Types of SIM cards: sizes, trimming. How to install and remove a SIM card from a tablet

Samsung decided to listen to the opinions of its fans and returned memory card support to the new flagship devices Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge. However, she did this using a hybrid slot, as has become fashionable recently. This means that the user must choose whether to use 2 SIM cards or one SIM card and a microSD card in the smartphone. Fortunately, there were craftsmen who discovered that the contacts of the second SIM and the contacts of the memory card are in different places and managed to combine business with pleasure and organize the simultaneous operation of two SIM and microSD cards. And if you have decided to become the owner of a new device (or have already become the owner), despite all its minor disadvantages, then this article is for you. We are publishing a translation of instructions with detailed comments on installing two SIM cards and a memory card in the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

Denial of responsibility: You do all the manipulations listed below only at your own peril and risk. Neither the author nor anyone else is responsible for your actions or for any damage caused. There is a high probability of damaging the SIM card microchip, and to a lesser extent, the microSD memory card. Also, when the smartphone heats up, there is a danger of this design coming unstuck, and in this case problems may arise when removing the tray. It is quite possible that you will have to contact a service center to get it. In this case, the device is removed from warranty.

So, if you are aware of all the risks listed, then to continue you will need the following devices:

SIM card in Nano format (because it is easier to cut and “disassemble”)
microSD memory card
Lighter
Scissors, blade or any other sharp object
Thin double-sided tape (preferred) or super glue
A little free time, patience, a head on your shoulders and straight arms

To install two SIM cards and a memory card at the same time in a Samsung Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge you need to:

Determine the correct position of the SIM card
First, you will need to determine the correct position of the SIM card in the tray. Cards from different operators may have different contact configurations. The author of the original instructions carried out operations on SIM cards of U Mobile and Maxis operators (Malaysia). Typically, all SIM cards have a special key on one side (cut corner).

Detach the SIM card chip from the base
Any SIM card consists of a plastic base and a microchip with a contact pad glued to it. Gently heat the SIM card from the opposite side (where the plastic is). This may take from 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then carefully separate the chip with the contact pad from the base. It is recommended to use a sharp object (scissors, knife, blade, etc.) as an auxiliary tool. After this, the chip must be cleaned of any remaining glue or plastic.
If everything went smoothly and you did not have to change the SIM card, then you can consider half the journey completed.

Trim the SIM card microchip
Now you need to carefully trim the contact pad of the SIM card to fit on the memory card. Usually you need to shorten it by 1-2 mm on each side (as in the photo).

Secure SIM card to microSD
This can be done using double-sided tape (in which case the memory card can be easily (more or less) “freed”) or super glue (this option is less preferable, since if you damage the SIM card chip, then separate it from the memory card will be quite difficult or even impossible). The first step was provided for correct placement. In addition, make sure that the corner of the SIM card microchip is aligned as shown in the image (circled in red).

Place the finished structure in the tray
Now all that remains is to place the genetically modified microSD card into the tray, and the tray itself into the smartphone.

Finally, you need to check that all actions have been performed correctly. If everything is done correctly, the Galaxy S7 will “see” two SIM cards and a microSD memory card. It will look something like this:

It is also worth noting that the method described above is suitable for all smartphones with the same hybrid SIM card tray. In particular, owners of Meizu Pro 5 have a similar experience.

An Android phone with two SIM cards is usually purchased in order to insert two SIM cards, possibly from different mobile operators, and end up carrying one instead of two phones. However, in fact, sometimes they still use one SIM card.

For example, I gave up the idea of using a second SIM card in a dual-SIM phone. “The old fashioned way” I continue to use two phones. She refused, in particular, because of the problems that may arise when switching from a regular to a mini SIM card, which must be done for a dual-SIM phone. It turns out that it is advisable to first go to the bank to notify about the change in the size of the SIM card (and, accordingly, about the change in its serial number), although the phone number remains the same. But without the code that comes in an SMS message to your phone, you won’t be able to confirm many actions on the Internet.

In addition, it is not always possible to remember what, that is, what important but rarely used service account the phone is attached to and, accordingly, where else a problem may arise when changing the SIM card format. True, the existence of such sensitivity on the size of the SIM card still depends on the specific bank and specific services. Perhaps as technology develops, this problem will go away.

Why set up SIM cards?

An Android phone is essentially a small computer, so many computer approaches can be applied to it. Namely, the SIM cards are configured (hardware + software).

For example, if you enable only one SIM card on your phone programmatically, that is, make it active, and leave the second SIM card inactive, but do not disable it in hardware, then you will eventually see a crossed out circle icon on your phone. This icon means that the phone has two SIM cards, but one of them is empty, or rather, it is not in the phone.

The screenshots were taken on a Samsung Android phone and the settings are described using this model as an example.

Rice. 1. Crossed out circle and “Applications” icon

Where to look for SIM card management

This can be done using the SIM Card Manager. To do this, tap (open) “Applications” on the main page of the phone (Fig. 1) and go to Android Settings:

Rice. 2. Android Settings

In Android Settings, look for SIM Card Manager:

Rice. 3. SIM card manager

How to set up two SIM cards on an Android phone

Below in the screenshot (Fig. 4) you can see that SIM 2 has been renamed and is called Nadezhda. It is for this that the reception of calls and the Internet is configured, namely:

Voice call,
Video call,
Data network.

Such settings can be made in the SIM Card Manager, in the “Preferred SIM Card” section:

Rice. 4. Two SIM cards on an Android smartphone

If, for example, you specify for the 2nd SIM card that it will “catch” the Internet, then everything else will be configured automatically. And there will be no “No network” message on the main page of the phone.

In hardware, both SIM cards remain connected for now, as evidenced by two points in the SIM Card Manager (Fig. 4):

SIM 1 and Nadezhda cards are shown as active. If one of them is not active, its name will be written in pale gray.
The "Active Mode" option is configured to "Receive calls on both SIM cards even during a call."

How to disable the second SIM card

If you don’t need a second SIM card (for me it’s SIM 1) and in fact it’s not in the phone, then you can safely turn it off. To do this, tap on the name SIM 1, a window will open:

Rice. 5. SIM 1 card included

To disable the SIM card, tap on the green slider (in the red frame in Fig. 5). After this, the engine will turn from active, green, to gray, inactive:

Rice. 6. SIM card is turned off

SIM 1 SIM card is disabled, so now there is no crossed out circle that was in Fig. 1 when SIM card is on.

One SIM card with number 2 is active:

Rice. 7. Only one SIM card with number 2 works

How to enable a second SIM card on Android

You need to insert a second SIM card into the phone,
then in Settings open SIM Card Manager (Fig. 3),
tap on the name of the second SIM card (Fig. 4),
and then move the engine from the “Off” position (Fig. 6) to the “On” state (Fig. 5).

The “Active mode” option (Fig. 4) must also be enabled, which provides the “Receive calls on both SIM cards even during a call” function.

If the Internet needs to be configured for the second SIM card, then in the SIM Manager, in the “Preferred SIM card” tab (Fig. 4), in the “Data network” option, select the desired SIM card from the two.

About the number of SIM cards in the phone

It seems that there are phones with four SIM cards, so a dual-SIM phone is not the limit, although all this, of course, is not for everyone.

And further. The more active SIM cards in a smartphone, the faster. Energy is spent maintaining communication with several base stations of mobile operators.

Experienced communication store consultants still remember the time when customers were perplexed by the fact that there were SIMs of non-standard sizes. Nowadays, having several types of SIM cards is commonplace. Manufacturers are giving preference to increasingly smaller cards, because this saves space inside the device body. Standard-sized SIM cards, bulky by modern standards, are about to “sink into oblivion.”

In this article we will talk about all types of SIM and teach you how to turn a large card into a small one.

In terms of size, SIM cards are classified into 3 types:

Mini-SIM

Mini-SIM– this is the “scientific” name for a standard SIM card. Its dimensions are 25x15 millimeters.

If the phone was released before 2011 (inclusive), you can be sure that exactly what is inserted into it Mini-SIM. For modern smartphones, such a card is too large, but this does not mean at all that Mini-SIM– anachronism. Standard SIM cards are used in simple dialers, in phones with large buttons for the elderly, in secure phones for fishing enthusiasts and factory workers. The listed devices cannot boast of an abundance of functions, so there is plenty of space inside their cases - in some models, manufacturers even allow you to install 3-4 Mini-SIM.

Micro-SIM

First card Micro-SIM began to be used by Apple - in iPhone 4 devices. Dimensions Micro-SIM– 15x12 millimeters.

Nowadays, the vast majority of smartphones are installed with Micro-SIM. The “baton” was taken over from Apple by Nokia, which equipped its Lumia devices with slots for Micro, followed by HTC, Samsung, and BlackBerry.

Nano-SIM

Nano-SIM– the newest and smallest card for the phone. Its dimensions are only 12x5 millimeters. Visually, the card is a chip with a minimum of plastic edging.

Apple is again the innovator. Exactly Nano-SIM users had to insert the 5th modification into the iPhone. Later, other well-known manufacturers began to produce devices with Nano-SIM slots - for example, Samsung And Meizu.

The following illustration will help you understand the differences between the three types of SIM cards:

How to change the SIM card size for your phone?

The most obvious way to change the SIM card size is replace it in the operator's cabin. This procedure is completely free, takes only a couple of minutes, and the phone number does not change subsequently. However, this method still has a number of disadvantages:

The new SIM card will not contain the numbers stored in the memory of the old one. Of course, a similar problem easy to solve: in the article “How to transfer contacts from iPhone to computer” we talk about several ways to export phone numbers. But, alas, many users consider their time too valuable to waste it on mastering third-party software and methods for creating backup copies.
You have the right to replace your SIM card in the office only its designer and only according to the passport. If the card was given to the user, for example, by his parents, he himself will not be able to replace it. Sometimes this becomes a real problem.

If a consultant changes a SIM card to a person who is not its issuer, this is fraud! For such an operation, the consultant will, at a minimum, be deprived of his bonus, and at maximum, he will be fired in disgrace. Therefore, demanding to “make an exception” is meaningless; no one wants to find themselves unemployed with unflattering wording in their work book.

There are several ways to change the dimensions of a SIM card without resorting to replacement. For example, a user can purchase adapter(aka - adapter). The adapters look like this:

It’s better to order adapters for SIM on Chinese websites - there they cost a mere trifle. For example, a set of adapters from Noosy along with a needle for iPhone will cost only 17 rubles. When purchasing in a salon, the user may be charged up to 250 rubles - the difference is more than noticeable!

The set usually includes adapters of 3 types: Nano-SIM to SIM, Micro-SIM to SIM And Nano-SIM to Micro-SIM. Since SIM cards of reduced sizes continue to be associated with Apple, manufacturers do not forget to include needles in the kits to remove the SIM card slot. Adapters are easy to use: a small SIM card is inserted into a suitable adapter, then the adapter itself with the card inside is placed in the slot of the mobile device.

Adapters help when you need to increase the size of a SIM card, but what should the user do if, on the contrary, the card needs to be reduced? The owner of the gadget should think about the fact that such a need may arise even at the stage of purchasing a SIM card - and insist on issuing him a so-called Combi-SIM. Combi-SIM is a standard-sized card from which you can make a micro-SIM card in a split second.

Inside a SIM card, standard in size, Micro-Sim It is already cut along the contour, so it is easy for the user to press with a finger and break off a piece of plastic.

There is no need to rush to throw away the frame– she is still capable of doing a good service. If you need to reinsert the card into the slot under Mini-SIM the frame can be used as an adapter.

Usage Combi-SIM- one of the ways to change the size of the SIM card downwards. Cards Combi provided to mobile users for free- of course, if they are available in the operator’s office.

If the user is already the owner of a standard SIM card and wants to turn it into Micro, without losing contacts, he has no other choice but to cut the SIM card. Pruning is usually carried out using a special device called stapler for Sim(aka - Sim cutter, it’s the same - Sim-Cutter).

Make from a standard card Micro-SIM If you have such a stapler, it’s a second procedure. However, expect that the sales office or workshop will carry out this procedure for free, not worth it. Salon employees will demand 149 rubles for trimming and will even knock out a check for providing a paid service. Repair shops will also ask for money, or even send the user to deal with the operator.

Cutting a SIM card is associated with some risk - if the person performing the procedure is in a hurry or is inattentive, he will damage the chip and, as a result, the SIM card will not function. Hence the high cost of pruning services - no one wants to take risks “for nothing.”

How to cut a SIM card with your own hands?

Not all cellular communication stores have SIM staplers - some consultants continue to cut cards with their own hands and with ordinary scissors. The reader may be surprised to learn that no one trains consultants to do this. They hone this skill on their own, and many are able to successfully cut a SIM card the first time.

No wonder - in fact, the procedure is extremely primitive! Usually the main difficulty is finding a pattern. Consultants, as a rule, have their entire table littered with SIM cards of various sizes that work and have served their useful life - they use them as samples. The average user can only dream of such abundance - however, if he still managed to borrow a SIM card of the required size to serve as a template, he can safely try trimming with his own hands. If not, he should resort to using a printer and a template print(here is the relevant link).

To cut a SIM card, you don’t need felt-tip pens, rulers or pencils - if you follow these instructions:

Take the large SIM in your hand with the chip facing up.
Place the sample card on top so that it completely covers the chip, press it tightly with your thumb and do not let go. If desired, the template can be attached to a large SIM using double-sided tape, but experts do not recommend doing this - you can damage the chip.
Carefully trim the sides of the plastic. Try not to have too much, otherwise the SIM card in the slot will “dangle” and the signal will be lost.
Cut the card according to the template across. Here you can act less scrupulously; The main thing is not to touch the chip.
Remove the corner and round the edges a little - otherwise the SIM card will not fit into the slot.

Next, put the template aside and try to install the cut card into the phone to check its functionality. If the SIM card does not fit into the slot, carefully trim the plastic and try again. If the card in the slot is just the right size and can be read by the phone, rejoice - you just cut a SIM card with your own hands!

note that not just any card can be “cut” to the desired size. Easiest to redo Mini-SIM V Micro-SIM – such pruning should not cause any difficulties for the user at all. Trim under Nano-SIM always more difficult; plastic around the chip on the card Nano almost none, so the risk of snagging the chip with the blades of the scissors is quite high.

Old-style SIM cards with large chips are still in use:

Cutting such SIMs is a real nightmare! With some luck, from such a card you can make Micro-SIM, but turn it into Nano It definitely won't work.

Conclusion

The fact that smartphone manufacturers began to produce gadgets that support different types of SIM cards, salon sellers have become quite rich. Of course, not all paid services go through the cash register - in many cases, the money for trimming goes into the pockets of consultants. Cutting SIM cards for sellers is a “bread and butter” business, which means free there is no need to count on help from consultants.

Therefore, a user who does not want to “feed” salon employees is better off mastering pruning skills himself. This procedure is quite simple and does not require “surgical precision”.

Beginner users of an Apple tablet with a 3G (4G) communication module sometimes do not know how to insert a SIM card into an iPad. If the user is a complete novice or is just going to buy an Apple iPad, then he is unlikely to understand the models - i.e. does not know which tablets support SIM cards from mobile operators and which do not.

In order to understand all these intricacies of working with a tablet, we will consider not only how to insert a SIM card into the iPad, iPad 2 and iPad 3rd generation, but also analyze the features of the model range and SIM cards.

Model
The first thing a user or potential buyer of an Apple iPad tablet should know is that all iPads are equipped with a Wi-Fi communication module, i.e. support wireless networks and use these Wi-Fi networks to connect to the Internet.

But there are iPads that, in addition to working in Wi-Fi networks, support working with cellular operator networks; such tablets are equipped with a 3G (4G) module; a distinctive feature of such models is a black plastic insert at the top of the back of the iPad, covering antenna.

Therefore, if your tablet has a black plastic panel on the “back”, then you will be able to insert a SIM card into the iPad; if there is no piece of the black cover, then you don’t have to read further, except for informational purposes, for the future.

Which SIM card should I insert into the iPad?
With 3G (4G) models that support network access using a cellular operator, we seem to have sorted it out. Now let's look at the numbers, or rather SIM cards for the tablet. All 3rd generations of tablets (“iPad”, “iPad 2” and “New iPad”) that are available on the Apple market today work only with Micro-SIM cards. Where can I get such a card?

You can contact your cellular operator with a request to provide a 128 KB Micro-SIM; these are the cards that are considered problem-free when working with new Apple mobile gadgets.
If the operator does not have such cards, then a Micro-SIM can be made from a regular SIM card using scissors and a ruler; for more information about cutting, read the instructions -.

iPaper clip
If you have already obtained a Micro-SIM or made it yourself, then to begin the procedure of inserting a SIM card into the iPad you will need the tool that comes with the tablet. If you don’t have a tool, you can use a regular paperclip to remove the tray. In general, the situation is the same as with .

Where to insert a SIM card into iPad

Installing Micro-SIM in iPad 1-gen

In the first Apple iPad models, the SIM card tray is located in the lower left part of the tablet; to remove it, use a paperclip as shown in the figure.

How to insert Micro-SIM into iPad 2, 3

Insert a SIM card into the Apple iPad 2 and New iPad

In the Apple iPad 2 and the “New iPad” the SIM card tray is also on the left side, but it was moved higher, but the principle of removal and insertion remained the same.

Owners of brand new tablets often find it difficult to immediately understand their device. A particularly common problem that occurs on all IT forums is how to remove a SIM card from a tablet or how to insert a SIM card into a tablet. From the outside, everything seems obvious. But in reality there are difficulties with the SIM card slot. The simple tips collected in this article will help you solve them.

Install and connect the SIM card in the tablet

First, you need to determine which SIM card your device supports. Today there are several types of SIM cards for tablets: regular SIM, miniSIM, microSIM and nanoSIM. They differ only in size, and are listed in order of decreasing dimensions. The most common today are microSIM.

Installing a SIM card is sometimes not so easy, in order to understand how to insert a SIM card into the tablet and avoid any problems, use the instructions:

1. Before installing the SIM card, turn off the device and (for convenience) place the tablet on a smooth surface with the display down. Make sure the surface is clean and will not scratch the screen.

2. As a rule, there is a SIM card slot on the bottom or side of the tablet (check the instructions), often it is located next to other slots or buttons. Pay attention to the design of the socket access system; you may need to use a special key-clip that comes with the tablet. How to insert a SIM card into a tablet using this key? There will be a small hole next to the socket; when you press the key into this hole, the SIM card slot will slide out, then you need to place the SIM in the special tray that slides out.

If there is no hole, it’s even clearer how to insert a SIM card into the tablet: just move the slot flap, pull out the SIM card holder, insert the SIM card from the holder up with the contacts.

3. Push in the tray or holder, put the flap in place (if it is not installed automatically when the holder is pushed in), turn on the tablet and check the connection.

If the SIM card was installed correctly, the question of how to remove the SIM card from the tablet should not arise - just perform all the above steps in reverse order. If something went wrong during installation, it will not be so easy to get the SIM; you will have to use tweezers to pick it up and pull it out.

A short video showing how to insert a SIM card into a Samsung GALAXY Tab