Question eSim vs Physical sim - Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Hi all,
I was wondering if it's worth moving to an eSim from a physical sim. Are there any specific advantages with eSims over a physical sim? I've tried researching this online but there's not much write-up on this...if there's anyone who's using an eSim exclusively, pls do share your thoughts..

I've only been using normal SIMs, but I thought about eSIMs for a while now and this is the way I see it:
SIM:
- easier to change in case you shuffle between more than 2 providers
- can break easier (I've seen a couple of broken SIMs over the years)
- maybe harder to get hit by fraudulent swap
- faster to switch between phones
eSIM:
- all the advantages/disadvantages above become disadvantages/advantages here
Personally I would only go for an eSIM in the following 2 situations:
- my provider forces me to
- my phone has more radios than SIM slots (like iPhones seem to have)

Anyone know if the eSIM can have an impact on regional limitations?
I.e, can one use an eSIM to unlock certain limitations like "Good Lock", "Beta Enroll" etc? Especially if paired with the correct CSC (and VPN if it has to be).
It's incredible to think that all this depends on these four lines that require root to change
Code:
gsm.sim.operator.numeric
gsm.operator.numeric
gsm.sim.operator.iso-country
gsm.operator.iso-country

daniel_loft said:
I've only been using normal SIMs, but I thought about eSIMs for a while now and this is the way I see it:
SIM:
- easier to change in case you shuffle between more than 2 providers
- can break easier (I've seen a couple of broken SIMs over the years)
- maybe harder to get hit by fraudulent swap
- faster to switch between phones
eSIM:
- all the advantages/disadvantages above become disadvantages/advantages here
Personally I would only go for an eSIM in the following 2 situations:
- my provider forces me to
- my phone has more radios than SIM slots (like iPhones seem to have)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh...I was thinking if there would be better reception through eSim or better battery life given that it's part of the phone's hardware...Any thoughts on this line?

i've been using an eSim only since i got my s21
is a bit of a headache to transfer it - but once its done - is so much easier
i dont need to ever take the sim out or whatever not
and i had better reception and less heating or battery drain
also is easier to control it if someone steals your phone etc

I tend to disagree with @tim2london on a couple of aspects:
- The SIM card is just a means of authentication. SIM or eSIM, the radio transmission is done by the SAME radio module. It makes no sense that one would impact the operation of the said radio module.
- The difference in consumption should be very, VERY small. I'm talking maybe 1-2 mAh per battery cycle. Something impossible to notice even in lab conditions.
So unless the above two paragraphs can be disproved via strict lab tests, I consider them true.
@tim2london how is it easier to control the eSIM in case someone isstealing your phone? As far as I know the procedure would be the same: call your provider and ask for the SIM to be disabled.
Oh, yeah, moving an eSIM to a different phone (for whatever reason) is cumbersome at best.

so you've only used SIM but you seem to know everything and be super sure about it when it comes to esim
even tho i only used esim for nearly a year and i speak from experience
im not interested in justifying what i just said - you want to believe it believe - you dont - DONT
the man asked a question and i answered it - as someone who is only using esim atm
as for the safety thing - someone can easily take the sim out and use it - they cant do that with an esim - they'd have to steal the phone together - they also cannot remove the sim from a phone to avoid tracking as removing an esim is not that easy either
all in all - there are no massive differences - and is mainly about convenience - you can use multiple esim profiles - from different networks - all you need to do to change is click a button

amirage said:
Oh...I was thinking if there would be better reception through eSim or better battery life given that it's part of the phone's hardware...Any thoughts on this line?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I dont think esim will be better on battery or reception for the simple fact that esim/physical sims have to provide just a number to the phone to catch a signal and register on network which is similar in both cases

I don't know how it is now, but I used esim in the past on project fi and it was a pain in the butt when doing a factory reset. With the physical Sim, it would just my number a text to verify, whereas the esim would not be recognized until the phone was done setting up. Had to use the backup codes.

The reason why I use esim is so that someone can't just take the simple out in case I lose my phone. Unless the person knows my password, he can't turn off mobile data, nor can they disable the Sim, which means I have a higher chance of relocating my device.

@tim2london @aj7400 @calbrs @daniel_loft thanks for the inputs. I didn't think my post would generate so much interest. From what I've read so far, eSims are good to lock the phone completely and even help in tracking in the event of pilferage along with the ease of adding providers based on service - call vs data...there seem to have no battery advantage or network coverage with eSims over physical sims...
Thanks all once again..

Given how little information @amirage has found online before starting this thread, I believe this would make a nice start for a full article on the subject.

I tried to enable 2 eSIM at the same time, that does not work !
So if you are using more then one provider then you will need to leave at least one real sim inside !
Also eSIM it a bit of a pain in my country, because i cannot transfer it to another phone without disabling it and asking the provider (KPN) for a new real SIM, when send i can then replace it for a eSIM.

I have been using an eSIM with Vodafone UK for almost a year now, and I can confirm that there is no difference in signal or battery performance compared to using a physical SIM. Personally, I prefer to use a physical SIM over eSIm's as eSIM's can be a pain to setup! They are supposed to be easy, but the networks make it extremely difficult and its common place on Vodafone UK for things to go wrong, and when they do, expect to be without phone service for some time.
eSIM Swap FAILURE

Thanks all for your valuable inputs.

amirage said:
Thanks all for your valuable inputs.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dual Sim guarantees Multi-Network capabilities. Not all Service Provider's offer the e-Sim Profile which is required even when the device is e-Sim capable.

Related

Putting in the SIM card on the fly

Just got my Kaiser, lovely boxing, lovely phone but I've had a little unpleasant surprise - I've entered SIM card while phone was already on. In result Kaiser have just crashed - I mean switched off itself. Anyone else noticed similar trouble? Does it mean there is still need to switch the phone off before changing SIMs?
Anyway, going to explore Kaiser.
its not a crash, its just what it does from what I have read, so i guess its just not "hot swapable"
y2whisper said:
its not a crash, its just what it does from what I have read, so i guess its just not "hot swapable"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It seems like - switching off occurs in the exact moment of unlocking SIM card cover... Well, shame - SIM hotswapping would be really cool
SIM card hot swapping is really bad. I work at a Operator and you don't want to know what kind of network trouble this can bring.
I've also had the Kaiser for a couple weeks now, and yes, it is supposed to shut down when you open the SIM cover. It's just for your own protection, you can even break your SIM if you remove it while the device is on (and, has a electric current flowing to the SIM).
thats what many design work are done to prevent users from doing things dangerously. If you've noticed, that all phones SIM cards are hidden under the battery and/or blocked by the battery in one way or the other. That's to force user to shut down the phone before doing anything with it. I'm sure that's for the protection of the SIM and/or not making a mess on the telco system, which may heavily affect the phones popularity
Not true. Another HTC handset with easy access to SIM card slot locatyed under slide out keyboard:
HTC VOX
also:
HTC TOUCH - side access to SIM card
hanmin said:
thats what many design work are done to prevent users from doing things dangerously. If you've noticed, that all phones SIM cards are hidden under the battery and/or blocked by the battery in one way or the other. That's to force user to shut down the phone before doing anything with it. I'm sure that's for the protection of the SIM and/or not making a mess on the telco system, which may heavily affect the phones popularity
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
eva_d said:
Just got my Kaiser, lovely boxing, lovely phone but I've had a little unpleasant surprise - I've entered SIM card while phone was already on. In result Kaiser have just crashed - I mean switched off itself. Anyone else noticed similar trouble? Does it mean there is still need to switch the phone off before changing SIMs?
Anyway, going to explore Kaiser.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's actually in the manual. Page 24 section 1.2
Always turn off your device before installing/replacing the USIM/SIM card and battery.
Cheers.
SecureGSM said:
Not true. Another HTC handset with easy access to SIM card slot locatyed under slide out keyboard:
HTC VOX
also:
HTC TOUCH - side access to SIM card
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting.. I'd guess I'm at the old age. I did a bit of research, it seems that THERE ARE phones out there that can have hot-swap SIM. This is news. From Nokia N93 review
The hot-swap SIM slot is a very good solution, especially for users having more than one SIM. It allows you to exchange SIM cards without the necessity to switch off the phone and remove the battery. It is enough to switch phone in offline mode while changing card. At least it should work and it works on N90 just fine but on N93 with the current firmware version it is impossible to remove the SIM card even in offline mode because it causes prompt freezing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Redah said:
SIM card hot swapping is really bad. I work at a Operator and you don't want to know what kind of network trouble this can bring.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Such as? Hotswapping SIM card from network's point of view looks exactly the same as removing battery without actually switching off the phone, as many people do. In such case network get no notification (IMSI detach) at all about switch off, and the only 'trouble' is network still 'thinks' that user is reachable until the next PLU (Periodic Location Update) or call attempt..
Well explained article on this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMSI_detach
Redah said:
I've also had the Kaiser for a couple weeks now, and yes, it is supposed to shut down when you open the SIM cover. It's just for your own protection, you can even break your SIM if you remove it while the device is on (and, has a electric current flowing to the SIM).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's reasonable explanation. I have never got SIM card damaged, but I'd rather prefer not to experience it in future. In fact, my the very first SIM card I have *ever* had is already over 8 years old and still works perfect.

Dual Sim is compatible with Kaiser

http://www.simore.ch/en/mobile_phone_accessory/HTC/P4550.html
any1 tested?
I want too, but i want to be sure the today plugin is working correctly
Also if you are roaming, will it switch automaticly ? Or do you need to manually switch provider?
wow that looks pretty good...
i am really interested too....
i think it switches automaticly.
anybody?? this sound really good
Word of advice, while I've been investigating various dual/multi-SIM solutions available on the net, it's become apparant that many of these are quite "fishy". I.e. they don't work as advertised. A lot of issues especially with the newer 3G-SIMs. When it comes down to Simone, they are incredibly expensive and also get quite some pepper on various forums. Don't be fooled by a fancy website
If you absolutely do want to test out a dual-sim solution its probably better to risk a way cheaper solution from e-bay as it seems its mostly the same one or two producers behind most of these products, just sold by many different people/resellers.
/Mac
i have used the dual sim adapter without succes. it seems that cutting the original sims has to be done very acurate which i did but no results. Also a lot of pressure has to be aplied on the sims/apapter for good contact otherwise it would work.
may be in near futere i would like to try a non-cut version.
cheers, Steven
There is another way to do this : instead of inserting two, cut, sim cards, you just insert one sim card but programmed with two different sim cards.
I made a thread about this, I just wanted to know if anyone had experience in that : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=349410
This sim card programmer can be found here :
http://www.duosim.com/supersim.html
As it's not very expensive, it could be interesting to test it.
dizzy33 said:
There is another way to do this : instead of inserting two, cut, sim cards, you just insert one sim card but programmed with two different sim cards.
I made a thread about this, I just wanted to know if anyone had experience in that : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=349410
This sim card programmer can be found here :
http://www.duosim.com/supersim.html
As it's not very expensive, it could be interesting to test it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem with this thing is that it cannot backup the newer SIMs. I tried this with my Cingular 3GSM SIM and it would not work. It only works with older SIMS. So if you have two older SIMs you could be in business.
Steven13 said:
i have used the dual sim adapter without succes. it seems that cutting the original sims has to be done very acurate which i did but no results. Also a lot of pressure has to be aplied on the sims/apapter for good contact otherwise it would work.
may be in near futere i would like to try a non-cut version.
cheers, Steven
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
so you have used the one advertised above?
I am using Simore card in my Kaiser for 2 months now...
FYI, Simore cards do not support 3G protocols: I had problems with it (freezes, no access to 3G or 3G+) and phoned Simore company and they confirmed it. I can only use Edge as the best protocol available for data.
For avoiding any problem of freezing, you need to set in the "band" index of the phone parameter menu the type of network you use (GSM or CDMA) instead of leaving the default "automatic" choice. You can leave "auto" for "GSM /UMTS" Band parameter (even though Simore told me to set the first choice: "GSM (900+1800)+UMTS (2100)"...)
moderateinny said:
The problem with this thing is that it cannot backup the newer SIMs. I tried this with my Cingular 3GSM SIM and it would not work. It only works with older SIMS. So if you have two older SIMs you could be in business.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true. It is not yet possible to copy a 3g sim. Someday the code in the sim will be cracked though.
laubet said:
I am using Simore card in my Kaiser for 2 months now...
FYI, Simore cards do not support 3G protocols: I had problems with it (freezes, no access to 3G or 3G+) and phoned Simore company and they confirmed it. I can only use Edge as the best protocol available for data.
For avoiding any problem of freezing, you need to set in the "band" index of the phone parameter menu the type of network you use (GSM or CDMA) instead of leaving the default "automatic" choice. You can leave "auto" for "GSM /UMTS" Band parameter (even though Simore told me to set the first choice: "GSM (900+1800)+UMTS (2100)"...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi there,
would like to ask you several quick questions:
1. are you mounting two GSM SIM-cards on your SIMore?
2. are you using "SIMore Gold #1" model for the adapter?
please advise (laubet / anyone that has tried it before).
thanks for the reply.
kaiser wrking with gold simore 1
I finall figured out how to get this dual sim card to work. You need to first manually switch the network. For me its T-mobile and AT+T. Once you manually choose the network, then use the sim program to choose the appropriate sim card. For some reason automatic selection of network does not work. Any other way hangs card, or makes network unavailable.

Virtual SIM card?

Hi,
So I was thinking, is it possible with some driver may be to make a virtual copy of a physical SIM card, possibly copy 3-4 cards and make the phone work in multi-card mode without the need of SIM cards being physically present?
now that would be nice, a great idea, im pretty sure someone could make something like this since like other phones like sprint dont have a sim card sometimes are programed directly to the phone maybe its the same prosses.
also would make it easier for many like me that have 2 or more sim cards i myself have a T-Mobile (US) and Movistar (Mex.) sim cards and its a bother to have to change them when visiting like right now im in Mexico at the moment.
but it also would bring up another problem to have something like that.
for example someone gets your sim card (if you dont know anything about such program and if made) and someone with mischeif on their minds saves your sim information and uses it as they please. (then again. its just like stealing your phone, you would call your provider and disactivate it so no further charges would apply the second you knew that something was up. its just harder to know since you would have to wait till the bill comes in)
but if at all possible i would use it for good. would be nice
tombrighteyes said:
now that would be nice, a great idea, im pretty sure someone could make something like this since like other phones like sprint dont have a sim card sometimes are programed directly to the phone maybe its the same prosses.
also would make it easier for many like me that have 2 or more sim cards i myself have a T-Mobile (US) and Movistar (Mex.) sim cards and its a bother to have to change them when visiting like right now im in Mexico at the moment.
but it also would bring up another problem to have something like that.
for example someone gets your sim card (if you dont know anything about such program and if made) and someone with mischeif on their minds saves your sim information and uses it as they please. (then again. its just like stealing your phone, you would call your provider and disactivate it so no further charges would apply the second you knew that something was up. its just harder to know since you would have to wait till the bill comes in)
but if at all possible i would use it for good. would be nice
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Indeed, i hope it is possible. I dont think theft would be any problem at all, because the gsm network should not accept simultaneous login from the same SIM card. It just makes sense to be this way. I myself have to use up to 5 cards and growing. Ultimately, virtual SIM cards would also enable purchasing cards from the internet and also cheapest route selection, things like this..
point made.
you have a point.
i forgot about the network not allowing you to have two at the same time.
but yeah then again, it shouldn't be much of a problem i think. 5 cards is alot.
but you're right if such a program where made, it would open the market so mucho more and one could actually buy online sim card info. and if this program where made, one could save the info to the phone then back it up to a computer (where it's safe, most of the time atleast) and maybe the same program could write back to a sim card thats not activated (for purposes just as loosing a sim card, but not the info.) now there's an idea for ya.
would be super nice!
too bad i have no clue on how to program such things, but ideas i have
if anyone takes the challenge to create it, if at all possible i would gladly donate since i would use it surely.
Possible, but..
It's possible if you have the Ki and IMSI values from your SIM. The IMSI is easy, but cracking the Ki is only possible in old SIM cards, using COMP128-1 encryption.
All the SIM cloning tools on eBay can clone only these old cards.
A virtual sim card is a really cool idea. No more swapping sim cards between you primairy phone and your backup phone... (I only have only one sim)
kolomparrudi said:
It's possible if you have the Ki and IMSI values from your SIM. The IMSI is easy, but cracking the Ki is only possible in old SIM cards, using COMP128-1 encryption.
All the SIM cloning tools on eBay can clone only these old cards.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
IMSI can be be read with an nokia e51 using the blackberry connect softwre. you can see the imsi value in the programe info where you must enter to view you PIN.
emilgaig said:
IMSI can be be read with an nokia e51 using the blackberry connect softwre. you can see the imsi value in the programe info where you must enter to view you PIN.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi
No they give you the IMEI number not the IMSI.
The problem you would have is that sooner or later the networks would block your phone because they will see the fact that your phone is running 4-5 mobile numbers with ONE IMEI no. Ebay is littered with Cheap dual active SIM phones. They only have one IMEI and sooner or later the network(s) will switch off your phone.
The way round this is to have 2 IMEI numbers to run 2 sim cards at the same time...abit like the Samsung D880. This basically means you have 2 phones with 1 screen and 1 keypad...i have one and i know these work great!!.
Regards
Wasim
The will not block you for changin sims, right?
And also GSM won't allow you to register simulteniously two sims, only one at a time...
Cos TD has only ONE GSM inside, not two as Samsung DuoS
What the progress of the topic, people?
I certainly hope this is not possible. I wouldn't want to know anyone can copy and use my simcard. That would be an unacceptable breach of security for any mobile phone user.
This might be a good breach, and it exists, just need a tool to use it with windows mobile! I can even now COPY MY SIM to another sim, yes - it's need a liitle crack with it, but card itself intact, and i can have a copy
So - What are solutions now for windows mobile?
i really like to know if it is possible. but i dont think an emulator is a must because in ppc we can easly turn off the cellular connection and turn it on again. that way (if you've used old 3in1 sim cards, you'd know) you can change the operator. every time you restarted the gsm connection, your operator will change.
and what about connecting to more-than-one operator at the same time?
cheers
and what about connecting to more-than-one operator at the same time?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that function is not possible (c) Thor, Stargate SG-1
pedmond said:
I certainly hope this is not possible. I wouldn't want to know anyone can copy and use my simcard. That would be an unacceptable breach of security for any mobile phone user.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in Saudi & have 3 sim cards(STC) with the same number. One in my laptop, One in my Samsung, one in my Diamond. All work for internet at the same time to use for phone I activate by *123$ (this is then primary card for incoming & texts). When in Spain I have 2 cards(Movistar) both of these work & ring at the same time, but text messages only goes to one of them.
Virtual Sim Card
hello ladies and gentleman this is a very good idea i was thinking about the same idea today... In the virtual sim card there should be a tracking device installed in the phone so that when it is stolen you can track down the phone or the company can switch of the phone and it will have no use and all your data is safe... I am all the way in africa Botswana and my name is delmar dube i am willing to do more research on this because i want to see it come true
I would be surprised if this was possible... the GSM chipset firmware is pretty much sealed off from a phone's operating system except for the AT command interface. Otherwise people would be able to fiddle with transmit power which would invalidate the phone's FCC/etc certifications.
Any progress??
Heyy like most on this forum thread I just thought of this last night, I have an unlimited plan with Wind Mobile (who's coverage is um.... not great) with Unlimited internet and talking and texting for $29/mo. Unfortunately I spend the majority of my time outside their current coverage area, and would like to get one of Telus' "One Number Unlimited" voice plan ($7/mo) for when I'm outside of Wind's area but still want to call my girlfriend. Virutal Switchable SIM cards would be a great solution since my phone doesn't exactly like to co-operate with me when I try to turn it on after having the battery removed to get access to the SIM slot. Plus I don't want to be carrying around a little tiny piece of plastic that'll give me chaos if I ever lost it.
Anyways I'm running a Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4g (4g is the name of the phone, it's just LTE of 3G though), It's running ICS 4.*something.
Oh yeah, sorry for being a grave-digger
I love this idea. I mean apple now has patents for virtual simcards, I really hope the android market follows suit. I have 6 sim cards and counting (Afghanistan, Switzerland, United States, Korea, Philippines, and UAE), and would love to be able to purchase and activate my "virtual sim card" off of say the Google Play Store, prior to flying into a country.
I wouldn't mind some kind of DRM or whatnot, just being able to buy service before I go into country, and then have calling and data capabilities as soon as I walk off the plane would be worth it.
I have a korean Galaxy S2, which has the sim tray damaged, being impossible to connect any SIM card.
If I could use virtually my SIM card, I coud use this phone.
Is this possible??
I just wanted to use one SIM card just for phone calls, dont even need services like internet...

[Q] Some idea - is it possible to backup and simulate a sim card?

I was trying to find a good rate for a flatrate AND telephone costs - but somehow either on or the other sucks for me. I heard of phones which have dual sim, but the Galaxy has only one slot, so an idea came up:
Would it be somehow possible to backup a sim card and simulate it much like cdrom drives etc can be simulated on a pc? Possibly not I guess since it is read by hardware and all that stuff is hardwired, but I don't really know about this much so I wanted to ask you guys who know alot about the internals of the phones.
Its just a crazy idea ... it would probably not be "allowed" either but I'm just interested =)
the galaxy s has a setting that i noticed before it says ''dual sim - no'' was in txt document somewhere in system. what you propose would be a major security issue i certainly wouldnt want anyone else to get my cloned sim so such apps should never be made. you can buy a dual sim adapter they even support 3g and are pretty cheap you can take look at few here browse to second item.
http://www.fonefunshop.co.uk/dualsim/dualsimcovers.htm
Even if it could be done, it would certainly be illegal. The developer who made this possible will face lawsuits from all the major (and perhaps the smaller one as well) carriers.
This would be great feature/software and not only for illegal things. For example - I have a phone, which has something broken in SIM card reader - it gives me "No Sim card in Phone" whatever SIM I use... So with such software I could make an image of my valid SIM card on another phone and would be able to use it with "half-broken" phone
Unfortunately, this is not possible at the moment and my phone is almost useless

[Q] Dual sim adapter support for Nexus 6 (STK apk)

Hi everyone,
I know this is an obscure one and I may be the only one who wants this sort of thing but I live in the mountains and like to use T-Mobile but also keep a Verizon (PagePlus) SIM on hand with a cheap plan as sometimes I have to enter T-Mobile roaming areas and need more data than is allotted for roaming use.
Anyway, I have a Verizon Moto X (XT1060) and a dual sim adapter which works awesome (i.e., I can switch back and forth between T-Mo and Verizon service without rebooting using the Sim ToolKit (STK) app, which pops up when the phone sees the dual sim adapter installed).
I've installed the dual sim adapter in my Nexus 6 (Play Store unlocked version) and while the Sim Toolkit does seem to pop up once the adapter is inserted (and the T-Mo SIM seems to work still - see attached screenshot) it then crashes when trying to switch between sims and disappears from the launcher altogether (you can try and resurrect it via a "Activity" in Nova Launcher but it still doesn't work and just says the app isn't installed). In doing some research it seems like the STK apps in AOSP ROMs don't work very well (which might explain why this scheme works well in the Moto X) but I was curious as to if anyone has had any experience with this problem.
Since the Nexus 6 has such unbelievable cellular radio support across pretty much any network, CDMA and GSM/LTE alike, it seems like it'd be a great platform for the use of a dual sim system, which is why I'm kind of surprised it wasn't a dual sim phone to begin with...expecially since Android 5.1 is allegedly adding dual sim support but I think that may be mostly just a GUI to facilitate switching more than anything else.
I'm running the May 14 Euphoria 1.1 (OFFICIAL-20150514) with baseband MDM9625_104446.01.02.98R. I've tried a the .95 baseband as well, to no avail...and rebooting after switching SIMs doesn't seem to work either (and neither does just "waiting" a minute or two). I've also tried the stock ROM and it doesn't seem to work either...same sorts of issues. Finally, I should concede this might work better with a GSM / GSM SIM situation as opposed to a GSM / CDMA/GSM situation so perhaps it's a lost cause.
So yeah I just thought I'd throw this up in case anybody had any ideas on how to make this work.
No idea how, but out of interest, which adapter have you got? I'd like one.
rootSU said:
No idea how, but out of interest, which adapter have you got? I'd like one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi! I got mine on Amazon...XDA won't allow me to post a URL but the name of the accessory is "LOPURS 2 in 1 (Dual SIM Card Multi-SIM Card + Tray Holder) for iPhone 5/5S/5C(Dark blue)." Even though it's for iPhones allegedly it does seem to work ok on the Android platform as well (at least, on my Moto X).
It's definitely weird looking but with a case around the Nexus it seems to fit alright.
Here's one for the Samsung Galaxy S5 on Amazon, but seems there's quite a few different ones to choose from:
http://www.amazon.com/LOPURS-Adapte...6-6747327?ie=UTF8&refRID=103H6N95BRG8HE3ZM64C
Curious with the 5.1 update if this will work natively. It's been advertised that dual sim support is built into 5.1.
What's your experience? Any updates?
SFVDan said:
Curious with the 5.1 update if this will work natively. It's been advertised that dual sim support is built into 5.1.
What's your experience? Any updates?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately the adapter doesn't work with 5.1 or 5.0...one is able to launch the 'Sim Cards' activity (this gets you to the new SIM Cards settings menu in 5.1) via Nova Launcher by setting up an Activity widget but since (I think) the adapter can only work with one SIM at a time (it seems to block one or the other altogether depending on which is selected) the new functionality in 5.1 appears to not be useful in working with the adapter...I think it'll only work with phones that are dual-SIM by default.
I accidentally destroyed my last adapter (they're extremely delicate, and are hard to install with SIM tray-type phones) so I'll try this again once I get a new one using the Android M developer preview...fingers crossed!
Thanks for the update! 'Preciate it.
So...this can be marked resolved. It turns out that the Nexus 6 accepts the dual SIM adapter just fine (takes a reboot or two, but it eventually settles in and works great) and I successfully used it with two T-Mobile US SIM cards. The issue was the Verizon SIM containing some sort of CDMA code that was (I'm guessing) fouling up the changeover and crashing the adapter's firmware and/or the STK app. The odd thing is that it did work on my Moto X XT1060...but after trying again I noticed that voice support never actually worked on the Moto with the SIM adapter installed (nor did eHRPD or 1X data - only LTE worked) so it appears that CDMA just isn't compatible with the adapter(s) I've been using. I did see that MagicSIM offers an adapter that's allegedly compatible with CDMA but I'm a bit skeptical honestly and these adapters are just too delicate to spend $30-$40 on.
So, in conclusion, this functionality is absolutely do-able but it requires two GSM SIM cards as opposed to one GSM and one CDMA/LTE.
In any case it'd be totally awesome if LTE/CDMA-GSM changeovers could be accomplished with a different adapter...so if anybody ever has any luck with that please post! Thank you for the replies.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
flyer_andy said:
So...this can be marked resolved. It turns out that the Nexus 6 accepts the dual SIM adapter just fine (takes a reboot or two, but it eventually settles in and works great) and I successfully used it with two T-Mobile US SIM cards. The issue was the Verizon SIM containing some sort of CDMA code that was (I'm guessing) fouling up the changeover and crashing the adapter's firmware and/or the STK app. The odd thing is that it did work on my Moto X XT1060...but after trying again I noticed that voice support never actually worked on the Moto with the SIM adapter installed (nor did eHRPD or 1X data - only LTE worked) so it appears that CDMA just isn't compatible with the adapter(s) I've been using. I did see that MagicSIM offers an adapter that's allegedly compatible with CDMA but I'm a bit skeptical honestly and these adapters are just too delicate to spend $30-$40 on.
So, in conclusion, this functionality is absolutely do-able but it requires two GSM SIM cards as opposed to one GSM and one CDMA/LTE.
In any case it'd be totally awesome if LTE/CDMA-GSM changeovers could be accomplished with a different adapter...so if anybody ever has any luck with that please post! Thank you for the replies.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the GSMx2 sims, how much functionality did you get? Could you receive calls on both numbers? Did you get a prompt when dialling which number to call from?
Unfortunately you only get very basic functionality. All the adapter is capable of is switching between the SIMs...once it's switched to one or the other it can only see that one SIM. You can set it to automatically switch back and forth in time intervals but I bet that can get really annoying sometimes if you're in the middle of a call or web browsing session or something...not sure if the adapter is smart enough to know not to interrupt a call or download with a switchover...I bet not!
I know that actual dual SIM phones can do what you describe but unfortunately none that I've been able to find have the vast frequency support of the Nexus 6 so it's kind of a conundrum...I really wish Google had made the Nexus a dual SIM setup...big missed opportunity IMO.
But in any case the adapter can help if you're a frequent traveller or have a work and personal phone or whatever and you don't wish to swap SIMs all the time...or if you're like me and just need two carriers to fill in each others' coverage gaps and can use Google Voice to route your main number to both carrier numbers.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
flyer_andy said:
Unfortunately you only get very basic functionality. All the adapter is capable of is switching between the SIMs...once it's switched to one or the other it can only see that one SIM. You can set it to automatically switch back and forth in time intervals but I bet that can get really annoying sometimes if you're in the middle of a call or web browsing session or something...not sure if the adapter is smart enough to know not to interrupt a call or download with a switchover...I bet not!
I know that actual dual SIM phones can do what you describe but unfortunately none that I've been able to find have the vast frequency support of the Nexus 6 so it's kind of a conundrum...I really wish Google had made the Nexus a dual SIM setup...big missed opportunity IMO.
But in any case the adapter can help if you're a frequent traveller or have a work and personal phone or whatever and you don't wish to swap SIMs all the time...or if you're like me and just need two carriers to fill in each others' coverage gaps and can use Google Voice to route your main number to both carrier numbers.
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wouldn't be too bad I suppose as long as a reboot isn't required. I forward work to personal anyway and just turn work phone on when I need to make a call.

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