Unfortunately, the iPhone cannot be used without a SIM card, as it is activated via the cellular network. That's annoying, but not the end of the world: You can still activate your iPhone and use it once. This is made possible by an activation trick.
Activate iPhone without SIM
Unfortunately, it doesn't work completely without a SIM card. Unfortunately, it is not understandable why Apple handles it this way. However, it is important that you can activate the iPhone with any SIM card . In other words, you can simply use the card from another cell phone in the household or a friend. Even old SIM cards that are no longer active will work! To do this, follow these steps:
- Insert the SIM card into the iPhone and start the device.
- Set the language and regional settings.
- Enter the WiFi connection.
- When asked, enter the PIN of the SIM card you are using.
- The iPhone will now be activated.
Important: After activation, you must remove the SIM card before you can continue setting up the device. Otherwise the phone number will be assigned to the Apple ID, which causes all kinds of problems. You don't have to turn off the iPhone to do this: simply remove the card and reinsert the slide..
Note: The small nano SIMs have been used since the iPhone 5.
Can I bypass jailbreaking iPhone activation?
Unfortunately, activation with jailbreak is no longer possible. We wouldn't recommend that either: On the one hand, a jailbreak is a deep intervention in the system, which Apple punishes with a loss of warranty. On the other hand, the added value of a jailbreak shrinks with every iOS version, while Apple optimizes the protective measures at the same time. Unfortunately, this also means that many jailbreak teams now carry out academic jailbreaks at best, which bring little or nothing to the user. They also take longer and longer to crack the latest iOS versions. Therefore, the jailbreak variant is no longer interesting nowadays..
What to do if no SIM card is available
It can happen that there is no SIM card at hand, for example because you don't know anyone who lends a nano-SIM or because you no longer have your own SIM - for example after the old device is stolen. In such a case, you should wait for the provider to send you your new SIM before activating your iPhone. Alternatively, you can buy a prepaid starter package from the discounter of your choice for less than 10 euros and use it to activate the iPhone as described above. Or you can simply use the card from an iPhone or an LTE router, provided you have such a device at hand.
