Because phones break after hours when you have to travel.

October 9, 2018 3:36 AM

My teenager's iPhone broke. She is making a plane this morning. We need to stop at Target on the way to the airport to get a temporary phone. What does this entail in 2018?

She forgets her Apple ID pw (it was on the phone) so can't text from her MacBook. (Or can she? If there is a way to get this going again, I'm OK with her just having text ability from her MacBook Air to travel.)
However I don't want her to fly without any way to contact anyone.
The only thing open on the way to the airport will be Target. We can stop there and then have up to 30 minutes after it opens until we have to leave for the airport. This 30 minutes can be for buying some kind of temporary replacement phone and setting it up.
Is there a phone anymore one can buy at Target that will do this? (She can get the Iphone fixed when she arrives at destination.)
***The (very nice) people who work at our Target are not tech-knowledgable and cannot help us IN ANY WAY AT ALL. They will just read the packaging on the phone with me, they know as little as I do. Please just assume this is true.***

posted by velveeta underground to Technology (15 answers total)

Response by poster: Oh should have written: she also has a new MacBook Air that didn't have iMessages set up.
posted by velveeta underground at 3:37 AM on October 9, 2018

I would probably buy the cheapest pre-paid phone you can find (5 minutes) and then set it up (you'll probably have to use your phone to do this online). It's been a while since I've had a pre-paid phone and I can't remember if you get minutes/credit with the phone or whether you'll have to buy it separately. Even clueless Target employees should be able to sell you all the bits you need.

That's the fastest option. Target does sell unlocked phones, but you'll need to make sure the phone you buy is a) unlocked and b) has the same size SIM as your kid's phone (nano, unless it's old, I believe) and then call your provider to activate the SIM. That should be less than half an hour.
posted by hoyland at 3:49 AM on October 9, 2018

I went to a mall for the first time in many years last week and there was a vending machine that appeared to have prepaid phones in it. I'd assume that sort of thing is still around in airports too, so if Target somehow goes catastrophically wrong you may have a second chance to get a phone at the airport itself even if stores aren't open yet.
posted by XMLicious at 4:13 AM on October 9, 2018

I've moved a few people between phones lately, and assuming that the phone you purchase at target works for your specific mobile carrier and takes the same size SIM as your child's phone, you should be able to pop the SIM out of the iphone, stick it in the new phone, and turn it on. You're not doing anything with your service, you're just changing phones--no calling required, in my experience.

The Target website is usually fairly good about showing what your local places have in stock--go on it right now and find a couple phones (just in case one is out of stock) that are available at your local Target. Depending on the store, you might be able to buy it online and just walk in, pick it up, and walk out, but even if yours doesn't offer that, you can walk in knowing exactly what thing you're going to buy, get it, and get out. It'll take ten minutes, and your child can move the SIM between phones while you drive to the airport.

Also, it looks like most unlocked phones at Target come with a SIM card for some prepaid or third-party carrier, so even if all of this goes terribly sidewise, you should be able to drop that in (possibly with your credit card details attached) and go.
posted by mishafletch at 4:18 AM on October 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also btw, I activated a TracFone prepaid phone earlier this year—smartphone and airtime card bought separately—and the process of setting it up simply involved going to their web site from my laptop and plugging in the phone's IMEI serial number (printed on the outside of the box) and the number on the airtime card, then restarting the phone. The web site kept trying to persuade me to set up an account for buying more minutes but I refused to and it caused no complications.
posted by XMLicious at 4:23 AM on October 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

You're not doing anything with your service, you're just changing phones--no calling required, in my experience.

You're right. I was confused because I just got a new phone and had to replace the SIM because the sizes were different.
posted by hoyland at 4:46 AM on October 9, 2018

I've bought cheap prepaid phones at Target that had to be charged for an hour or two before they could be turned on & used. It might be worth making sure it turns on/activates properly *before* you leave the Target parking lot, just in case you need to run in & get a different one.
posted by belladonna at 4:51 AM on October 9, 2018

I am assuming from your Target reference that you live in the US. Another place that is open that you can get cheap pre-paid phones is 7-11 (and sometimes gas bars).
posted by saucysault at 6:21 AM on October 9, 2018

It's not that complicated. I once had my phone break on a winter backpacking trip due to the temperature and was able to simply find my way to the nearest town and purchase and activate a new pre-paid phone. I'm not 100% certain but I may have needed to use a computer at a public library to activate it.

(the phone was in case of emergencies so I was nervous about not having one. Now I activate a cheap prepaid for situations like that just in case it does break I'm only out like $20)
posted by ToddBurson at 6:37 AM on October 9, 2018

It depends. I recently tried to buy a prepaid phone at Target but was told I'd have to put minutes on it through my provider. This isn't a big deal, but not as easy as prepaid. I remember a few years ago it was really easy to simply buy a "burner", but that wasn't the case now for whatever reason.
posted by xammerboy at 6:38 AM on October 9, 2018

She should be able to reset her Apple ID password from a trusted device (like the MacBook) and get Messages going on that device pretty easily.
posted by Rock Steady at 7:46 AM on October 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

If she has a laptop, set up a Google Voice number and use their web interface to send texts or make calls.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:45 AM on October 9, 2018

On her MacBook have her run Safari, open Safari > Preferences, go to Passwords tab, authenticate with local Mac password, type "appleid" in the search box, click on her appleID in the list. You should now see her appleID password.
posted by w0mbat at 10:53 AM on October 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

If there's a major airport involved, there are "Best Buy" vending machines (or their competitors) that sell phones, headsets, earbuds, portable gaming devices, and such placed throughout most of them. If you're on at&t, T-Mobile, or one of their related MVNOs, swapping the SIM will be trivial. All of the Android phones with SIM trays I've purchased new come with the necessary tool. One hopes Apple would also include one in their boxes..
posted by wierdo at 12:48 PM on October 9, 2018 [1 favorite]

If it's an Apple product in official packaging, there will be a SIM tool. Even refurbs get the widget.

Otherwise the tip of a pushpin works in a pinch to slightly pull the door outward.
posted by JoeZydeco at 1:44 PM on October 9, 2018