If I Put My SIM Card in Another Phone, What Will Happen?

If I put my SIM card in another phone what will happen? So you just got a new phone, and you were wondering if you could simply swap your SIM card into the new phone and have everything working fine.

Well for many readers of our blog, this is a seamless process, but for some of our readers in the United States and Canada, this isn’t the most stress-free process.

So we thought that it would be cool to create an article exploring what you could expect whenever you change your devices and have to move your SIM cards between phones and what GSM and factory unlocked means on Android devices and iPhones.

First, let’s discuss the answer to the question, “if I put my SIM card in another phone, what will happen?”

If I Put My SIM Card in Another Phone, What Will Happen?

When you put your SIM card in another phone, it will work fine depending on the mobile carrier of the phone in question.

If, say you are using a Verizon SIM card in a Verizon phone and you are putting the SIM card into another phone that that is locked to the Verizon network, then it would work just fine. The same applies to other network providers like Sprint, Cricket, and AT&T.

The other side of the coin, which you also want to be aware of, is inserting a SIM card into a phone that is locked to another carrier.

If you insert a Sprint SIM card into a phone that is locked to the Verizon network, you will either be unable to do basic tasks like phone calls and texts, and even if you can do these, accessing the internet might be close to impossible.

For most people who ask the question, “if I put my SIM card in another phone what will happen?” there is a fix. Getting an unlocked phone, either GSM or factory unlocked means that any SIM card inserted into these will work just fine.

So the answer to the question – “if I put my SIM card in another phone what will happen?”—is that it completely depends on a range of factors.

If the SIM card is inserted into another phone with the same carrier, everything should work fine, if it’s a phone locked to another carrier, it most likely won’t work, while if you have the SIM card inserted into an unlocked phone, it will work without issues.

Note: Some carriers, like Telstra in Australia, have a policy that restricts the swapping of SIM cards, in which case you won’t be able to swap SIM cards unless you are subscribed to certain plans. Many carriers in the United States and Canada do not have this policy, but I thought you should know that simply inserting said SIM card in an unlocked phone or a phone from the same carrier might not work unless you upgrade your subscribed plan.

I Put My SIM Card in another Phone, and It Won’t Work

Did you put your SIM card in another phone, and it won’t work? The cause of the issue is most likely that the SIM card was inserted into a phone locked to a different carrier, in which case you would need to either get the phone unlocked or insert the SIM into another phone locked to the same carrier.

Another reason why you would put your SIM card in another phone, and it won’t work is likely issues with your SIM card. If a SIM card starts getting worn out, it might start selecting devices, so you would want to re-insert the SIM in the previous phone and see if it’s still working.

If you put your SIM card in another phone and it won’t work, you might want to get an unlocked device. If a SIM card doesn’t work in another phone, instead of going through the stress of unlocking the device as we suggested above, we would suggest inserting the SIM card in another phone that is unlocked from the factory and/or GSM and see if it works.

You could also take out the SIM card and clean it by rubbing a little alcohol on it and have it reinserted into the device. Sometimes, when the SIM plate gets dirt, it might become undiscoverable for some devices.

If I Put My SIM card in Another Phone Will It Save My Contacts?

If you put your sim card into another phone, it will only save your contacts if they are saved into the sim card in the first place. Nowadays, phones don’t store anything on the sim card – even contacts. Most recent phones have the contacts saved on the phone or the user’s Google account, and if you have an iPhone, the contacts will be saved to your iCloud account.

If you are switching to a new phone, you would need to sign in to your iCloud or Google to get all your contacts and other information transferred into it.

If your contacts are not saved on your Google or iCloud, but on the phone itself, you would need to manually transfer your contacts or back them up to your iCloud or Google account.

And finally, if by any chance, your contacts are saved on your sim card, then it will be saved on whatever phone you put it into, all you need to do is import the contacts from the sim card into the phone.

If I Put My SIM card in Another Phone What Will Happen to WhatsApp?

If you put your sim card in another phone, your WhatsApp will work normally on either phone. WhatsApp is unaffected by a change in sim card or phone number. You can choose to keep using WhatsApp on the previous phone and it will still work properly if the phone is connected to the internet.

You can also choose to move your WhatsApp to another phone, but before doing this, be sure to back up your WhatsApp on the current phone before attempting to sign in to your account on another phone. Doing this will keep your messages and other information intact and make the move easier.

Read also: Can I Switch SIM Cards between Phones on Verizon?

Can You Put Any SIM Card Into An Unlocked Phone?

So can you put any SIM card into an unlocked phone? As a rule of thumb, yes, you can put any SIM card into an unlocked phone, and it should work just fine.

When a phone is locked, it wouldn’t be able to work with any SIM cards from another network provider, but when unlocked, it will be able to work with just about any SIM card, irrespective of the network provider.

If I Put My Sim Card in Another Phone Will My Number Be the Same?

Yes, If you put your sim card in another phone, your number will remain the same. As long as the sim card is compatible with the phone – meaning that the phone is unlocked or locked to the same carrier as the sim card – then, you will be able to use the sim on the phone with the same number. Your phone number is tied to the sim, not the phone itself – in essence, wherever your sim goes, so does your phone number.

Can I Put My Sim Card in Another Phone Temporarily?

Yes, you can put your sim card in another phone temporarily, as long as the phone is not locked and the sim is compatible with it. You would be able to easily use your sim on it as you do with your original phone.

Will My Phone Carrier Know and Notify Me If I Switch My Sim Card to Another Phone?

Yes, your phone carrier will know when you switch your sim card to another phone by noticing the change in the IMEI number. They may or may not notify you depending on the circumstances surrounding the switch. More often than not, they will not notify you or reach out to you. They simply keep the data for record and advertising purposes.

How to Make A SIM Card Work in Any Phone

A good way to make a SIM card work on any phone is having the phone unlocked. The one reason why a SIM card doesn’t work in any phone is that the said phone is locked to another carrier, so having the phone unlocked makes things possible.

If you live in a country like Australia, some carriers allow you subscribe to certain plans that make it possible to use your SIM card on any phone. So you would want to contact your network provider to know if there is an adjustment that can be made to your SIM card.

Another case we would explore will be using the SIM card in countries that don’t have locked phones. Some countries do not have network providers locking devices, so using a SIM card in a country like that makes it that it works on any phone in which it is inserted.

Read also: Can A SIM Card Go Bad?

What Does GSM or Network Unlocked Mean?

A GSM unlocked phone is a device that isn’t restricted to a specific GSM network and can work with any SIM card irrespective of the network. The reason why your SIM card might not work in another phone is that the said phone is probably locked to another network provider, or is GSM locked.

Unlocked phones are known for being more expensive than locked ones as you are getting a lot of options out-of-the-box. If you choose to buy a GSM unlocked phone, you would be paying the full cost upfront compared to the installment payment options that are viable if you get one locked to a carrier.

What Happens If You Put A SIM Card in A Locked Phone?

Nothing. If you put your sim card in a locked phone, the sim will simply not work. When a phone is locked, it means the phone is locked to a particular carrier, and unless the sim card you are putting into the phone is from that same carrier, then it will not work. You would need to unlock the phone for it to work with sim cards from other carriers.

What Does Factory Unlocked Mean on Android and iPhone?

Compared to a GSM or network-unlocked android and iPhone, factory-unlocked on android and iPhone means that the phone can be used anywhere in the world. While a phone can be GSM unlocked to work with only networks in the United States, factory-unlocked phones go a step further, they can be used anywhere in the world and they can be used with any SIM card without issues.

• Things to Do If Your Phone Keeps Losing Network Connection
• Do I Need A Sim Card in Both Phones to Use Samsung Smart Switch?
• Do I Need A New Sim Card and Phone for 5G?

About The Author