Sometimes we have old iPhones that we want to pass along to our children, but don’t want to give them access to a phone plan. Aside from making calls and texts, iPhone’s can be used for games, note-taking, music, and a variety of other things. But can you use an iPhone without a SIM card? Absolutely! Today we’ll teach you how to unlock iPhone without SIM card so that you can use it without a plan.

Method 1: Activate Your iPhone Using Someone Else’s SIM Card

If you have access to someone else’s SIM card, this is probably the fastest method of activating your iPhone. With that being said, you will need a few different things before you can use this method:

a) You will need the SIM card of a friend. If your phone is locked to a specific carrier, you may need to find a friend who also uses that carrier.
b) Access to a Wi-Fi Network.

If you have both of these things, you can quickly and easily learn how to unlock iPhone without SIM card. Here’s how:

Step 1: Using a pin, remove the SIM card from the other phone and put it into yours.

Step 2: Log on to your Wi-Fi network and follow the setup options.

Step 3: Wait for phone to activate and return the SIM card to your friend.

This will allow you to use Wi-Fi and any apps on your iPhone (you just won’t be able to make phone calls or send text messages).

Method 2: Activate Your iPhone Using iTunes

If you don’t have a friend who is willing to lend you their SIM card, or you can’t find someone who uses the same carrier, you can also activate your iPhone using iTunes. The benefit of using iTunes is that you don’t have to have Wi-Fi access to learn how to unlock iPhone without SIM card. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Download the most up-to-date version of iTunes.

Step 2: Connect your phone to your computer.

Note: If you receive a message saying “there is no SIM card installed”, it means that your phone is locked to a specific carrier and you will need to use method #1 to unlock your iPhone.

Step 3: If phone isn’t locked, you will be prompted with a set of instructions. Follow them to activate your iPhone.

Again, once your phone is activated you will be able to use it to listen to music, search the internet, or use related apps.

BONUS TIP : How to Unlock iPhone Passcode without SIM Card

Today is your lucky day! In addition to telling you how to unlock iPhone without SIM card, we’re also going to give you a bonus tip on how to unlock iPhone passcode without a SIM card. Even when we aren’t using a SIM, our iPhone still asks for a passcode. Sometimes we can forget this passcode. In such a case, you can use a specialized tool like iMyFone LockWiper iPhone passcode unlocker to reset your iPhone and select a new passcode. Here’s what else you can do with LockWiper:

LockWiper Comes with Great Features:

lockwiper unlock iPhone passcode

8,000,000+ Downloads

  • Remove any type of iPhone screen passcode including 4 and 6 digit codes, as well as Face and Touch ID.
  • Unlock phones that are broken or disabled.
  • Remove Apple ID and iCloud account without passwords.
  • Reset your iPhone to factory settings in just a few quick steps.
  • Compatible with all iOS version and devices including iOS 16 and iPhone XS.

Here’s how to use LockWiper to unlock iPhone passcode without SIM card:

Step 1: Download and launch the LockWiper, and hit the Start button to begin the process.

remove iphone screen lock

Step 2: After connect your device to the program, click on Next to load your device information.

dfu mode

Step 3: After your device has been detected, select the provided firmware and Download.

download firmware package

Step 4: Start firmware verification. Once the verification has been bypassed, click on Start to Extract to begin the extraction process.

verification success

Step 5: Once the extraction process is done, click on Start unlock.

confirm unlock

Step 6: You will be prompted with some information, read it through and input 6 (zeros) 000000 to confirm you agree and want to unlock your device.

confirm unlock

Step 7: Once all the above processes have been met, your device will be unlocked.

confirm unlock

Note: Please note that this will restart your iPhone to factory settings. If you have important data on it, you should be sure to back it up first.


If you need to know how to unlock iPhone without SIM card, you can try using someone else’s SIM card, or activate your phone using iTunes. With that being said, you might not be able to use these methods without your passcode. If you forgot your passcode, you can use a program like iMyFone LockWiper iPhone passcode unlocker to bypass the code and reactivate your phone.