SIM-Locked, but first you need to do a full IMEI Unlock Check and see if there is a compatible service available for your iPhone.
You can use one of the recommendations from our article!
Would you be able to unlock my phone xS?
Hey Isaac,
It really depends on the status of your iPhone. In which network it is locked? Is it Clean or Blacklisted? Is it under contract? Does it have unpaid bills? Are its IMEI/Serial number the original or replaced? What about its iCloud status?? If you do not know the answer to any of the previous questions, I suggest getting an iPhone IMEI Unlock check report (Check the links inside the post).
Hey Mekis
My iPhone is unlocked but sim not supported.
It’s clean from blacklist
Pls help me
Hello Jacob,
If your iPhone is UNLOCKED and CLEAN, then it should not have the SIM Not Supported Error code.
Are you sure that your iPhone is not SIM-Locked?
I suggest reading our iPhone IMEI Check article to double check if your iPhone’s status is the one you believe.
Hello, my iPhone cannot be activated.
Please, help.
Hey, Jhoemar.
Maybe you can’t activate your iPhone because it is blacklisted or something else is going on.
The only way to find out exactly what is going on with your iPhone is to use an IMEI Check Service.
As soon as you have more info about your iPhone, come back for further help.
Take care!