My iPhone won’t recognise my Sim Card – How to Fix?

iPhone not detecting a sim card is a common problem faced by some Apple users. You may have noticed that your iPhone is now showing No Sim in the top left corner and can’t figure out why this has happened – especially if your sim card is correctly placed in the tray inside your device.

When you’re not able to receive calls, texts or even mobile data this can leave you in a tricky situation and we have listed some helpful tips in our guide so you can tackle this issue on your own!
How to find and remove iPhone sim tray How to fix the “No Sim”, error Factory reset, Hardware problem – See our technicians in store!

How to find and remove iPhone sim tray

A sim card is how your network carrier provides all your information and allows you to make calls, access the internet and receive and make text messages. If your iPhone is displaying the No Sim, follow the below process to remove and insert the sim tray from your device, the sign may show as your sim card may not be correctly inserted inside the tray.

Your sim card tray is located on the right-hand side of your iPhone, opposite the mute and volume buttons. To remove the tray, you will need to use an Apple sim card removal tool – you can find this inside the iPhone’s original box.

To remove the sim tray from your iPhone:

• Insert gently the Apple sim card removal tool into the pinhole and apply a small amount of pressure until it pops out
• Take the tray out of the iPhone and either insert or remove your sim card Whilst removing and reinserting the sim tray, be sure to take extra care as being forceful can damage pins on your logic board – which can cause a lot of damage to your iPhone!

How to fix the “No Sim” error

If you have removed and reinserted your sim card correctly in the tray and it is still displaying “No Sim”, there could be a number of possibilities as to why this is occurring. Just follow our steps below, this problem can be tackled in no time. Turn on/off Airplane mode – A simple reset of your network connections can easily solve the problem just swipe up the control center of your iPhone and press the airplane sign to turn on and again to switch off. Test your device with a different sim card – If you have a spare sim card lying around, you can check if it is just your sim card alone that is faulty. Use the steps above to remove and place the sim card inside the tray. If this solves the trick, you may need to get in touch with your network carrier and arrange for a new sim card to be sent to you. Clean your sim card slot – Progressive dirt and moisture may have found its way into your sim tray/card slot and it’s important that this area is clear from dust as this will cause your sim to not be detected. To clean the sim tray, put some isopropyl (alcohol) on a lightly bristled toothbrush and gently rub this into the slot. If you have a can of compressed air to hand, blow this directly into the slot to remove any dirt or dust that has nestled.

Factory reset

Firstly, go to the Settings app > General > Reset > Reset all Content and Settings

A pop-up will appear, tap Erase > enter your Apple ID and Passcode

Your iPhone will then start to restore back to Factory Settings and erase all data stored on your iPhone. Once that is completed, you can then set up as new or restore from your most recent backup.

Remove your sim card from the slot using the methods found above, reinsert the tray back into the slot and wait for the device to recognise the network. This should only take a couple of seconds and you can then find if that has been successful when you see your network provider appear in the top-left corner of your screen.

Hardware problem – See our technicians in store!

If you have followed all of our tips above and you have not been successful in solving this issue, it may be time to visit our expert technicians in store who can help you.

But, before you make your way to visit us, we would advise checking to see if your iPhone still has a warranty with Apple. They could be able to solve this issue for you! If you still have a warranty with Apple this may be free, however, if your warranty has ended, this will cost.

Visit our team in-store! Take your device our repair shop in Qormi (Pulptech) where our expert technicians can run a signal-issue diagnostics test on your iPhone. We would suggest running a diagnostics on your device initially to ensure the hardware issue, During our diagnostics assessment, our skilled technicians will test all components of your device to assess their functionality and determine the causes as to why your iPhone is displaying “No Sim”. This is a standard fee of €20 and the process can take up to 30-60 minutes. Our team will then quote you on the cost of repair, once the inspection is completed.