Why won't my SIM work with my Android?

[Jux]

They are very naughty.

My bro gave me his old phone. It's an Android htc. I have been using a Palm Treo, with my (very old) Virgin SIM (PAYG).

I shove my SIM into the Android, enter the unlock code, and then it sits there churning away and nothing else happens. We put it in on Boxing day and checked it periodically over the next 3 days to see if anything else happened, but nothing did! It's back in my failing Treo now.

Do I really need to go off and get another sim card? I'd have to tell everyone my new number and then make decisions about which people I didn't want to give it to!

Ring your provider and ask them for a sim that will work in the android? You shouldn't need to change your number

Really? I had no idea! Assumed that I'd have to change the number with a new SIM. Will ring Virgin on Tuesday, unless you have any other bright ideas! (I'd have to enter all my contacts and stuff though, wouldn't I? Sigh)

Thank you.

Is his phone unlocked or also on Virgin?

What network are you on? They might just need to enable the sim you have to work with the phone?

When I switched I used O2's bluebook thing (I think that's what it's called, Virgin may have something similar) and uploaded all my contact info. Failing that you could copy them to Outlook, save them somewhere on your PC? Speak to Virgin, they'll talk you through it :)

You may need to download or input new settings - try googling your phone model and service provider, see if anything comes up. When I got my android the automatic settings-by-text thing didn't work, and I had to input them by hand from the manufacturer's website before the phone would work properly.

The htc (Tattoo) android phone was on Orange when my bro had it. My SIM is a Virgin one.

It asks for the unlock code which is then reported as successful.

It then says it's unlocking the SIM card....

that's all it does. Endlessly.

I am going to try ringing Virgin as I can't get to a phone shop, but V are absolutely ghastly on the phone.

I've tried googling the phone, but they say I might need to pay an extra charge to my provider if I use a different network. I pay Virgin quite enough already! I might just get a different SIM when I can get to Exeter and a phone shop - but that could be weeks (and we've got more snow on the way).

All orange phones are locked onto the orange network so can only be used with an orange sim card. You could take the phone to an independent shop and pay to have it unlocked or you could phone virgin and ask for a pac code which would allow you to transfer the number from virgin to orange but you need to then get an orange sim card and wait for the transfer ... pain in neck tbh.
or a brand new number on Orange ... Orange Payg sims are free as long as you put some credit on them or a just sim contract is pretty cheap
the unlcking code you are putting in wont work .. it needs to be done by a professional with a computer. it usually costs approx £10 to £25 depending phone.
( used to work for Orange)

My bro actually paid for the unlock code, getting it from Orange so it's outrageous if we have to pay again.

I rang Virgin; they said it may be that the SIM I've got is very old and isn't compatible with 3G phones so they're sending me a new one.

I rang HTC who talked me through a reboot of the phone, but it didn't make a difference.

While we were at Tesco's I bought a new SIM, rang them to check that it was compatible with 3G (it was). It didn't work either.

In the end I rang Orange and spluttered at them. They need my bro to call them with the IMIE, to tell them that the unlock code didn't work and they'll "take it from there".

So that's what he's doing. Phew; never get an Orange phone. It's not worth it.

Just to finish this:

Bro rang Orange who going to POST an unlock code to him IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS!!!!!

Poor you. Can you use another phone till it gets there? It does rather confirm why mobile phone companies get more consumer complaints than almost any other sector...

Oh I can cope for a while without a mobile. People will just have to ring me on the landline like in hte olden days.