Where the SIM card of my device is located
How to insert or remove SIM card
Have you recently bought a smartphone or tablet and don't know where to insert the SIM card? Have you bought a phone or tablet a long time and need to remove the SIM card and don't remember how to do it? Have you bought a dual SIM smartphone and you don't know where or how to put the SIM card?
First of all we are going to explain what a SIM card is.
SIM cards are small smart cards with eight metal contacts that securely store the subscriber's service key to identify themselves on the telephone and internet provider's network.
That is, we need the SIM card to be able to make phone calls and connect to the internet when we are not connected to a Wi-Fi network.
The SIM card is provided by the telephone or internet company that we have contracted and will serve to identify us, to be able to browse the internet and to be able to send and receive SMS and calls from other users.
It is a type of unified standard card, which means that our device must work with any operator or telephone company regardless of the country as long as it is not blocked to be used with a single company, which is less and less frequent.
It is a type of unified standard card, which means that our device must work with any operator or telephone company regardless of the country as long as it is not blocked to be used with a single company, which is less and less frequent.
We can travel with our smartphone and use the roaming service if available or purchase a SIM card from a local telephone company.
SIM cards are protected by a 4-digit PIN code so that in case of loss or theft they cannot be used. A maximum of 3 attempts is allowed to enter the PIN code, if this limit is exceeded, a PUK code is requested with only one opportunity.
If an incorrect PUK code is entered, the card will be blocked until it is unblocked by the telephone operator.
SIM card types:
There are 4 sizes of physical SIM cards and a type of integrated SIM card that some devices incorporate called e-SIM.The four sizes of SIM card differ basically by the size of the plastic that surrounds the chip, the chip itself is practically the same size in all types of card.
The types of physical SIM cards are:
Standard SIM: the size of a credit card, obsolete and not compatible with current mobile phones. Mini SIM: 25 mm long and 15 mm wide. Less and less used and without support in current smartphones. Micro SIM: 15 mm long and 12 mm wide. Widely used in low-end smartphones. Nano SIM: 12.30 mm long and 8.80 mm wide. It is currently supported on most smartphones and tablets.
Embedded SIM (e-SIM) The new generation of SIM cards are called embedded SIM, e-SIM or eSIM. It is a type of card integrated in the circuit of the device that cannot be replaced physically except by software. They are often used as a remote SIM, for example in smart watches to be able to receive and make calls or notifications regardless of the phone that has the physical SIM card.
What do you need to remove or insert a SIM card?
Both to insert and to remove a SIM card you will need a SIM card removal tool or extractor skewer that manufacturers include in the device box.This tool is the same for all brands and models of smartphones and tablets on the market, if you don't have one you can buy it on Amazon:
You will also need to know the PIN code of the SIM card, this code must be in the documentation provided by the telephone company when providing you with the SIM card. If you do not know it, you can request it from your telephone company through its website, application or through a phone call.
Estimated time: 5 minutes.
Step 1:
First of all, to avoid problems, we will turn off the device to which we want to insert or extract the SIM card.
Step 2:
We locate where the compartment is located to insert the SIM card of our device.
If it is a device with a removable battery we remove the back cover, if we do not see the compartment we also remove the battery. In the case of devices with an integrated battery from which the battery cannot be removed, we look for an elongated notch and a small hole on the side.
Step 3:
In the case of devices with a back cover, we look for a drawing and the word SIM. The drawing will show us how to insert the SIM card, normally you have to remove the battery and insert it in the indicated position.
For devices with a non-removable battery, we insert the spike into the hole and press until we feel a click. The SIM card compartment will come out a bit, we take out the compartment completely.
Step 4:
We insert the card in the compartment, in the case of having two SIM cards we insert the main SIM card in the SIM1 compartment and the secondary SIM card in the SIM2 compartment.
If we have a microSD memory card, our device supports it and we want to use it, we can also insert it in the dedicated slot for this memory card.
Step 5:
We insert the tray again together with the SIM card / s in the phone or tablet very carefully. If when inserting it it does not go in completely, do not force it, it is because it is upside down, turn the tray and insert it again.
Step 6:
Turn on your device again, when it starts it will ask you to enter the PIN code of the SIM card and the unlock code of the device. Do not confuse the PIN code of the SIM card with the PIN code of the device itself to avoid blocking the SIM card. The SIM PIN code must be provided by the telephone company.
