How to backup contacts to iPhone SIM
Backup contacts to iPhone SIM
Unlike other phones, iPhone doesn’t allow users to copy their contacts from the phone’s address book to a SIM card. But you can import contacts from an old SIM card. But it is possible to go a different way to backup contacts to an iPhone. Follow this guide if you want to know how to do it.
This guide includes,
- Why you can’t backup contacts to a SIM card on iPhone
- How to copy contacts to the iPhone SIM card.
- How to import contacts from a SIM card.
Why you can’t backup contacts to a SIM card on iPhone
Unlike other phones, iPhones don’t store data such as contacts on their SIM. iPhones store contacts online rather than locally. If you have an older iPhone without a Nano SIM card, you may be able to save contacts locally.
In older phones, there was no standard and simple way of backing up your data or transferring it to a new phone. Hence, they saved data to the SIM. Even though there were SD cards, every phone didn’t have them.
If your iPhone is a new one, you won’t be able to backup your contacts to the SIM card. But there are several other methods that you can use to backup contacts and transfer them to another phone. You can get to know those methods by following this guide.
Have you noticed that Apple products don’t have CD/DVD drivers and that iOS devices don’t have SD cards? That’s because Apple doesn’t allow their users to store data on removable storage as they can easily be damaged or lost. They want their users to directly store their data on the device or in backups on their computers or even in iCloud.
The one way to copy contacts to the iPhone SIM
The only way to copy your contact to your SIM on iPhone is by jailbreaking your iPhone.
Jailbreaking an iPhone will give you several options that are not included by default in your phone. Jailbreaking is a tricky option which shouldn’t be done by a user who doesn’t have a lot of technical skills. It can damage your phone or even void your iPhone warranty.
How to transfer contacts without a SIM card on iPhone
You can transfer your data from your iPhone to a new one using one of the following methods.
- Using your computer
What you have to do to transfer your contacts to a new phone using your computer is,
- Sync the old phone with the computer
- Connect the new phone to the computer.
- Restore backed up data in your computer to the new phone.
- Using iCloud
If you sync your data to iCloud on one of your devices, any other device that syncs with iCloud can automatically get that information. So, you can easily backup your contacts using this method.
- Using other services
You can use Google and Yahoo address books to sync iPhone contacts. You can also use a product based on Microsoft Exchange. Your contacts will automatically import when you connect to your exchange account.
Importing contacts from a SIM card
Even if you cannot save data on your iPhone SIM, you can import data from a SIM that already has contacts from another phone. Here’s how to do it.
- Remove the current SIM in your phone and insert the SIM that has your data in it.
- Go to Settings
- Select Contacts(In iOS 10 and earlier versions, tap Mail>Contacts>Calenders)
- Tap Import SIM Contacts
- After process is completed, remove the old SIM and insert your iPhone SIM.
| Re check your contacts that are imported before you remove the SIM to make sure that you have all your contacts. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does iPhone save contacts to SIM?
No. Your iPhone doesn’t store contacts on the SIM card.
How many contacts can an iPhone hold?
iPhone can hold up to 50000 contacts
What is stored on a SIM card in an iPhone?
SIM card only holds your phone number and some account information
Do iPhone texts save to SIM card?
No. your iPhone does not support storing any data on the SIM card. So, texts are not saved in your SIM card.
Will I get my iMessages when I put my SIM card back in?
Apple stores iMessages on their servers only until they are sent to your device. Therefore, they will be sent to your iPhone once you put your original SIM back in.
Will removing my SIM card erase my data?
No. Your SIM card do not store data in your iPhone. So, no data will be removed when you remove your SIM card.
Read more-How to transfer contacts from iPhone to iPhone
