A couple of months back, I published a guide on activating your iPhone from an unofficial carrier using legitimate activation certificates from iTunes. This is achieved by using a jailbreak package called Subscriber Artificial Module (SAM, for short) which would benefit the user in many ways, since having legitimate activations certificates for your iPhone will not only fix push notifications and YouTube issues, it also improves battery life. SAM is free and works for a lot of people.
The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported
A few of our readers have since complained that iTunes refuses to recognize their SIM card since they’ve used SAM. The error they received was “The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported”. Apparently, they’re not the only ones – this ‘iPhone SIM card not supported’ error has been associated with those who activated their iPhones using SAM for a while now and luckily, there is a fix available. In this article, I’ll explain how to work around iPhone SIM card not supported error when using SAM.
iPhone SIM card not supported error
Before we begin, let me give a brief recap of what the iPhone SIM card not supported error is and why. Some users receive the error “The SIM card inserted in this iPhone does not appear to be supported” while activating their iPhone 4/3GS/3G on iOS 4.x.x with SAM. This error arises because SAMPrefs depend on the original carrier on of the iPhone, and not on the ICCID or IMSI of the inserter SIM card. Hence, the user needs to follow a slightly different approach towards activation to successfully using SAM.
Getting around the ‘iPhone SIM card not supported’ error
First, you need to check the Model number of your iPhone. On Springboard, go to Settings >> General >> About and look for Model information.
Search for your Model number in Google to find out the official carrier of your iPhone, and hence the network to which the phone is locked. Note down this information.
If you haven’t installed SAM on your phone yet, do so by following the guide here. You need to select Revert Lockdown to Stock in SAM’s settings, following which you should see a Stockification Success message. A failure prompt here can result from installing an incorrect version of SAM.
Next, navigate to the main configuration panel for SAM (the first settings screen) and tap the Method menu. Select By Bundle Name in here.
Tap the SAM button in top left to go back, and tap on the Bundle option. Here, select the correct carrier and region based on your Google search of your iPhone’s model number.
In some cases, you may have a SIM ID menu as well, where you’ll be required to choose your SIM ID. Let the first option be the choice here (if it exists, at all).
Now, with lockdown reverted to stock and Method and Bundle Name correctly configured, go to More Information in SAM settings and ActivationState should say Unactivated. Connect your iPhone to your PC or Mac and run iTunes. Legitimate activation certificates will be generated for your device, so make sure your computer has an active internet connection at this point. Once the activation process is complete, ActivationState should turn Wildcard Activated.
Solving the ‘iPhone SIM card not supported error’
That’s it. The iPhone SIM card not supported error is gone, and your phone is fully activated with genuine activation packets. This means your push notifications are fixed as well as YouTube, and you can make FaceTime calls, too – all this with an improved battery life. You may check that the push notifications are working using the free iPusher app from the App Store.
Did this method fix the iPhone SIM card not supported error caused by SAM? Do you know of another method? If you found this article useful, please share it with your friends.
Jack
November 3, 2011
What is your original carrier plss tell my iphone is also model mc605b..i cant find the original carrier
Ann
November 7, 2011
I followed all the steps but iTunes still says that the iPhone SIM card is not supported.
The original carrier is Softbank from Japan.
Mr.Mark
December 30, 2011
Same here… Also on Softbank Japan. Hopefully someone has a solution for this.
JL
November 13, 2011
I followed your steps to the letter in both tutorials but it still doesn’t work; iTunes refuses to support the SIM. The original carrier is Rogers Canada. Please tell me there’s a fix for this. At the very least, how can I get my iTunes to sync again without having to re-jailbreak it?
Tim
December 11, 2011
I’m living in the UK and last week I bought an unlocked iphone 4 on ebay. the guy who I’ve bought this phone lives in the states so that I think the original phone carrier has to be from there. Anyway, I tried to insert my own sim into the phone, but it didn’t recognize my sim. after I connected my iphone to itunes I received a message regarding a new version of OS , my previous phone version was 4.2 and it was updated to 5.1 ( I’m not quite sure about the exact version). after it was updated I tried to set my iphone, but I couldn’t set it up at all. I don’t know what to do now?
Noor
January 17, 2012
i have same problem really tensed dont know what to do?
Vedant rao
December 12, 2011
My model no. Os mc605b from uk what is my orignal carrier please help me out
Dodi
January 5, 2012
My sim card is in my iphone 3 and i resive calls but i cant open my iphone i cant see anything it saying please connect to itunes and when i conect to itunes they say my sim card is not support .. Whats should i do -_-
toxicious
January 13, 2012
Worked perfectly on my Swedish, Telia locked iPhone 3G! Thx a lot!
Natalia
January 28, 2012
hey guys!
i have this model MC605B as well and i couldn’t find a certain information about the carrier, i only knew that it’s UK mobile company. So in Method i chose By Country and Carrier, and checked EVERY British carrier and SIM ID manually. SIM ID matters as well, i chose Vodafone and then second SIM ID and it worked.
Good luck!
Leonard
January 28, 2012
I just upgraded my mummy’s iphone from 2.2 to 4.2 and after upgrading the phone it wasn’t recognizing SIM again and now am in a big trouble, please help me out.
fandumac
February 2, 2012
I had the problem that the new French provider FreeMobile isn’t in your list. So I chose automatic. Now my iPhone 4 starts up, shows briefly “SIM card locked”, and I dont have the time to enter anything before the phone restarts with the apple logo.
I can’t even switch off the phone any more. This is very ennoying! Please help
fandumac
February 2, 2012
I got the telephone on again by using a sort of DFU sequence. The olders of my applications have disappeared, though. But of course, the SIM isn’t recognised.
babsontop4eva
February 9, 2012
yeah, i had this stuff done after i followed the steps here but i changed several SIM ID before itunes accepted my phone. Now this is the issue, i don’t have “wildcardactivated” when i check on more information, all i have is “activated”. What do i do next please?
suruze
March 27, 2012
Is this possible for a iPhone 4 using in India on gevey SIM…I was using iPhone 4 on gevey SIM and post i upgraded to version 5.1 it gives me the above error, Is there any way out for my phone to start working
TIRANA
April 14, 2012
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TIRANA
April 14, 2012
Hi i have a 3g jailbreak model MB497DA.I have done all the procedure above and i tryed all the 3 Tmobile provider ( DE,AT,NL )that have this model number but i tunes still sayes that doesent recognizet my sim .Can some one help me
MartinGuy
April 19, 2012
Hi everyone the process works, I went through the process and also had trouble with “sim not recognized by itunes” Read this article and it helps. What I found is that your original carrier must be selected either by means of Bundle name or country and carrier. EG i was o2 in the uk, and now in south africa. the method was by bundle but didn’t work, I switched the method to country and carrier (UK & o2) and then switched between the different sim id’s. eventually it recognised the sim id and now i’m wildcardactivated. Thank you!
MartinGuy
April 20, 2012
Push still dont work even when wildcardactivated
krishna
June 4, 2012
Mine also doesnt work even after its Wildcard Activated..Please help
Irena
April 22, 2012
Yeah I’ve followed all the steps and still get the ‘Sim not recognised’. I have a 3g jailbreak model MB496X, which is supposed to be Australia (either Opus, Telstra or Vodaphone) or New Zealand (Vodaphone). I’ve tried all the different options with different Sim IDs with no result (tried multiple times!)… Any advice?
Irena
April 26, 2012
Just for you info I couldn’t find a solution to the ‘sim not recognised’ as above, so I downloaded the pushfix app on cydia (had to pay about $6) and then had to unlock my phone again with redsnow, but everything works fine now and I’m getting my push notifications. So for the small price it was worth it to pay instead of spending ages trying to sort out the SAM problem I was having!
insha
April 25, 2012
thank you so much!!!!!
my iphone 4 were nearly “dead” more then a month, since we upgraded it to 5.1, bb 04.12.01
and now its working!!! it is really unlocked!!!!!!!!
i’m shaking from excitement
Guille
April 29, 2012
I am having same issue. I reset all settings and now I can not activate the iphone 4S due to the same error. I still have original sim (Verizon) but is not recognized. I have tried several options to activate my iPhone (redsnow, snowbreeze) but is asking me to activate it. How can I activate my iPhone 4S 5.0.1 ?
Guille
April 29, 2012
Just to let you know, I have no access to my iphone and I am unable to use it. It is stock as brand new. Please help me.
Guille
April 29, 2012
I am located in Dominican Republic. I followed all the steps and tried to do it on WIFI and iPhone is showing me another message: COULD NOT ACTIVATE IPHONE. Your iPhone could not be activated because the activation server cannot be reached. What can I do?
Justin
May 10, 2012
After using sam Prefs the first time and trying to restart I got this message and I can’t even get to springboard anymore. So there is no way for me to even attempt to use this method
chathuri karunarathna
May 18, 2012
hi guys
i alsso faced the same prob. but second i did MartinGuy
April 19, 2012 said.but it didn’t work yet. then i sent a message through my phone and it really worked. guess phone needed sometime to rest!
Raymond
May 20, 2012
It worked for me I am in Nigeria. So how do I get my sim to work now because is showing NO SERVICE SO WHAT DO I DO NOW?
antok
May 29, 2012
it’s not work for me..iphone 3gs 5.1.1 jailbreak+unlock with ultrasn0w..
i follow this instruction and then itunes still show the simcard is not supported..how should i do?help..
thx all
Santo
June 20, 2012
Its says wildcardactivated but push notifications still wont work. What can I do?
raffy
June 23, 2012
do you have 3g? coz thats what i have.. and push notifications still not working after the wildcardactivated..
raffy
June 23, 2012
same here Santo.. wildcardactivated appeared but push notifications not working still.. is something wrong? pls help..
Santosh
June 24, 2012
Hello Guys,
I got a old 2G phone which I was using in India for a while. Now that i have moved to France, i bought a sim card from Lyca mobiles. But the phone is locked. Moreover, i cant even get to the springboard or the setting window!! I read the entire steps but got stuck in the first. Could somebody help me to use/unlock this dead phone??
Thanks a lot for your help..
Mike
June 26, 2012
I did this now I don’t have push notification like before but MY TMOBILE sim isn’t working. It just says SEARCHING!!!!!!!!!
Vanessa
July 4, 2012
Thanks! After I had to re-jailbreak my phone I thought I just had to accept the fact that I can’t connect it with iTunes anymore but this really helped!
Adda
July 7, 2012
It solved the SIM card not supported issue. Took a while though cause i had to guess my original carrier i only knew the country so i tried them all. It didn’t solve the push notifications problem. I checked with iPusher it was stuck in Please wait for 20 min I also asked a friend to help test it on mail, Viber etc not working 3GS 5.1.1
cassie
July 18, 2012
still says sim card not supported
Kimberly
July 20, 2012
I had this same problem. I had to delete SAM from cydia and the phone, and suddenly my phone works with itunes again.
Cathy
July 24, 2012
THE SUPPOSED “SOLUTION” PROVIDED BY THESE GUYS DID NOT WORK FOR ME EITHER, SO I TRIED REMOVING SAM AND NOW MY PHONE IS LOCKED AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANKS FOR NOTHING, GUYS.
Cathy
July 24, 2012
Sorry Kimberly did not mean my previous comment as a reply to your post. How did you get your phone working, mine is unusable…locked w/ emergency call only.
elias
July 25, 2012
funciona! bueno para las push tuve únicamente que darle en backup y luego en restore dos veces y funciono. Muchas gracias!!!(:
Phil
July 26, 2012
Thanks a million. Just saved me! Had a tough few days trying to get things working and then found your post. Thanks a million.
Now just need to get the Sim working n the phone and I’m sorted!
Mark
July 28, 2012
shouldnt have trusted in a fucking indian ! U fucked my phone, I followed all the fucking steps and now my sim card is not recognized. I folow the other fucking steps to fix that problem and nothing. Who the fuck are you to write all this shit, how many people have you fucked up !
Luxsha
July 28, 2012
i cant find my carrier for my SIM…….
if anybody knows the carrier could u tell me
its MC133C/A
Will
August 18, 2012
=====================[SOLUTION]========================
Before, sorry for the bad english =/
I follow the steps of this tutorial but i dont have sucess.
In the SAM main menu, activate the option Hacktivate and try connect to itunes again.
hope this helps.
joao
August 29, 2012
my iphone 3 wont go ANYWHERE besides the screen that says connect to itunes, and i tunes will display that the “SIM card does not appear to be supported”.
you begin the instructions here telling us to find out the model of the phone by clicking settings… etc… but that is not possible because there is no other screen besides the one I said above!!
then you say, install SAM by following a link, but the “How To Enable Push Notifications On Your Jailbroken iPhone”post which it takes us to doesn’t have any download link!!
PLEASE HELP!!
Zeeshan
September 17, 2012
I have followed all the steps but still the message appears in the Itune. What to do ? need help guys
Bilal
September 18, 2012
Followed all the steps but still this solution is not working for me. Now what to do ?
daisy
October 17, 2012
Somebody please help!
A friend from England (I live in Germany) gave me his old iPhone 4. I wasn’t sure if it was locked or not, but I bought a O2 prepaid micro sim. When I insert it, enter the pin and my country and language, the screen shows the “The sim card inserted does not appear to be….” and the same thing happens when I plug it into itunes. I cannot get any further than that, so I am unable to use the phone, download jaibrakers etc.. Not sure what I can do? Any advice?
Amit
November 21, 2012
The solution worked for me :
- i followed the steps but it didint work
- I changed METHOD to country and carrier.
- Still it didnt work
- So i tried changing the SIM ID..and IT WORKED..
@the writer – Thank you so much for sharing this article with us..