Can I use my ex-iphone when I'm traveling?

June 26, 2023 5:10 PM

I just ordered a new iphone through Verizon. Once I switch to the new phone, can I replace the SIM card in the old phone and use it when I'm traveling in the UK? Even though I've had the old phone several years and it's paid for, it appears to be locked. Will it become unlocked once I've switched to the new phone? Lastly, if this is doable, can I replace the SIM card here before I go? Thanks.
posted by gigondas to Technology (12 answers total)

You can check if your old iPhone is unlocked here: How to Tell if Your iPhone Is Unlocked

In general, no, it won't unlock itself if you put a foreign SIM card in it. You need to contact the carrier that sold you the phone / provided service so that they can unlock it in their system, and the phone will (upon restart I think) connect to Apple's servers which should have the updated lock status, and unlock itself. You need internet service for this so you should do this before you leave.

That being said, the new iPhones have two SIM slots (sometimes one physical, one eSIM/ virtual; sometimes both eSIM/virtual). You may want to look into just adding an eSIM abroad to your new phone and telling the phone to use that instead of juggling two phones.
posted by meowzilla at 5:29 PM on June 26, 2023

Unless it's a really, really old Verizon phone it will work on non-Verizon networks. And if it was ever locked it should've had the lock removed automatically by now. But just in case, you can call Verizon and request an unlock before you transfer service to your new phone.

BTW, your new iPhone is probably capable of handling multiple eSIMs, so you could just bring that one with you.
posted by theory at 5:32 PM on June 26, 2023

If your new phone can use eSIMs, just do that, it's fantastic (once you get correctly set up, there are a couple of pitfalls in the eSIM process that can fuck up your eSIM, so do exactly as the provider tells you, don't try to wing it, don't figure "hey, how hard can it be?" and don't do it while drunk/high or you'll be contacting customer support).

For eSIM usage, I like Ubigi. Others prefer Airalo, but Ubigi has worked well for me. Check in the app store; no buying a physical SIM, just click, ApplePay, and done.
posted by aramaic at 5:36 PM on June 26, 2023

Just to add this info: the old phone is an iphone 7 and the one I just ordered is 3rd gen SE (I like them small), so it's new, but not new-new as in iphone 14. So will some of the suggestions above apply to this older style phone? I definitely know the old one is still locked because it says it is. But they have to unlock it if I ask?
posted by gigondas at 5:41 PM on June 26, 2023

According to Apple, the 3rd gen SE (the one with 5G) is dual SIM. At least one of them is going to be an eSIM.

Even if you're not going to use it for this trip, I would recommend that you get the iPhone 7 unlocked. It will be harder if/when you switch carriers or accounts.
posted by meowzilla at 5:52 PM on June 26, 2023

I was totally successful with doing exactly this!

https://ask.metafilter.com/365770/Can-I-turn-an-old-iPhone-5c-into-a-portable-travel-hotspot

Brought an old phone and swapped out the SIM card when I got to the UK.
posted by forkisbetter at 10:00 PM on June 26, 2023

After your phone is unlocked there is still the question of is it compatible with the phone services in the countries where you will be traveling.

You can verify if your phone will work, and with which of the service providers in specified countries at Will My Phone Work
posted by Homer42 at 3:17 AM on June 27, 2023

I hope I'm not violating the policy here by adding more info, but I'm so confused and need help! I just talked to verizon and they told me I CAN'T have two phones at once. I asked if I could put the travel SIM card in the old phone and she said that if I'd already activated the new phone, then I couldn't also use the old one. Not even with a travel SIM card? I asked, and she said No. Maybe that's a verizon thing? Maybe I should do the esim on the new phone, but I'm afraid it will be too complicated for me to do.
posted by gigondas at 7:30 AM on June 27, 2023

[never mind, the more I read my answer the less sense it made]
posted by kschang at 7:44 AM on June 27, 2023

I hope I'm not violating the policy here by adding more info, but I'm so confused and need help! I just talked to verizon and they told me I CAN'T have two phones at once.

The only way any of that makes sense is if she means you can't have two phones that are both connected to the same phone number at the same time--you can't have both your old and new phones operating on your Verizon number at once. Outside of that, you can have all the phones you want to have, as long as you have a separate, active phone number for each. You can absolutely make sure your old phone is unlocked, use its WiFi functions at will, and buy a SIM card to put in it and make it a fully functioning phone.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:49 AM on June 27, 2023

I think there may have been a miscommunication with Verizon customer service.

You need to request a "device unlock" or "carrier unlock". As per Verizon's device unlocking policy, your paid off phone should have been automatically unlocked after 60 days on the Verizon network, but it has not been unlocked.

Unfortunately, since this process is supposed to be automatic, Verizon customer service is probably unfamiliar with this request. So there is some problem on their side that you will need customer service who simply isn't reading from a prepared script.

When you mentioned "two phones" at the same time, you may have confused them by implying you want to use both on the Verizon network using the same number. I would suggest that you don't mention two phones or travel at all. Just say "carrier unlock" or "device unlock". It sounds like the phone you want to unlock is still on Verizon service, which will reduce confusion (it will get worse when you get your new phone).
posted by meowzilla at 10:29 AM on June 27, 2023

Regarding your last update -- to avoid any confusion on Verizon's end, don't tell them anything about your future plans for the iPhone 7. The only thing you need to discuss with them is getting a 'device unlock' (aka 'carrier unlock') for that phone. You don't need to discuss the new phone either.

Verizon has a policy of automatically unlocking devices after you've had them for 60 days and the rep may repeat this fact to you. Tell them your phone shows in the Settings that it is, in fact, still locked (as described on this page). Maybe it was never unlocked because it's such an old model and pre-dates the automatic 60-day policy? Regardless, you are still requesting that they perform a device unlock and if they can't do it you'd like to escalate the issue to a manager who can. Once the unlock is performed on Verizon's end, it may be a few minutes before it actually takes effect on your phone. You may need to reboot the phone to see the change.

And remember, you need to get the unlock completed on the old phone before starting service on the new phone! Once you begin using your new phone Verizon can't help you with the old one.
posted by theory at 1:27 PM on June 27, 2023