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What to do if your new SIM isn’t working.

iD Mobile
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If you receive a new SIM card from us and it doesn’t seem to be working, we recommend you check a couple of important things first:

1. Check your coverage


Use our handy online coverage checker to find out the signal strength in your area. You can search by postcode - so you can check all the places you usually use your phone, like your home and work addresses. And you can view both 3G and 4G coverage.

Need more info on this? Read our ‘How to check coverage’ article.

2. Are you using a compatible handset?


If your handset isn’t approved/compatible with iD Mobile, your ability to use our services may be affected. Click here to view our list of approved and compatible handsets.

All the handsets we provide with an iD Mobile plan are compatible with our network, as you’d expect. So if you’ve got one of those you should be fine.

If you purchased a SIM only iD plan and are using an iD compatible handset you bought elsewhere with it, you should also be fine!

Tried the above and it’s still not working?


If you've tried the above and your SIM still doesn’t appear to be working, follow these troubleshooting steps.
  • Put your phone into flight mode, leave it for 30 seconds, and then disable flight mode.
  • Check that the SIM card is inserted correctly.
  • Restart your device.
  • Turn off your device, remove your SIM, and clean it using a micro-fibre cloth. Then re-insert it and try again.
  • Try the SIM card in another 'iD compatible handset', and test the connection in a few locations to see if the SIM connects. If you don’t experience any issues with the other handset, your original phone may be at fault.
If none of the above works you can post a question below, and we'll help you out.

446 replies

andewhite
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Your new iPhone might be the problem. 
Have you tried your just arrived iD SIM in another phone?

It’s a brand new phone it come with the SIM card 

Okay @Ruby McGrath, unfortunately even new things sometimes don’t work properly.

Does the iD SIM work in another phone?

If your SIM works OK in another phone, you’re new iPhone might be faulty. 
If the new SIM doesn’t work in another phone, then you probably need to ask iD for a replacement SIM.

Good luck.

Ruby McGrath
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Your new iPhone might be the problem. 
Have you tried your just arrived iD SIM in another phone?

It’s a brand new phone it come with the SIM card 

Okay @Ruby McGrath, unfortunately even new things sometimes don’t work properly.

Does the iD SIM work in another phone?

If your SIM works OK in another phone, you’re new iPhone might be faulty. 
If the new SIM doesn’t work in another phone, then you probably need to ask iD for a replacement SIM.

Good luck.

Well I’ve just tried the new sim in the old phone and it still doesn’t work , even put the old sim back in the old phone and that works so it’s the sim that doesn’t work 

andewhite
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Well I’ve just tried the new sim in the old phone and it still doesn’t work , even put the old sim back in the old phone and that works so it’s the sim that doesn’t work 

Can you use the old SIM in the new iPhone 13 Pro Max?

If not, get a replacement SIM from iD - as per the “How do I get a replacement SIM card?” community FAQ article.

Ruby McGrath
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Well I’ve just tried the new sim in the old phone and it still doesn’t work , even put the old sim back in the old phone and that works so it’s the sim that doesn’t work 

Can you use the old SIM in the new iPhone 13 Pro Max?

If not, get a replacement SIM from iD - as per the “How do I get a replacement SIM card?” community FAQ article.

it tells me to log in to my account but I can’t login because I can’t make an account because when  I put the new phone number in I can’t get a code because the number isn’t connected to any device since the sim doesn’t work 

andewhite
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Userlevel 8
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Can you use the old SIM in the new iPhone 13 Pro Max?

If not, get a replacement SIM from iD - as per the “How do I get a replacement SIM card?” community FAQ article.

it tells me to log in to my account but I can’t login because I can’t make an account because when  I put the new phone number in I can’t get a code because the number isn’t connected to any device since the sim doesn’t work 

Okay @Ruby McGrath, the FAQ article says, “If you need a replacement SIM, chat to us and one of our Live Chat agents will arrange for a replacement SIM to be sent to you within 2-3 days. Alternatively, if you need a new SIM straight away, you can visit your nearest Carphone Warehouse and buy a replacement SIM for £5.”

I recommend getting help from the iD social media team - contact them on facebook (using Messenger), or send them a DM (direct message) on Twitter.

Messages sent out-of-hours on facebook or Twitter are handled when the iD social media team next start work.

Hope you manage to get your replacement SIM ordered soon.

Tom
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Userlevel 7
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Hi @Ruby McGrath 

 

Are you still having issues with your SIM card?

 

I’d recommend contacting via the channels @andewhite has suggested or if you’d like we can get in contact here, please let us know!

 

Tom

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
R
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Hi, I have a SIM in a Google Pixel 6 that worked fine for a few weeks then just stopped working, not even recognised by the phone (SIM / mobile data sections are greyed out in the Settings section). I swapped SIM cards with another phone and your SIM works fine in the other phone, while the other SIM works fine in the Pixel 6…

I’ve tried the various other trouble shooting measures I’ve seen on here and elsewhere and nothing seems to work. Can you help with this please?

Mark Bennett
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Received a new sim followed all instructions and it simply does not work.  after inserting the SIM into the phone (any phone for that matter, tried 3) it says no sim.  I believe the SIM is faulty as nothing I do works and it hasn’t worked from receiving it. 

Mohammed
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Userlevel 7
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Hello @Mark Bennett,

Have you sorted this since? We can send a replacement SIM out to you to see if it fixes this.

Let us know if you want us to PM you. 

 

@real_g_man,

It sounds like the device is faulty. 

If you contact Google they can assist further with a warranty repair if it’s still in the warranty period. 

 

Mohammed

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
Anthony Hickey
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Userlevel 1

If you receive a new SIM card from us and it doesn’t seem to be working, we recommend you check a couple of important things first:
 

1. Check your coverage


Use our handy online coverage checker to find out the signal strength in your area. You can search by postcode - so you can check all the places you usually use your phone, like your home and work addresses. And you can view both 3G and 4G coverage.

Need more info on this? Read our ‘How to check coverage’ article.

 

 

2. Are you using a compatible handset?


If your handset isn’t approved/compatible with iD Mobile, your ability to use our services may be affected. Click here to view our list of approved and compatible handsets.

All the handsets we provide with an iD Mobile plan are compatible with our network, as you’d expect. So if you’ve got one of those you should be fine.

If you purchased a SIM only iD plan and are using an iD compatible handset you bought elsewhere with it, you should also be fine!

 

 

 

 

Tried the above and it’s still not working?


If you've tried the above and your SIM still doesn’t appear to be working, follow these troubleshooting steps.

 

 

  • Put your phone into flight mode, leave it for 30 seconds, and then disable flight mode.
  • Check that the SIM card is inserted correctly.
  • Restart your device.
  • Turn off your device, remove your SIM, and clean it using a micro-fibre cloth. Then re-insert it and try again.
  • Try the SIM card in another 'iD compatible handset', and test the connection in a few locations to see if the SIM connects. If you don’t experience any issues with the other handset, your original phone may be at fault.

If none of the above works you can post a question below, and we'll help you out.

My sim card still doesn't work its not even showing in the sim checker in the setting I have had the phone a week now and can't get this resolved 

Kash
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Userlevel 7
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@Anthony Hickey,

We’ll shortly send you a Private Message to your Community account so we can discuss your issue further.

To access your messages, click your profile picture in the top right hand corner and then click ‘Private Messages’.

Alternatively, if you are currently logged in, you can use the following link: https://community.idmobile.co.uk/inbox/overview

We’ll see you there.

 

Kash

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
P
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Userlevel 1

Just received my new phone and SIM, inserted the SIM into the phone and it doesn’t detect it being there. Please help!

 

Pete.

P
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Userlevel 1

My SIM card isn’t working. I am sure it is broken. Please replace it.

I am already very unimpressed with the so-called “customer service” on offer

P
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Userlevel 1

I have now managed to get support via the Live Chat and order a replacement SIM.

Adrian Nicholls
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Userlevel 1

I have inserted my SIM with the device turned off.  Turned it back on and all I get is the screen attached suggesting the SIM is not working properly 

 

[REMOVED SCREENSHOT]

 

Richard Holland
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Done all above and aim not recognised

D
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I have been through all of the above and my sim is still not working. I have message on Facebook still no answer I can’t go to work without my phone tomorrow. This customer service is awful. I believe the fault might be because we didn’t receive our first SIM card so the sim might be blocked? Just says no signal? 

E
Rank

Hello, my sim has not been working properly for about a week now, the signal bar is empty with the exclamation mark symbol and states ‘emergency calls only’, i am in an area with coverage and have tried all of the things in the checklist. 

J
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Hi there,

I have just received my ID Mobile SIM and it is not working. I checked your “compatible phones” list and the phone I am using a (OnePlus N10) is not on it. Does this mean I can’t use ID Mobile? If so how do I go about cancelling? Thank you,

 

Tom
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Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Hi @Adrian Nicholls 

 

Are you still getting this error?

 

Have you tried the iD Mobile SIM in another device to check? I saw in your screenshot (which was removed as it contained personal information) you also had an EE SIM card inserted, have you tried the iD Mobile SIM in the device without the EE SIM card?

 

Tom

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
Tom
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Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Hi @Richard Holland 

 

Are you still having issues with your SIM card? Have you tried your SIM card in another device? Was the SIM working previously and now isn’t working or was it never working?

 

Tom

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
Tom
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Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Hi @Dean05510 

 

In your case it sounds like the first SIM may still be the activated one and the replacement one hasn’t been activated, have you tried to activate the SIM card on the iD Mobile app?

 

Have you managed to get through to us on Facebook? Let us know if you still require assistance here.

 

Tom

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
Tom
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Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Hi @euanfriel 

 

Are you still having issues with your signal? Have you checked the Three Outage Checker here to see if there’s a reported outage in your area?

 

Tom

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
Tom
Rank
Userlevel 7
Badge +4

Hi @JSkelly33 

 

Although the device isn’t on our supported devices list I’d recommend giving the SIM card a quick go when you receive it to make sure, if you find it doesn’t work or want to return/cancel anyway I’d recommend checking out or page on this here.

 

Alternatively let us know if you need any assistance in cancelling and we can reach out to assist in cancelling.

 

Tom

I hope I was able to help you with your question. If my answer resolved your issue, then please mark my answer as ‘Most Helpful’ using the button below the message with the answer.
SC LU
Rank

Hello,

I placed an order on 17 December 2022 for an unlimited data sim as a Christmas present.

Only now try to use it for the first time, despite putting the SIM into three different 4G capable mobile phones, none of them can detect the SIM, all displayed no SIM, even after switch OFF then ON the mobile phones.  So it seems the SIM is faulty.  Could you send a replacement urgently.

I can provide the Order number if you request.

Reply


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