Activate iPhone On Different Number Than Ordered With
October 13, 2011 1:33 PM Subscribe
Help me activate a new iPhone 4S using a different number than it was ordered with.
Due to broken devices, my AT&T family plan members have been juggling upgrades around for a while now. Here's the situation:
Phone Numbers 1 & 2 are both on iPhone 4s (not 4S)
Phone Number 1 would like to end up with an iPhone 4S
Due to upgrade shuffling, the iPhone 4S was purchased using Number 2's upgrade.
I assume that turning on the new iPhone 4S will transfer the number between SIMs. Is there any way to avoid this? Ideally, the SIM tied to Number 1 would come out of the iPhone 4, go into the iPhone 4S, and Number 2 wouldn't have to touch anything. Will this work? If not, can we pull this off without a call to AT&T and/or Apple?
This is all complicated by the fact that the owners of Number 1 and Number 2 live in different states.
Due to broken devices, my AT&T family plan members have been juggling upgrades around for a while now. Here's the situation:
Phone Numbers 1 & 2 are both on iPhone 4s (not 4S)
Phone Number 1 would like to end up with an iPhone 4S
Due to upgrade shuffling, the iPhone 4S was purchased using Number 2's upgrade.
I assume that turning on the new iPhone 4S will transfer the number between SIMs. Is there any way to avoid this? Ideally, the SIM tied to Number 1 would come out of the iPhone 4, go into the iPhone 4S, and Number 2 wouldn't have to touch anything. Will this work? If not, can we pull this off without a call to AT&T and/or Apple?
This is all complicated by the fact that the owners of Number 1 and Number 2 live in different states.
Oh wait, yes the number transfers with the SIM.
posted by The Lamplighter at 1:35 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by The Lamplighter at 1:35 PM on October 13, 2011
You may have to go to an AT&T store. When I bought my iPhone two years ago, the Apple salesperson put the wrong number on my phone. I had to go to the nearby AT&T store for them to get it right. They gave me a new SIM.
posted by ShooBoo at 1:39 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by ShooBoo at 1:39 PM on October 13, 2011
All you have to do is switch the SIM cards. I've sold several iPhones before and the way buyers tested the phones was by putting their SIM card in and making a phone call. Very easy.
I'm on AT&T now, but when I was on T-Mobile, I could call them and have them associate a number with a certain SIM. They just need the ID number that's on that SIM card. You might want to try this first since the two people live in different states.
posted by yodangson at 1:47 PM on October 13, 2011
I'm on AT&T now, but when I was on T-Mobile, I could call them and have them associate a number with a certain SIM. They just need the ID number that's on that SIM card. You might want to try this first since the two people live in different states.
posted by yodangson at 1:47 PM on October 13, 2011
If you're all on the same family plan, AT&T doesn't care whose upgrade is used for which phone. They care that the family's contract is extended by 2 more years. A few years ago, I used my dad's upgrade to get a new phone - I did go to a store, but all that was required was for him to sign off on it.
posted by Metasyntactic at 2:10 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by Metasyntactic at 2:10 PM on October 13, 2011
I use Verizon and I can associate different numbers with different phones on line. I bet you can do that with AT&T. What you just did was extend the phone number that had the upgrade 2 years, but it does not matter which phone does what. Actually with Verizon you could have switched or transfered the upgrade online before this purchase. T will do this I am sure.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:19 PM on October 13, 2011
posted by JohnnyGunn at 2:19 PM on October 13, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by The Lamplighter at 1:35 PM on October 13, 2011 [1 favorite]