Removing a jam SIM card tray from your smartphone, either iPhone or Android device, is a delicate matter that requires lots of carefulness to avoid destroying your device or losing your SIM card.
Most smartphones use a SIM card tray which is very small and sensitive, and breaking it can either damage or cause a certain level of damage to one’s device.
If you discover that your SIM card tray won’t come out, you should either take it for a professional repair or apply any maintenance outlined in this post.
SIM Card Tray Won’t Come Out, Here’s What to Do (Android)
If you’re an Android user and need help removing a stuck SIM card tray from your device, here are a few technical fixes you can try.
1. Check the Warranty
You must check your phone’s warranty before removing a jammed SIM Card tray; removing a stuck SIM card tray is a delicate issue that may cause damage to your device if not done correctly. Hence it’s always advised first to check if the warranty covers this action before attempting a fix.
If the warranty doesn’t cover this sort of damage, then you shouldn’t remove the card without professional help because causing damage to the phone may result in a financial loss.
If the Android device is expendable and older, you can attempt to fix it. However, high-valued phones without warranty coverage should be left for professional repairs, as cell phone professionals would have the necessary tools and system to remove jammed SIM cards.
2. Try Cleaning the Tray
SIM card tray may refuse to come out for several reasons. Most times, it could be due to dirt and debris in the tray preventing it from ejecting. However, if your SIM card tray is stuck and has refused to come out, you can try cleaning the tray.
Using a cotton swab with a touch of alcohol helps to clear grime from the crevasses. Once you’ve successfully cleaned the tray, you can take out a paper clip or any ejection tool to press the eject button, and the tray will function properly.
If this doesn’t work out, turn the device upside down with the tray facing the ground and press the ejection button several times. The extra force of gravity would help the tray spring lose.
If cleaning the tray proves abortive, you can try another low-risk approach. Using Adhesives is another option that can help guide the tray out of your phone.
3. Use Sticky Adhesives
Adhesives are a viable option that comes in handy when trying to get a stuck SIM card tray out of your device. However, an adhesive like glue isn’t advisable because it would help permanently cement the tray and SIM inside your phone.
Adhesives like double-sided tape or any sticky mounting glue like those used to hang pictures and posters is mainly preferred.
Cut the mounting adhesive into a thin strip. The trick for using this fix is to ensure that we apply the glue against the tray. If the adhesive sticks to other areas outside the tray, it would pull against a solid surface other than the movable piece.
Trim the adhesive to match the shape of the tray. After that, press the bond against the SIM Tray and hold the ejection button. Do this while pulling the glue from the tray.
Ideally, this should cause enough pressure to pull the tray out and take out the Stuck SIM Card. If this doesn’t work on the first attempt, repeat the process until you’ve successfully pulled out the tray.
SIM Card Tray Won’t Come Out, Here’s What to Do (iPhone)
iPhones are fragile and more sensitive than Android devices, so removing a stuck SIM Card tray requires a careful and precessional approach.
iPhone devices, just like other smartphones, use a SIM tray to insert and also take out a SIM card. Although this technology is efficient, there are times when we get faced with issues of stuck SIM card trays.
Situations like this arise when we install a SIM card tray incorrectly or upside down, and this is a common issue with iPhone devices that use micro-SIM, including newer versions like iPhone 13.
If you’re experiencing an issue with a stuck SIM card, you don’t have to worry, as there are straightforward fixes that would help you resolve the issue.
1. Check the Device Warranty
Before attempting to fix the Stuck SIM card tray on your iPhone, you must first check the phone’s warranty to know if the warranty covers this sort of issue or not.
Manufacturers often do not categorically list the things covered under warranty as they only tend to general faults or system malfunctions. Since a stuck SIM card can occur due to misuse on the user’s end, it’s better to contact the technical service to see if they refer you to specialized centers or collect it themselves.
To check for an iPhone warranty,
Go to checkcoverage.apple.com. And enter your iPhone serial number.
After that, follow the onscreen instruction to check your warranty.
2. Backup your Data
A stuck SIM card tray is a delicate issue. The last thing you want to experience as an iPhone user is the loss of your data because of a stuck SIM card tray.
Once you encounter a stuck SIM card problem on your iPhone device, you should try saving the information on your SIM to your iPhone. You must do this ASAP because if you have a SIM card stuck in your iPhone due to a mistake, you’ll lose all your important data.
Once you’ve successfully checked for warranty and backed up your data to prevent data loss, you can try any of the three quick fixes below to remove the SIM card stuck in your iPhone.
You must be careful when applying these fixes because if anything goes wrong with the SIM card tray during the process, you may have to spend hundreds of dollars repairing it.
This post will show you three easy and effective methods to remove a stuck SIM card tray on your iPhone. Each method has its pros and cons, but you must use caution regardless of how you apply it.
Fix 1: Insert a Thin and Small Paperclip into the Card Slot
iPhones come with a SIM ejector hole of varying sizes; hence it’s advisable always to keep the ejector pin that came with your phone. If you’ve lost it for one reason or another, you can opt for a thin and small paperclip which usually comes with a thicker girth to hold together any paper.
To take out the SIM card, you’ll need to uncurl the paper clip and point its long end towards the ejection hole of the iPhone. This method is also applicable to a jammed card without a tray.
Fix 2: Remove the iPhone Back Panel.
If you’ve got a SIM card stuck in your iPhone, then removing the iPhone back panel is another viable solution to help you remove the stuck SIM card. This method is very effective, but it’s also a risky one as well. Here’s a list of steps to follow when removing a stuck SIM card tray on an iPhone:
The first step is to remove the two screws next to the dock connector on the bottom of your iPhone.
You’ll need to slide the back cover toward the top of your iPhone. You must keep in mind that it will be sliding up just around two millimeters.
Next is to lift the cover off your iPhone and try to remove the SIM.
Fix 3. Go to a Professional Phone Technician
If, after trying options one and two and you still can’t remove the stuck SIM card, it’s best to consult the help of a professional phone technician; This is the safest fix among all three, but it may come at some cost.
When you consult the help of a professional technician, you rest assured that your device is in safe hands. Unfortunately, many mobile repair services need to be more reliable, so you must ensure you find a reliable mobile repair service.
It’s much better to go to an Apple service center to get your desired result. This way, you won’t bother about the DIY methods that are pretty tedious.
Conclusion
Removing a stuck SIM card tray on your iPhone or Android smartphone is a delicate task that requires caution.
If you have warranty coverage, it’s advisable to use it, but if you don’t, you can try out the possible methods of removing the stuck SIM card tray listed in this post. Using a proven strategy boosts your chances of clearing the card safely without causing damage to the card and tray, and all the methods outlined in this article have been tested and proven effective.