If I buy a used S4 without a sim, can I use the one in my razr maxx?

NWRULES

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I've seen some S4's on eBay that don't come with a sim card. Wondering if the one in my maxx is the same size and compatible with the S4.?.....
 

m3incorp

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Yes you can and it will work but supposed there is one for the S4 that allows for advantages that the one out of your Razr doesn't have. I used the one out of my Razr until my new one arrived 3 days later. You can however, get a new sim from any Verizon store for 1 cent or order online from Verizon for free.. You didn't say who your carrier is. The reason the ones on ebay don't come with sim cards, is because the sim cards store your personal information and should be used for a particular phone number.
 

Ksupernor2

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I don't think there is any difference in the sim cards. If there is its the first I've ever heard. Stick it in and it will work just fine. Enjoy the new s4!
 

FunN4Lo

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If sim cards are so interchangeable, why does VZW give you a new sim card when you warrantee swap a phone even when it is same model for same model?
 

mountainbikermark

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If sim cards are so interchangeable, why does VZW give you a new sim card when you warrantee swap a phone even when it is same model for same model?

Because SIM cards are cheaper than phones and they've got a whole bunch of bad SIM cards floating around out there.

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FunN4Lo

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Because SIM cards are cheaper than phones and they've got a whole bunch of bad SIM cards floating around out there.

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I don't think the price of the sim card has anything to do with it. Even if sim cards cost a only a penny, why would they add a penny to the cost of every phone swap. There must be a reason they swap sims when they swap phones.
 

mountainbikermark

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I don't think the price of the sim card has anything to do with it. Even if sim cards cost a only a penny, why would they add a penny to the cost of every phone swap. There must be a reason they swap sims when they swap phones.

Because there are a bunch of them still out there that are bad. Customer brings in old phone that suddenly won't connect to data or drops almost constantly on data connections. Customer demands another phone. They put old SIM card in from bad batch. Customer comes back soon thereafter demanding another phone. Solution. Switch SIM card to new one. No need to research if it's from the bad batches before inserting in like new factory certified device. It's the lte version of doing *228 to fix everything supposed to do on non lte phones back in the day..
Verizon employees are no longer rewarded for thinking. They are actually reprimanded for taking the time to think above the level of a trained monkey.

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m3incorp

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For free or 1 cent, why not get the SIM card that carrier says is the one for the phone. Yep, as I said before, my SIM card from my Razr worked fine but the Verizon online techs recommended I get a new one...I might not be correct, but I think he mentioned something about it being compatible with the "extended LTE" networks when they come out. Go google what Verizon is working on as far as networks are concerned.
 
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NWRULES

NWRULES

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1 cent? Wow. Had no idea. Sounds like it's all good regardless. Right on. Thanks all for killer responses. Cheers!
 

aaf709

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The reason the ones on ebay don't come with sim cards, is because the sim cards store your personal information and should be used for a particular phone number.

I don't think the sim card stores information. It seems to be the way Verizon links the phone to 4G.

The reason I'm saying this is when I had the Bionic, I used a way to "reacquaint" the phone to 4G. It entails powering down the phone, removing the sim card and powering up again (ignore the warning that a sim card isn't inserted). Then power down, reinsert the card and power up. Well, I reinserted the card in backwards and fried it. The phone worked fine, but no 4G. I took it to a Verizon store and told them what I did. They confirmed the sim card was fried and swapped one out for free.
 

JohnnytheK

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If sim cards are so interchangeable, why does VZW give you a new sim card when you warrantee swap a phone even when it is same model for same model?

Because they don't at least my two last phones I moved my simm card and it worked both times.

from my spanking new Samsung Note 2
 

m3incorp

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I don't think the sim card stores information. It seems to be the way Verizon links the phone to 4G.

The reason I'm saying this is when I had the Bionic, I used a way to "reacquaint" the phone to 4G. It entails powering down the phone, removing the sim card and powering up again (ignore the warning that a sim card isn't inserted). Then power down, reinsert the card and power up. Well, I reinserted the card in backwards and fried it. The phone worked fine, but no 4G. I took it to a Verizon store and told them what I did. They confirmed the sim card was fried and swapped one out for free.

That would be very wrong. The SIM card stores "your" name and phone number. As long as you are using "your" SIM from another phone it will work. Try inserting a SIM from a friends phone into your phone, and see what happens. Your phone will ask to activate with that SIM and will then assume the name and phone number from your friend and be linked to his/her account.
 

aaf709

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That would be very wrong. The SIM card stores "your" name and phone number. As long as you are using "your" SIM from another phone it will work. Try inserting a SIM from a friends phone into your phone, and see what happens. Your phone will ask to activate with that SIM and will then assume the name and phone number from your friend and be linked to his/her account.

The phone worked fine with the fried card. All it didn't have was 4G. The card itself has the 4G logo on it.

The interchangeable sim card with your phone number may do that on other networks but not Verizon. I bought a T-Mobile phone on eBay so I could send my phonebook to my car (back in 2005) and used my Dad's sim card. Later I got an unregistered sim card (so I didn't need my Dad's card) and it cost $20.

When I went from the Bionic to the S4 the contacts came over via the cloud. They didn't just pull the card out of the Bionic and move it over.

I see where the problem is. The S4 works on several carriers and I first presumed that the OP was on Verizon. So yes, if it isn't Verizon you can put in the sim card you have and it should work. If it's Verizon, the sim card is just for 4G.
 

Natey2

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Maybe I'm dreaming, but I thought there were 3 kinds of locks:
1. Carrier lock
2. SIM lock
3. Phone/Device lock

To use on an alternate Carrier, #1 must be disabled/unlocked.
To switch SIM cards freely, #2 must be disabled.
 
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