My trusty and much-abused Nokia N95 has been giving an “Insert SIM” error when switching on, even when it has a SIM inside.
Here are a few things I tried, and what worked for me. Be sure to try each of these, because what worked for me may not necessarily work for you.
- Try changing the SIM card to see if it fixed the error (it did not, for me).
- If changing SIM does not work, try cleaning the SIM card to see if its gold contact contains dirt and is causing problems.
- The SIM holding apparatus might be damaged due to repeated falls or usage. Try cutting a piece of paper in the shape of the SIM card, and keep it on top of the SIM (and then close the steel holder). This trick worked for me.
- If the Insert SIM error does not occur with a new SIM, the problem could be caused by your SIM. Try cleaning the SIM, and if still not fixed, contact your network operator for a duplicate SIM card. Most operators provide duplicate SIMs for a minor cost.
If you had this Insert SIM card issue on your phone, and fixed it with some other trick, leave a comment to let others know. I will also update this article if there are more suggestions.