Written by, Nikola Dimovski
Updated July, 18, 2023
Although SIM cards do not usually store information, it is possible that some data has found its way onto the card. To avoid losing valuable info, you will need to export the data before changing SIMs.
Here is the lowdown on what to backup before changing a SIM card, how to do it and what else you should think about before switching SIM cards between phones.
Before you switch your SIM card, you need to know a bit more about these cards and the kind of information they store.
SIM cards are small computer chips that hold information and enable a subscriber to connect to a mobile network. Each SIM card holds an ID number that identifies your phone to the network, allowing you to make calls, send and receive SMS messages, as well as browse the internet through 4G or 5G connections.
In the past, some SIM cards automatically stored some (or all) of your contacts. They could also store some information on data usage and certain apps, usually pre-installed by your provider.
Today, though, contacts, texts, email settings, media files and apps are saved on your phone. And since only 5% of Brits say they have kept their old phone without buying a new one, chances of finding any essential information stored on a SIM are slim.
When you replace your SIM card in your phone, you lose access to any data on the old card. Photos, apps, and other documents that aren’t stored on the SIM are not affected by the card switch.
However, if you have data on your old SIM card and you haven’t transferred it to your phone or external storage, any phone numbers, addresses, or other data that are on it will remain there. To access them you would need to either
The most common data found on old SIMs are the phone numbers from your contacts list. The easiest way to back up this information would be to save your contacts on your device. These are the steps to follow depending on the type of phone you have.
Follow these steps to transfer contacts from a SIM card to your iPhone.
iPhones do not store contacts on SIM cards. If you need to move contacts from one iPhone to another, back them up on your computer or iCloud rather than on the SIM.
Note: All iPhone users get access to Apple’s iCloud. If you haven’t used it so far, you might need to activate it to back up your files.
If you’re not sure whether the contacts in your phone are saved on your SIM card, it’s best to copy all of them to the Android device you are using. To do so, you need to
You can also transfer contacts to your Google Account. Like Apple, Google allows users to sync their cloud storage but doesn’t require activation, as long as you’re logged into your Google account on your device.
Google is more generous than Apple, providing users with up to 15GB of free storage, but if that’s not enough, you can always connect your phone to your PC via a USB cable and transfer all files there before inserting a new SIM card. Alternatively, you could transfer the contacts to an SD card. Simply choose the destination where you want your contacts to go when exporting them from the SIM.
You can put your old SIM card in another phone and retain the same number. You can then use it to make calls, send texts, and use mobile data, provided that
If the phone is unlocked, fitting a new SIM card should not be an issue even if you are changing providers. Luckily, all phones sold in the UK since 2021 are unlocked.
That said, some providers used to lock their phones to their networks, so if you have an older locked phone, a new SIM card from another provider will not work. In this case, you will need to get it unlocked before you can use it.
Note: You can easily check whether there are SIM restrictions by going to the Settings app.
Most phones nowadays come with micro or nano SIM cards. If you have an older standard SIM that is too big for your new phone, contact your network provider. They will send you a replacement SIM with activation instructions.
If you backed up the information from your old SIM to the cloud, your email account, SD card or computer, you can easily copy the data from your old SIM to your new phone. You will need to activate the new SIM card first.
Note: You might come across options allowing you to transfer SIM card data to another SIM card by cloning the old card and basically having two SIMs with the same number. Be careful, though—SIM card cloning is illegal in the UK.
Data may not be stored on a SIM card, but your phone number may be linked to some apps, like Viber and WhatsApp.
Viber will detect if you have inserted a new SIM card on your device.
You can then decide between
Your WhatsApp should work normally if you change SIM cards between phones. However, if you want to get rid of your old number, you need to register the app with your new SIM card in place.
Likewise, if you want to use the same WhatsApp account on a new phone, i.e. insert the SIM card in another phone, you should back up your chat history to the cloud and move your chats. If you have not done this before replacing SIMs, no need to worry—there are still ways to recover WhatsApp data.
Users who receive verification and 2FA codes as SMS will need to update the information in their accounts when they switch SIMs. To do so
This will make sure that you can log into your accounts, pay online and avoid the risk of losing any important data.
Note: This is required if you are changing the phone and SIM card or inserting a new card in an old device. If you simply use your old SIM in a new mobile, there will be no change.
Nothing. Your SMS messages are not stored on your SIM, so replacing the SIM on your device will have no effect on your texts.
Did you know that the average Brit still sends 50 texts a week?
A SIM card contains your phone number and enables you to connect to the mobile network and thus make calls, send texts as well as connect to the internet via a 4G or 5G. On some older phones, SIM cards would also hold phone numbers from the contact list, however, today all information is saved on your device rather than the SIM.
Yes, there is software that allows one to generate a duplicate copy of a SIM card, although SIM cloning is illegal in the UK.
No, switching SIMs will not transfer any data since no information is saved on a SIM nowadays. If you have some contacts or addresses saved on your SIM card and you insert it into another phone, the data will transfer as well.
If you are using a new SIM card and you want to access the information on the old one, you need to go through the ‘what to backup before changing the SIM card’ checklist, move all the information you want to save on your phone and then activate the new card.
My name is Nikola, and I’m an SEO Specialist and a tech enthusiast. I graduated from the Faculty of Economics, the department of E-Business Management. My experiences go from implementing ERP Solutions, CRM practices, and finally, on-page and off-page SEO. I take pride in staying ahead of the curve when it comes to SEO and keeping up with the latest changes to search algorithms. I love experimenting with new strategies and testing the results to see what works best. Outside of work, I enjoy tinkering with new tech gadgets and exploring the latest apps and software programs.