No SIM error (unlocked, not rooted) - Galaxy S III Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I got my new S3 yesterday. It was bought in Denmark and I live in Iceland. I keep getting a "No SIM (Insert SIM card)" error even though the SIM card is properly inserted. I've not rooted the phone.
What I've done so far to resolve the problem:
Gotten 2 new micro SIM cards that have been confirmed to be activated by my provider (Síminn). Neither one has worked.
Updated my S3's firmware to the latest version
Made sure that the phone actually is unlocked by entering *#7465625# (it is).
Checked the region code by entering *#1234# (it's XX = Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom (Western Europe)) - Not quite sure about this one, Denmark is not listed but, as I said previously, the phone is bought in Denmark.
Tested two different SIM cards from another provider (NOVA) that worked fine. Those were both mini SIM cards that had been cut to fit an iPhone and an HTC One X, i.e. cut down to micro SIM size. They both had the older, larger, almost square contacts on them as opposed to the rectangular shape of the newer ones. The older ones, after being cut to micro SIM size, had almost no plastic borders at all.
Tested my newest micro SIM card on another phone (HTC One X) and it worked fine.
The only two options for what might be wrong I've been able to come up with are:
The micro SIM card won't work because its contacts are too small (which I find highly unlikely as it must be standardized, right?)
My provider's SIM cards are somehow blocked on my phone. Is that even possible?
Any ideas what might be wrong and how I can fix it?

The micro SIM card won't work because its contacts are too small
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That should not happen.
I'm not too sure but I think there are multiple microSim standards. The device SHOULD be able to handle them all.
My provider's SIM cards are somehow blocked on my phone. Is that even possible?
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The other way round would be possible; your device ID (IMEI) being blocked on the network.
However that wouldn't give you a "No SIM" but a "No Service" message since it recognizes the SIM but can't use it.
Those were both mini SIM cards that had been cut to fit an iPhone and an HTC One X,
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Is there a chance you could get a normal SIM-card from your provider and cut it? Should be compatible.

d4fseeker said:
Is there a chance you could get a normal SIM-card from your provider and cut it? Should be compatible.
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I'm not sure about that, I had a normal SIM card in my old phone but it had the same contacts as the micro SIM one, i.e. the rectangular ones, not the square ones. I think the square ones are obsolete or something. But if I don't sort this out by monday I'll go and check if they have some square ones. It's either that or switch providers and I really wasn't happy when I was at NOVA (the one that had the cards that worked).

No ideas? I'm getting kinda desperate
P.S. The difference between the rectangular and square ones is that the rectangular ones are 6-pin only while the square ones are 8-pin with only 6-pins connected. At least that's what I've been able to dig up.

I got it sorted.
Just wanted to make an update if people with this problem stumble upon this thread since I couldn't find any info on this on the net.
The problem was that I was getting an outdated (obsolete) SIM card from my provider, as I suspected. I went to their main shop today and got a newer one which worked.

Related

"Cannot connect for an unknown reason" with every ROM I tried

I bought a used Orange UK TG01, unlocked it with an unlock code, then flashed some cooked ROMs. Voice calls work perfectly, but a "Cannot connect for an unknown reason" comes out immediately when I use anything that needs a data connection. This even happens with a stock Hong Kong WM6.5 ROM.
Is my TG01 defective? I flash ROMs with SDDL+ and my microSD card is a Transcend 8GB microSDHC Class 6. The only things I haven't tried yet is using a microSD (<2GB) card and using the pin shorting method to flash ROMs instead of using SDDL+.
I'm in Hong Kong and my mobile operator is PCCW 3G. All connection settings are correct. The same settings and SIM card work with my HTC TyTN II.
Try this....
Change your sim card with your friends or your wife's. I am thinking that your phone company is the problem. I had the exact same problem with my phone here in Japan. Said something just like your message. So I swapped the sim card with the sim card in my wife's phone and boom... my phone worked perfectly. I had to call my phone company over and over and over again, then they said that they will "refresh" my phone account and it took three days. So... just try a different sim in your phone, the problem you are describing is EXACTLY the same as I experienced. No data connection, but SMS(I think.. I am not sure, it happened to me three years ago) and phone works fine.
Check it out, tell me what happened when you swap sim cards?
-Kilihari.
Luckily my operator happens to be carrying out some network upgrades which requires me to get a new SIM card from them, no phone calls needed.
I got my new 64K SIM card and bam, everything works perfectly now! The chip on the SIM card is smaller than my previous SIM card.

??? New SIM card vs. Old SIM card ???

I noticed that the SIM cards keep changing every so often.
The new SIM cards have a smaller gold-metal surface area, whereas the older ones have a bigger gold-metal surface area.
Any ideas why?
Is there any benefit to swap out your SIM card to the newest? The SIM that comes in the box has a smaller gold-surface area.
(When was using previously using the iphone, my SIM was pretty beat up from switching phones all the time and the gold-metal part practically had indentations, which did give me reception problems. When I swapped it out with a new one at the store it did fix the problem. Obviously a surface contact problem.)
* Picture attached below *
iunlock said:
I noticed that the SIM cards keep changing every so often.
The new SIM cards have a smaller gold-metal surface area, whereas the older ones have a bigger gold-metal surface area.
Any ideas why?
Is there any benefit to swap out your SIM card to the newest? The SIM that comes in the box has a smaller gold-surface area.
(When was using previously using the iphone, my SIM was pretty beat up from switching phones all the time and the gold-metal part practically had indentations, which did give me reception problems. When I swapped it out with a new one at the store it did fix the problem. Obviously a surface contact problem.)
* Picture attached below *
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Click to collapse
Here's the pic.
I did have a weird situation where replacing the sim actually somehow increased my data speeds...the old sim was only a year old ...but i ain't complaining
didn't really notice any less surface area tho
newspeak said:
I did have a weird situation where replacing the sim actually somehow increased my data speeds...the old sim was only a year old ...but i ain't complaining
didn't really notice any less surface area tho
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That's interesting....hmmm....now I'm really curious haha...
I swapped out my 1 year old SIM as well and now im getting 3G signals in my house whereas my old sim would drop 3G service more often.
Idk I change sim cards for all my phones since g1 since there's nothing on it ever since using google contacts
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
There is typically no need to replace your sim card unless you are having problems with it (ie not registering on the network.)
However older sim cards have a restriction on how many times they can register on the network, and after they hit the limit the phone will stop connecting, so if you want to prevent this issue (usually takes a couple years, and is a lot more likely in areas where your signal drops, for people who travel a lot, and in 3G coverages areas where you swap back and forth between 3G and 2G) you can use one of the newer sim cards. To Identify whether your sim is the newer variant with no registration restriction look at the back where the gold contacts are, if its a newer sim it will say in small lettering "TMXXXX" (where X is a number, ie TM4322) and it will also have an expiration date printed (it must be activated by this date or it becomes unusable.)
In terms of 2G/3G the sim card itself and its age should not make a difference as the capability to connect to those networks is dependent on the phone, not the sim. You can think of a sim card as a gateway that connects your phone to the billing system and authenticates it.
Having had said that, if you are having connection issues it could just be a defective sim card, to check, just place the sim in a phone that isn't having any connectivity problems, if it starts having problems, replace your sim.
In terms of the digit you highlighted in that picture, I believe it has to do with the manufacture year, although if I remember correctly its digits 4 and 5 that make up that information, but otherwise isn't anything important to a consumer.
well i got curious and checked ....i have the bigger sim ...i don't think the numbers matter much
Aphotix said:
There is typically no need to replace your sim card unless you are having problems with it (ie not registering on the network.)
However older sim cards have a restriction on how many times they can register on the network, and after they hit the limit the phone will stop connecting, so if you want to prevent this issue (usually takes a couple years, and is a lot more likely in areas where your signal drops, for people who travel a lot, and in 3G coverages areas where you swap back and forth between 3G and 2G) you can use one of the newer sim cards. To Identify whether your sim is the newer variant with no registration restriction look at the back where the gold contacts are, if its a newer sim it will say in small lettering "TMXXXX" (where X is a number, ie TM4322) and it will also have an expiration date printed (it must be activated by this date or it becomes unusable.)
In terms of 2G/3G the sim card itself and its age should not make a difference as the capability to connect to those networks is dependent on the phone, not the sim. You can think of a sim card as a gateway that connects your phone to the billing system and authenticates it.
Having had said that, if you are having connection issues it could just be a defective sim card, to check, just place the sim in a phone that isn't having any connectivity problems, if it starts having problems, replace your sim.
In terms of the digit you highlighted in that picture, I believe it has to do with the manufacture year, although if I remember correctly its digits 4 and 5 that make up that information, but otherwise isn't anything important to a consumer.
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Thanks for your input.
As for the exp. date, where is that located. I don't see it.
Aphotix said:
In terms of 2G/3G the sim card itself and its age should not make a difference as the capability to connect to those networks is dependent on the phone, not the sim. You can think of a sim card as a gateway that connects your phone to the billing system and authenticates it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I thought...until a lot of people started noticing better 3g connection/speeds with the new sim cards. Just a placebo effect perhaps?
The size difference could also be for users who want to make it a micro sim so they can put it in their unlocked iPhones. I don't have either of these sim cards to compare, so I'm not sure.
hmm.. the sim im using is almost 8 years old. its been moved from phone to phone so many times there are wear marks on the contacts. still works fine though.
When I first got my g1 a few years ago I had issues with the market. There were apps that I knew were available (private apps) but I could not download them. I went to a T-Mobile store and looked at the display phones. One of them was able to see private apps, the other like mine, could not. I talked it over with the rep and we decided to replace the sim card. It was a random, no other ideas, decision. Started the G1 back up and Market was now working as expected. There were no other benefits noticed. Since then, I tend to replace the sim anytime a new phone is purchased.
Your milage may vary.
-Ryan
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App
When I got my Vibrant, coming from the g1, tmo wanted to just pop it in the Vibrant. I made them put in the new sim card just to be safe, figured the one that came in the box brand new SHOULD be better.
iunlock said:
Thanks for your input.
As for the exp. date, where is that located. I don't see it.
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Click to collapse
Its only on the newer ones, the old ones don't expire, they just stop working after a set number of registrations on the network.
In regards to sim issues, they really shouldn't have any impact at all. Changing a sim card refreshes the billing information in the system (like what kind of services your phone is supposed to have and what not) customer care can do this without the need for a new sim.
Hoenstly though, sometimes a sim replacement is needed, I've seen stranger things.
s15274n said:
When I got my Vibrant, coming from the g1, tmo wanted to just pop it in the Vibrant. I made them put in the new sim card just to be safe, figured the one that came in the box brand new SHOULD be better.
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Click to collapse
When I bought my phone out right, the rep opened the box and took out the SIM then sold me the phone.
I guess it doesn't matter since swapping out your SIM at the T-Mobile corporate stores is free.
I just tried this since there is a tmobile store across from where I work. I used SpeedTest app and ran it 3 times before the swap. Average was about 2500 kbps download and 300 up. I swapped the sim out, went back to the spot where I originally tested and ran three more times and got about the same rate with the new sim. My old one was about 3 yo from when I had my Dash.
MonkySlap said:
I just tried this since there is a tmobile store across from where I work. I used SpeedTest app and ran it 3 times before the swap. Average was about 2500 kbps download and 300 up. I swapped the sim out, went back to the spot where I originally tested and ran three more times and got about the same rate with the new sim. My old one was about 3 yo from when I had my Dash.
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Click to collapse
I'm thinking the only time one would see a difference is if they are having poor contact surface from the SIM wearing out. I've seen ooolld SIM's where the metal had indentations like no other.
Just read the thread and said why not had the same sim card since I first signed up with tmobile 5 years ago.
When I talked with the rep on the phone and explained this to him and asked could this help he stated that the official tmobile policy is if the old sim card works no need to switch. However, because of the technical specs on the card could cause better reception, they just can't guarantee it, they only guarantee it will not get worse. He asked if I was having issues and I said no i'm just a nerd and wanted to know if it would help. Just swapped it out going to give it a test around the house and will report back.
Back Story:
Upgraded from G1, perfect 3G everywhere in chicago, couldn't even get it to drop from 3G no matter where I went. With the Vibrant and and old sim card, constantly dropped to 2G no big deal still was speedy
New Sim Card:
will report after testing
Old Sim Card
My connection constantly jumped from 2G to 3G all over my house constantly
New Sim Card
Solid 3G all through the house, will report back after tomorrow when I travel all over chicago

motorola atrix 4g ATT sim card size ?

Hi,
what size sim card is needed for motorola atrix 4G ATT phone. GSM Arena says mini Sim ? Some other site I read it takes regular sim but I think it was different carrier.
Regards,
Miten.
Mini SIM is regular SIM...
If you're still unsure (can't imagine why), it's can't be that hard to google, can it?
regular sim is mini sim
thanks for guidance. even after you clarified I googled and did not find site mentioning it clearly. It does show the pictures but does not mention so wanted to clarify.
"Uses mini SIM" is as clear as you'll get, and like I said there should be no confusion about what that means.
ravilov said:
"Uses mini SIM" is as clear as you'll get, and like I said there should be no confusion about what that means.
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Click to collapse
As said above, mini SIM is the regular SIM. Other SIM that are commonly used are micro SIM(iP****, HTC etc.) or the Nano SIM, which are smaller than the mini SIM. Though I have never seen a device which uses a SIM bigger than mini SIM (nor I have seen any SIM bigger in size than mini SIM)
Atrix uses mini SIM (25x15mm)
Details from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subscriber_identity_module
You're clearly too young to have seen them. SIM cards used to be the size of today's credit cards.
Mini SIM is called "mini" for a reason, just like there's a reason SIM cards are usually shipped within a plastic bracket and you have to snap it out.
EDIT: The big card in the background here is the full size SIM card, and the phone in front is the kind of phone that uses a SIM card of such size.
ravilov said:
You're clearly too young to have seen them. SIM cards used to be the size of today's credit cards.
Mini SIM is called "mini" for a reason, just like there's a reason SIM cards are usually shipped within a plastic bracket and you have to snap it out.
EDIT: The big card in the background here is the full size SIM card, and the phone in front is the kind of phone that uses a SIM card of such size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
funny thing is even though i was a kid at the time, i remember that size SIM card lol

[Q] Microsim card cut it myself: no reception but pincode?

Hello,
I have a dual sim phone, but use only one sim. Since I am now on vacation in another country I decided to buy an extra sim card, but they had only full-size SIMs and I needed a micro-SIM version. I then decided to cut one myself (with a scissor). It looks quite alright, if I might say so.
My phone asks for the pincode for that SIM (and only accepts the right one), but I don't get any receipt.
Now my question is: when your phone asks for pincode, doesn't that automatically mean the SIM chip is read?
Thus removing the possibility of a faulty cut, instead pointing towards bad reception and/or bad phone support for that carrier.
Sincerely David van der Laan

Is my Mi Pad 4 the LTE Version?

Hi all, a couple random questions.
I spent the extra $30 on the LTE version on the off chance it would work with my Google Fi data only sim.
question is, i don't seem to have a sim slot, this looks like a micro sd slot to me. (the spot where a sim would go doesnt have a cut-out)
Am i missing something, or did i get the wifi only version?
Part B: If this does happen to be a wifi only version, it is even worth it to me to try to get them to exchange it, would it even have worked with Project Fi?
The LTE version has a different tray for sure - the sim card goes adjacent to the SD card, basically where that extra black area is. No idea about project FI, but my LTE tablet works in Toronto Canada on LTE pretty well.
Only the LTE Version has GPS. So try to use Google Maps
Hi!
Got my LTE version today and it sure looks different. I also had a sticker behind where it shows you, how to put micro sd AND sim-card into it.
Funny thing is, I even got a SIM card from China
thE_29 said:
Hi!
Got my LTE version today and it sure looks different. I also had a sticker behind where it shows you, how to put micro sd AND sim-card into it.
Funny thing is, I even got a SIM card from China
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Click to collapse
Me too....but exist the way to let it work with European sim cards?
Why shouldnt it work with a european SIM?

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