Extra Cell to a friend
August 18, 2021 2:58 PM Subscribe
I have an out-of-date smartphone which I would like to give to a friend who has a flip phone now, but would like to experiment with a smartphone before making a commitment to buy a new one. Is it likely this will work and what do I need to do?
My friend and I are both on Verizon. I have an old Note 4 in good condition which sill has a SIM inside it...when I bought my current (but still old) S7 they shipped it to me with a new SIM which was set to my number. I presume I need to remove my old SIM from the Note 4. Is it possible to do some sort of "factory reset" to get rid of downloaded apps and my old data?
Will it be possible for them to remove their SIM from their flip phone and put it in the Note 4 and expect any service without getting Verizon involved?
My friend and I are both on Verizon. I have an old Note 4 in good condition which sill has a SIM inside it...when I bought my current (but still old) S7 they shipped it to me with a new SIM which was set to my number. I presume I need to remove my old SIM from the Note 4. Is it possible to do some sort of "factory reset" to get rid of downloaded apps and my old data?
Will it be possible for them to remove their SIM from their flip phone and put it in the Note 4 and expect any service without getting Verizon involved?
Only one way to find out!! If the card is the same size (not always are) then just give it the college try. Source: flip between me and my husband all the time.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:36 PM on August 18, 2021
posted by St. Peepsburg at 3:36 PM on August 18, 2021
I would also say try flipping the sim first and make sure everything works before doing the reset. Only in order to remove any confounding variables. And yes, you should be able to do a factory reset. Hopefully this link should walk you through the experience.
Also, note that there are several sizes of SIM card, but they’re all actually interchangeable— the chip is the same size, there’s just a frame around it on some phones.
posted by condour75 at 4:03 PM on August 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Also, note that there are several sizes of SIM card, but they’re all actually interchangeable— the chip is the same size, there’s just a frame around it on some phones.
posted by condour75 at 4:03 PM on August 18, 2021 [1 favorite]
Here's Verizon's instructions for a Factory Reset. You are correct, this is what you should do to remove all your personal data from the phone before giving it to your friend.
There are different sizes of SIM card--they are electrically identical, but you need the right size for the specific phone so it will seat properly. The Note 4 uses micro-sim, and I'd bet that the old flip phone uses mini-sim. New sim cards come pre-punched to allow you to break away the extra plastic to the correct size, so it may be possible to put the old sim in the new phone, but reverting might not be easy. There are adapters, or you may be able to save the old plastic you broke off and wedge them back together to make the correct size sim, but depending on how the sim mounts in the flip phone, I'd be worried that you may run the risk of the franken-sim falling apart at a later time. But if the two phones take the same size sim, there's no harm in trying.
Per Verizon's support page, it should work, assuming the sim is not a 3G sim, though if the flip phone is old, or the sim is from a long time ago, that may be the case.
posted by yuwtze at 4:17 PM on August 18, 2021 [2 favorites]
There are different sizes of SIM card--they are electrically identical, but you need the right size for the specific phone so it will seat properly. The Note 4 uses micro-sim, and I'd bet that the old flip phone uses mini-sim. New sim cards come pre-punched to allow you to break away the extra plastic to the correct size, so it may be possible to put the old sim in the new phone, but reverting might not be easy. There are adapters, or you may be able to save the old plastic you broke off and wedge them back together to make the correct size sim, but depending on how the sim mounts in the flip phone, I'd be worried that you may run the risk of the franken-sim falling apart at a later time. But if the two phones take the same size sim, there's no harm in trying.
Per Verizon's support page, it should work, assuming the sim is not a 3G sim, though if the flip phone is old, or the sim is from a long time ago, that may be the case.
posted by yuwtze at 4:17 PM on August 18, 2021 [2 favorites]
In my one and only time having to purchase a new SIM, the actual SIM (for the same carrier) was quite inexpensive -- maybe $10, and the package actually contained a small assortment of SIMs to cover many possible size/mounting scenarios.
posted by lhauser at 9:31 PM on August 18, 2021
posted by lhauser at 9:31 PM on August 18, 2021
I currently have 4 working phones only two of which have sims in them. I rotate them, but at home, I actually use the two without the sims all the time. You can 100% learn about a smartphone without a sim. Can also make calls without a sim. I have a Google Voice number that I can make outgoing calls over wifi with. I am pretty sure they ring incoming too without the sim, but I have them on silent so I am not sure. I can text using the GV number. Incoming and outgoing. I make Duo video calls as well as audio only calls. Can use any and all of the apps over wifi. In fact, a lot of the Android software (I am on Androind 12 beta 4), forces you to wifi over data to save data. These days with a lot of plans having unlimited data, it does not matter, but it is there.
Do a factory reset. (I might do it 2x if you can just to make sure your data is written over.) Give it to your friend and tell them to knock themselves out.
I am not sure what kind, if any, sim is in the flip phone, but ask Verizon nicely and they may give you a sim when you tell them you are testing it and may upgrade to a data plan.
Could also go to a Walmart or a Target and get a really cheap plan without getting the burner phone. It will have a new number associated with it which they can use to try to make calls and receive calls on the smartphone. Use wifi for apps and internet and if they like the smartphone world, just get rid of the cheap pay as you go plan and put in a sim from VZ with their longtime phone number.
posted by AugustWest at 10:24 PM on August 18, 2021
Do a factory reset. (I might do it 2x if you can just to make sure your data is written over.) Give it to your friend and tell them to knock themselves out.
I am not sure what kind, if any, sim is in the flip phone, but ask Verizon nicely and they may give you a sim when you tell them you are testing it and may upgrade to a data plan.
Could also go to a Walmart or a Target and get a really cheap plan without getting the burner phone. It will have a new number associated with it which they can use to try to make calls and receive calls on the smartphone. Use wifi for apps and internet and if they like the smartphone world, just get rid of the cheap pay as you go plan and put in a sim from VZ with their longtime phone number.
posted by AugustWest at 10:24 PM on August 18, 2021
Since the SIM is really only necessary for connecting to the cell tower, I agree with "needs more cowbell" that you can try out the function without the SIM. I use an old phone without SIM as a music player here at home; all app downloads and system updates happen over WiFi
posted by TimHare at 10:15 AM on August 19, 2021
posted by TimHare at 10:15 AM on August 19, 2021
Response by poster: Thanks everyone for your thoughts. So his flip phone had no sim, and with just the phone on wireless in his house, he didn't feel like he could get a good impression of "evryday use". Calling Verizon to see about getting a sim yielded just a quote of $50 plus the need for a data plan. If he has to spend real money, getting a new phone which is smaller in size than the Note 4 would be his preference. He's going to poke Verizon again to see if he can get a different answer, but experiment is a no-go.
The factory reset worked, though.
posted by maxwelton at 11:46 PM on August 22, 2021
The factory reset worked, though.
posted by maxwelton at 11:46 PM on August 22, 2021
The flip phone must be somewhat older, then. Verizon and Sprint's 3G networks are/were CDMA, which didn't use SIM cards, as opposed to AT&T and T-Mobile (and the rest of the world) which were GSM and used SIMs. With the switch to 4G, everyone is using LTE, which is similar to GSM and uses SIMs, so it's easy to forget about older 3G CDMA equipment. It seems like your friend's old phone is on borrowed time at this point, as the 3G shutdown is imminent - it's been delayed several years, but it appears Verizon's is currently scheduled for the end of 2022.
As noted above, one option to further test the Note would be to get a pre-paid SIM from any number of MVNO operators, or even the big carriers. Mint is frequently recommended around here, but there are many others - many available at your local Walmart/Target/Walgreens. Still a bit of money, but should be well under $50.
posted by yuwtze at 8:31 PM on August 25, 2021
As noted above, one option to further test the Note would be to get a pre-paid SIM from any number of MVNO operators, or even the big carriers. Mint is frequently recommended around here, but there are many others - many available at your local Walmart/Target/Walgreens. Still a bit of money, but should be well under $50.
posted by yuwtze at 8:31 PM on August 25, 2021
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posted by needs more cowbell at 3:23 PM on August 18, 2021 [2 favorites]