Purchased new SIM card for iPhone XR, Tracfone customer service says the phone is incompatible

**brian577** · 11-23-2020, 06:09 PM

Others on this forum told me I just need a new card for the new network Now my iPhone won't activate and customer service is offering me a new cheap phone. This obviously can't be right.

**hpham** · 11-23-2020, 06:25 PM

Need more details.
1. Is this a new line? If not, which phone and carrier does the existing line use?
2. Which carrier do you want to use the XR with?
3. Is your XR an unlocked phone, or branded by TF, or branded by a carrier?
4. Which XR version is it? There are several: https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_xr-9320.php

**kevink1** · 11-23-2020, 06:26 PM

You didn't mention important issues, like is this phone unlocked? Where did you buy it?

**brian577** · 11-23-2020, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by kevink1

You didn't mention important issues, like is this phone unlocked? Where did you buy it?

Sorry. Yes, it's unlocked I bought it directly from Apple. Its been working for over a year no problem but Tracfone told me it was incompatible with the new network despite being less than two years old. People here told me it was the Sim card so I replaced it and the phone won't activate.

**hpham** · 11-23-2020, 06:37 PM

Originally Posted by brian577

Its been working for over a year no problem but Tracfone told me it was incompatible with the new network despite being less than two years old.

It's been working for over a year with which provider and which carrier? Did you get a message from TF saying the phone needs to be upgraded? If so, was the SIM swapped in from another phone?

Please answer questions in my post #2 above also.

**brian577** · 11-23-2020, 06:40 PM

Originally Posted by hpham

It's been working for over a year with which provider and which carrier? Did you get a message from TF saying the phone needs to be upgraded? If so, was the SIM swapped in from another phone?

It was working fine on Tracfone. Yes, Tracfone said I needed a new iPhone which makes no sense it's less than two years old others said it was probably the SIM card because I had just used a card from my previous iPhone 5. The new SIM I just bought.

**hpham** · 11-23-2020, 06:44 PM

Which CARRIER was it using?

**brian577** · 11-23-2020, 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by hpham

Which CARRIER was it using?

Tracfone, it's only been Tracfone.

**hpham** · 11-23-2020, 06:50 PM

Originally Posted by brian577

Tracfone, it's only been Tracfone.

Tracfone is the PROVIDER, but they use service from three CARRIERS: AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon. Which carrier does your phone use? If you don't know, post the first 6 digits of the SIM card that's CURRENTLY in the phone (not the new SIM card).

**brian577** · 11-23-2020, 06:51 PM

Originally Posted by hpham

Tracfone is the PROVIDER, but they use service from three CARRIERS: AT&T, T-mobile, Verizon. Which carrier does your phone use? If you don't know, post the first 6 digits of the SIM card that's CURRENTLY in the SIM (not the new SIM card).

Sorry. Verizon.

**hpham** · 11-23-2020, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by brian577

Sorry. Verizon.

OK. Here's the first part of the story...

Verizon requires a phone to be capable of Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) to remain on their network after the end of this year. So TF has been notifying users of phones that are not VoLTE capable.

You swapped the SIM from an iPhone 5 into your XR without doing the proper transfer to a new SIM. So as far as TF knows you are using an iPhone 5 which is not VoLTE capable. That's why you got the notification.

The rest of the story....

Contact a TF rep or use the IMEI checker on TF web site to see if your XR is on Verizon's whitelist (VoLTE capable and other factors). I don't know enough about iPhones to tell. Someone here who is more familiar with iPhones can tell you whether or not it is. There are phones made in 2018 that are not on Verizon's whitelist, especially if it's not a US version. That's why I asked in post #2 which version your XR is.

You said the new SIM wouldn't activate. Did you try to activate it yourself or with the help of a rep? If you used a rep, did you tell the rep that you want to activate the SIM to be used in your XR, and provided the XR's IMEI (serial number)?

**loboheeler** · 11-23-2020, 09:50 PM

Originally Posted by hpham

You swapped the SIM from an iPhone 5 into your XR without doing the proper transfer to a new SIM. So as far as TF knows you are using an iPhone 5 which is not VoLTE capable. That's why you got the notification.

Agree the TF system thinks the phone is an iPhone 5. The XR may have become paired with the 5's SIM after swapping. You would think that during an activation, providing the IMEI for the XR and new SIM number should pair correctly.

**hpham** · 11-23-2020, 11:07 PM

Originally Posted by loboheeler

You would think that during an activation, providing the IMEI for the XR and new SIM number should pair correctly.

We don't have details of the failed activation of the new SIM. OP didn't say the IMEI of the XR was used.

**wakeupandworry** · 11-25-2020, 10:02 AM

Originally Posted by brian577

Sorry. Yes, it's unlocked I bought it directly from Apple. Its been working for over a year no problem but Tracfone told me it was incompatible with the new network despite being less than two years old. People here told me it was the Sim card so I replaced it and the phone won't activate.

Same exact issue that I'm having, only with an iPhone 12.

See this thread: https://www.howardforums.com/showthr...ll-need-advice

Some on this forum would say keep trying a different CS, well I've tried them all (including executive resolutions) and it's not happening. Something more is going on here and nobody seems to know.

**kevink1** · 11-25-2020, 03:36 PM

Originally Posted by hpham

We don't have details of the failed activation of the new SIM. OP didn't say the IMEI of the XR was used.

All US model Xr phones, if unlocked, work on all the carriers. It was the 7/8/X models that sold some models without CDMA support.

Issue with phones older than the 6, but since they didn't support VoLTE aren't compatible anymore anyway.