Technique: Create a Micro-SIM to SIM Adapter

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How to make a Micro-SIM to SIM adapter out of the old AT&T SIM card( in the iPhone 2G- iPhone 3GS), so you can use your iPhone 4 Micro-SIM in older devices.

  • Author: DavidKircos
  • Time required: 15-20 minutes
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Add Note x
  • x 15

This guide shows you how to make a Micro-SIM to SIM adapter out of the old AT&T SIM card in the iPhone 2G to the iPhone 3GS, so you can use your new iPhone 4 Micro-SIM in older devices. This process destroys the old SIM-Card. Luckily when you buy a new iPhone 4 they give you a new SIM and deactivate the old one, making the old one useless.

Tools
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Add Note Edit Step 1 — Create a Micro-SIM to SIM Adapter  ¶ 

  • Get everything you'll need:

    • XACTO Knife and a good cutting surface, such as a self healing mat.

    • Pencil

    • SIM-Card removal tool or bent paperclip

    • iPhone 4

    • An old GSM SIM card that you can sacrifice to make an adapter.

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Add Note Edit Step 2  ¶ 

  • Remove the SIM Card from each of the iPhones

    • On the iPhone 4 the SIM Card tray is on the right side of the phone.

    • On any older iPhone the SIM Card tray is on the top of the phone.

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Add Note Edit Step 3  ¶ 

  • Use a pencil to trace the Micro-SIM on top of the older SIM-Card.

    • Make sure the leads line up with the ones below them!

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Add Note Edit Step 4  ¶ 

  • Use an XACTO Knife to cut on the line you traced.

    • It can be difficult to control the knife when applying enough force to cut through the plastic, so I recommend going lightly for the first couple of times to make a groove. Once you have a properly-shaped groove, go back and apply more force to cut through the plastic.

    • To get a very clean cut you can try heating the tip of the exacto knife with a small lighter torch or even Cigarette Lighter. The hot Exacto blade will easily score into the sim card this way but you may need to heat it several times as it looses heat very quickly.

    • When you are nearly done, flip the SIM-Card over. You should be able to see the outline of the cutout you made on the top side. For a cleaner result, finish cutting the slot from the bottom side.

  • Remove the piece you cut out of the SIM.

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Add Note Edit Step 5  ¶ 

  • Insert your Micro-SIM Card into the hole you cut out of the SIM.

  • If the Micro-SIM doesn't fit, you may need to cut away more plastic with the knife to enlarge the hole.

  • If you cut the hole slightly too big, put a piece of tape over the back of the SIM-Card (the side without the gold contacts) to hold the Micro-SIM in place. Trim away any excess tape with the knife.

    • You may want to add some tape even if the hole is the correct size; this will help prevent the Micro-SIM from coming loose inside the phone and getting jammed when you try to remove it.

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Add Note Edit Step 6  ¶ 

  • Test it out. I put the Micro-SIM in the converter into an iPhone 2G to test it out, and everything works great!

  • Thanks for reading! Feel free to contact me if you have any problems or suggestions regarding this method!

For more information, check out the iPhone 3GS device page.

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