How to activate iPhone 4s

iPhone 4s won’t activate says it requires a SIM card and then says failed to activate. I collect old phones and I really like this one I factory reset it and now it’s doing this, and I can’t get into the phone go to the home screen and then pops back out of the home screen.


[Edited by Moderator]

Earlier iPhone models

Posted on Sep 2, 2025 09:14 AM

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Posted on Sep 2, 2025 09:22 AM

Do you have a SIM card installed? You have to have on installed in order to complete the activation. As I recall, the card doesn't have to be tied to any active line. The problem may be finding a micro-SIM card.

13 replies

Sep 2, 2025 10:11 AM in response to Computer_5555

Computer_5555 wrote:

Cannot find a micro sim


That iPhone 4s will be of limited usefulness.


Pretty much no third-party apps will be available.


Problems and blocks exist when using a version of Safari and network security that far back.


That’s assuming you can even find 3G coverage to go with a hard-to-find microSIM:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G#Decline_and_decommissions

Sep 2, 2025 11:26 AM in response to Computer_5555

Computer_5555 wrote:

Cannot find a micro sim

Amazon? eBay? The little phone repair shop in the mall? Ask your friends and family members if they have any really old phones sitting around. Have them check to see if there is a micro SIM you can use. It's going to be hard though. Apple stopped using them in 2012. Even the cheap flip and candy bar phones have long since moved on from them.


There was a time when phone stores would have had old ones sitting around in drawers for just this purpose but I'd expect even the messiest of them would have cleaned out those drawers a long time ago.

Sep 2, 2025 01:44 PM in response to Computer_5555

Computer_5555 wrote:

Good idea, but does the iPhone 5s use micro Sim? I know my grandparents have both have old iPhone 5s. I play around sometimes.
I know they do have US cellular Sim in them


if you find yourself asking about the tech specs of Apple gear, get yourself the (free) MacTracker app.


iPhone 5s gets you to iOS 12, nano-SIM, and to LTE, and VoLTE. In aggregate, workable, some but fewer third-party apps, and with other limits.


All unlike iPhone 4s. Which won’t be particularly useful.

How to activate iPhone 4s

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