Can yous apply an iPhone without a SIM card? Aye, yous can. But the tricky part is activating and setting upwards the phone in the first place.

If yous'd like your child to exist able to use a spare phone without a SIM carte - just accessing data via Wi-Fi, turning information technology finer into an iPod touch - or yous merely haven't got a spare card available, y'all'll be glad to know there are diverse ways to activate and utilize an iPhone without a SIM. In this article we walk you through the best approaches.

On a related note, you lot may also be looking for a way to activate the iPhone without needing to be connected to a Wi-Fi network. We have a method that will allow you to do this too.

Await this process to be more challenging if your iPhone is locked to a certain carrier. For the purposes of this tutorial we will assume you've got an unlocked iPhone or have access to a carrier-specific SIM that you can employ temporarily. If non, find out how to unlock an iPhone so you lot tin can employ any SIM and How to fix the 'Could not activate iPhone' mistake.

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'southward SIM

Nosotros'll get-go 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 procedure. (That might sound like a cop-out, but most people should be able to find someone willing to lend a SIM card - and don't worry, our next method doesn't crave a SIM at all.)

What y'all'll need:

  • A SIM removal tool
  • A kind friend who's prepared to allow you borrow a SIM
  • If your iPhone is locked to a detail carrier you may need to make sure the SIM you borrow is from the same network
  • Access to a Wi-Fi network

Here's how to activate your iPhone:

  1. Remove the SIM from the lender'southward iPhone.
  2. Put the SIM in your iPhone.
  3. Get through the usual setup options, including logging on to your Wi-Fi network.
  4. Await while the iPhone activates.
  5. Remove the SIM and hand information technology dorsum to your friend.
  6. You tin can now use your iPhone; you just won't exist able to brand phone calls (unless you practice so using Skype, FaceBook Messenger, WhatsApp or FaceTime).
  7. When you return the SIM to your friend they volition exist able to put it dorsum in their telephone and continue to utilize it every bit normal.

Activate your iPhone using iTunes

This method'due south effectiveness appears to depend on whether the phone is locked to a particular network. If your phone is locked and y'all accept a SIM from that network handy yous are all-time off activating the phone using the method described in a higher place.

The principle reason to employ the iTunes method is if you lot accept no Wi-Fi access.

What you'll need:

  • An unlocked iPhone
  • A computer running iTunes

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

  1. Cheque iTunes is upward to date, or if y'all haven't already got iTunes, download it for free through Apple'south website.
  2. Once you've installed iTunes, connect your iPhone to your reckoner.
  3. You may see an onscreen prompt saying "In that location is no SIM bill of fare installed in the iPhone you lot are attempting to activate", which indicates that the phone is locked to a item carrier. In which instance, you lot need to find a suitable SIM to borrow so you can activate the iPhone. You lot will only need to use the SIM during activation. (And if you're using a SIM you won't demand to actuate via iTunes.) Run across the above method to activate your iPhone.
  4. Assuming the phone isn't locked to a carrier you lot volition see an onscreen prompt in iTunes explaining what yous need to do and the details you need to fill in to activate your iPhone.
  5. Once activated, you'll exist able to utilize your iPhone on a Wi-Fi network, just equally if it was an iPad or an iPod touch.

Activate your iPhone using the emergency call characteristic

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

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

Jailbreak your iPhone

If all else fails you lot can always attempt to jailbreak your iPhone. This does void your warranty, but if you've got an old iPhone that's carrier-locked, it might exist the best way to get information technology working again.

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