Timbershoe t1_jdx7u7a wrote
Reply to comment by on_ in iPhone 15 Rumored to Lack SIM Card Tray in France and Likely Other Countries by [deleted]
Apple profiles have been backed up for over a decade.
You just log on with a new device and download your profile from the cloud.
SIM cards should have phased out years ago.
juanincognito t1_je3d3sp wrote
The sim card has exactly nothing to do with your stored settings.
Sim card is the carrier information, all the sim card does is give you a phone number.
Phasing out sim cards is a bad idea, now your hardware is locked to your phone number.
When your phone dies you don't have the luxury to take the sim out and use another phone.
Timbershoe t1_je3t5om wrote
>The sim card has exactly nothing to do with your stored settings.
Apple has stored a digital SIM on the cloud backups for ~5 years.
Cellular Apple Watches have a digital SIM, which is part of the user profile that’s regularly backed up.
>Sim card is the carrier information, all the sim card does is give you a phone number.
Not exactly. The physical SIM holds the ICCID which is a 22 digit code that’s unique and holds redundant information alongside your personal identification.
For instance it holds your country and network. That’s really not needed on a smartphone, it’s been done digitally via carrier settings and GPS for over a decade.
>Phasing out sim cards is a bad idea, now your hardware is locked to your phone number.
That isn’t how this works. You can change networks and phone numbers with a digital SIM. It’s just carrier settings.
In fact, the current digital sim iPhone can support 8 different phones numbers on one handset at one time.
Think of it like setting up aa new email account. Your phone isn’t tied to the one email, and the email isn’t tied to your phone. It’s just a communication route.
>When your phone dies you don't have the luxury to take the sim out and use another phone.
No, you have the luxury of just signing in on another phone and your entire profile (including the digital sim) downloads to your device.
juanincognito t1_je4upl8 wrote
You are basing this on the assumption that every single carrier uses eSIM, which they do not.
Timbershoe t1_je4w9nt wrote
Not every single carrier supports eSIMs, no, however in the US the current providers that support eSIMs are:
AT&T
Boost Mobile
Caroline West Wireless
Cellcom
Credo Mobile
C Spire
FirstNet
H2O Wireless
Nex-Tech Wireless
PureTalk
Red Pocket
Spectrum Mobile
Straight Talk
Strata Networks
T-Mobile USA
Tracfone
UScellular
Verizon Wireless
Xfinity Mobile
So most of them. Plus more will provide them if Apple continues to roll them out.
And for the ones that don’t, you can use an app that acts as a SIM for that network, allowing you to use an eSIM.
The only real technical reason for carriers to keep physical SIM cards is to dissuade people from switching networks as it’s more of a hassle.
Skvora t1_jdxdxn3 wrote
So that's what extra $50/mo on top of the carrier service bill always was!
Timbershoe t1_jdz260r wrote
That’s not how it works. It’s part of the handset price, not the carrier price.
You can buy an iPhone and never put a sim in it, you still have your cloud backup in place for apps, settings, data etc.
I’m in the EU right now, and paying around $15 per month for unlimited sms, calls and 60gb of data. They also provide roving sims, so I use my data and service when I’m in the US for the same price.
It’s not Apple fucking you over on your bill, it’s your carrier.
Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments