By Dan Ketchum
Updated October 03, 2017
i sim card image by Stephen Gibson from Fotolia.com
For the most part, the only time you'll need to access your SIM card is when you do it with a paperclip – you know, to push the tiny button, pop your card out and slide it into a shiny new phone. That's because SIM cards, which are essential for securing your phone and linking it to your personal number and service provider, actually store a very limited amount of information [mostly notably, your contacts]. If you're still rocking an older SIM and your popularity is so off the charts that it's time to clear up a little space for contacts, you can access that data, but the process depends on whether you have an Android device or an iPhone.
On iOS
While chip-like SIM cards typically store only service info, contacts and a smattering of text messages, they sometimes contain apps [often annoyingly] pre-loaded by your carrier. On Apple devices, the most common reason for wanting to access your SIM's data is to remove these unwanted applications – doing so is a fortunately painless process.
From your iPhone's Settings menu, tap "Phone," then choose "SIM Applications." From here, you'll be able to see which apps are taking up SIM card data. If you'd like to remove any of them, delete the way you would any app – simply tap and hold the icon till it wiggles, then press the "X" that appears. Some default apps, though, may not be deleted.
On Android
To take a peek at the data on your Android's installed SIM card, open the Settings app by swiping down to access the drop-down menu. From Settings, either tap "About phone" or search for "About phone," then choose "Status" and "SIM status" to see data on your phone number, service status and roaming info.
Once you're there, there's not a whole lot you can do with your card's data other than see what's there. To manage the data, however, turn to a plethora of third-party, free-to-download SIM card apps from Google Play. Apps such as SIM Tool Manager and My SIM Toolkit Manager not only allow you to view SIM card data, they allow you to modify contact info, delete contacts and export contacts to a file for backup purposes.
SIM-ple Cautions
No matter what sort of phone you have, be aware that tampering with your SIM card to "unlock" your smartphone – or allow it to use a different carrier network – is illegal while you're under carrier contract. As such, you'll want to keep your data management limited to altering your contacts.
Once your contract with your service provider expires, though, you can simply call your carrier and request them to unlock your phone – by law, carriers must comply.
Reason Im asking, is because I am thinking about getting the 3G and when I change sim cards, Im curious if it will switch over all my ringtones, contacts, pics, etc....
SIM cards never hold much more than contacts, and on an iPhone I don't think this is even the case.
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I think Im calling the card by the wrong name. For some reason SIM came into my head. Im talking about the card that you take out when you use the paper clip to open at the top of the iPhone.
THnx
mondo
Change the sim from what phone? Why are you changing sim?
Thnx and sorry
- #6
I think Im calling the card by the wrong name. For some reason SIM came into my head. Im talking about the card that you take out when you use the paper clip to open at the top of the iPhone. That's the SIM card.
Thnx and sorry
- #7
sim cards don't hold that kind of information. they mainly hold your carrier information [account/phone number/etc]. the iphone's only holds that which i think is lame. every other GSM phone you can store your contacts on it [makes switching phones easier] and some [like SE] allow you to store sms/mms/email messages on it as well.
so no, your ringtones and whatnot won't transfer.
but they're on your computer/itunes library so why would you need them to? you just transfer them onto the new phone when you sync it.
- #8
I think Im calling the card by the wrong name. For some reason SIM came into my head. Im talking about the card that you take out when you use the paper clip to open at the top of the iPhone. You have the right name.
Thnx and sorry
The SIM
card's primary purpose is to supply customer account information to the wireless network.
If you take the SIM card out of the iPhone and put it in any other phone, your price plan, telephone number, etc all travel with the SIM card into the other phone.
None of your multimedia [ringtones, pics, etc] are usually stored on your SIM card.
It is also possible to store a contact list [names, phone numbers, etc] on a SIM card, but I don't know if the iPhone uses that
capability.
- #9
SIM = Subscriber Identity Module
It identifies you to your network the local cell tower communicates wiht your phone and registers your IMEI and SIm and that is how calls come through every time you move into a new area your IMEI is logged by the provider.
No data is stored on the SIM on the iphone except the SIM serial number which is tied to a phone number by your
service provider
- #10
Also the SIM card can't hold much information. On my old Razr I couldn't store voice prompts. Even if the iPhone could I wouldn't think that you could put pics or ringtones on it.
- #11
SIM = Subscriber Identity Module Right and the new iPhones will have a SIM built in again... Anyway... if you have previous version of the iPhone your numbers pics and other stuff is backed up in iTunes. They will be transfered when you plug your phone into iTunes the first time...
It identifies you to your network the local cell tower communicates wiht your phone and registers your IMEI and SIm and that is how calls come through every time you move into a new area your IMEI is logged by the provider.
No data is stored on
the SIM on the iphone except the SIM serial number which is tied to a phone number by your service provider
- #12
that's because razr's couldnt do a lot of things. you can actually store about 64kb worth of information on a sim card [at least ATT/Cingular's 64k cards]. that would normally entail your contacts, but you can also store messages like i mentioned above. you can't store ringtones, games, etc on it though. Also the SIM card can't hold much information. On my old Razr I couldn't store voice prompts. Even if the iPhone could I wouldn't think that you could put pics or ringtones on it.