Can y'all use an iPhone without a SIM card? Yeah, you lot can. But the tricky role is activating and setting up the telephone in the get-go place.

If you'd like your child to be able to employ a spare phone without a SIM card - just accessing data via Wi-Fi, turning it effectively into an iPod touch - or yous simply haven't got a spare bill of fare available, yous'll exist glad to know there are diverse ways to activate and use an iPhone without a SIM. In this article we walk you lot through the best approaches.

On a related note, you may also exist looking for a way to activate the iPhone without needing to exist connected to a Wi-Fi network. We take a method that volition allow you to do this as well.

Expect this process to be more challenging if your iPhone is locked to a certain carrier. For the purposes of this tutorial we volition assume you lot've got an unlocked iPhone or have access to a carrier-specific SIM that yous tin can use temporarily. If non, find out how to unlock an iPhone so you can use any SIM and How to fix the 'Could non activate iPhone' error.

This guide covers all iPhone generations from the 3GS through to the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max.

How to activate an iPhone without a SIM or Wi-Fi connection: iPhone unlock

Actuate your iPhone using someone else's SIM

We'll outset with the easiest workaround. This is aimed at those who don't have a SIM of their own but are able to borrow a SIM from someone else, just for the elapsing of the activation process. (That might audio similar a cop-out, but most people should exist able to detect someone willing to lend a SIM card - and don't worry, our next method doesn't crave a SIM at all.)

What you'll need:

  • A SIM removal tool
  • A kind friend who's prepared to let you borrow a SIM
  • If your iPhone is locked to a particular carrier y'all may need to brand sure the SIM you infringe is from the aforementioned network
  • Access to a Wi-Fi network

Here'south how to actuate your iPhone:

  1. Remove the SIM from the lender's iPhone.
  2. Put the SIM in your iPhone.
  3. Go through the usual setup options, including logging on to your Wi-Fi network.
  4. Wait while the iPhone activates.
  5. Remove the SIM and hand it back to your friend.
  6. You can at present use your iPhone; you just won't be able to make phone calls (unless you do then using Skype, FaceBook Messenger, WhatsApp or FaceTime).
  7. When yous return the SIM to your friend they will be able to put it dorsum in their phone and continue to utilise it every bit normal.

Activate your iPhone using iTunes

This method's effectiveness appears to depend on whether the telephone is locked to a item network. If your phone is locked and you have a SIM from that network handy y'all are best off activating the telephone using the method described above.

The principle reason to use the iTunes method is if you have no Wi-Fi access.

What you'll need:

  • An unlocked iPhone
  • A reckoner running iTunes

And hither's how to activate your iPhone using this method:

  1. Cheque iTunes is up to appointment, or if yous haven't already got iTunes, download it for gratis through Apple's website.
  2. Once you've installed iTunes, connect your iPhone to your calculator.
  3. You lot may see an onscreen prompt maxim "There is no SIM card installed in the iPhone you are attempting to actuate", which indicates that the phone is locked to a particular carrier. In which case, you need to find a suitable SIM to borrow so you can activate the iPhone. You will only need to utilize the SIM during activation. (And if you're using a SIM you won't need to activate via iTunes.) See the above method to activate your iPhone.
  4. Assuming the phone isn't locked to a carrier you will come across an onscreen prompt in iTunes explaining what you need to do and the details you need to make full in to activate your iPhone.
  5. Once activated, you'll exist able to use your iPhone on a Wi-Fi network, just as if it was an iPad or an iPod bear on.

Activate your iPhone using the emergency call characteristic

You may take seen reports suggesting that y'all can activate an iPhone without a SIM card by calling the emergency services.

Not only practise nosotros want to dissuade you from calling the emergency services unnecessarily, we would likewise warn you that when we tried this method out it didn't piece of work at all. We believe that the software flaw this method exploited has been patched.

Jailbreak your iPhone

If all else fails yous can always attempt to jailbreak your iPhone. This does void your warranty, but if y'all've got an quondam iPhone that's carrier-locked, it might be the best mode to get it working once again.

We've got a full guide on how to jailbreak an iPhone, which goes through the best methods (and warns nearly the risks). This will hopefully permit you to activate and unlock your handset.