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How To Open iPhone SIM Tray When You’ve Lost The Ejector Tool
A few options for getting your iPhone’s SIM tray open when you’ve lost that pesky podge-device-thingy
I frequently take international trips which means I’m switching out the SIM card in my phone a lot. I’m an iPhone 6 user and Apple is kind enough to give a liquid metal SIM eject tool with each unit that makes popping your SIM card tray open a snap. Other phone manufacturers typically include a similar type of SIM card tray ejection tool as well. I use mine to pop open my iPhone SIM tray as soon as I land at a foreign country’s airport and buy a local SIM.
But though these included SIM ejection tools are incredibly useful, they’re only handy if you actually remember to bring them with you. That’s, frustratingly, something I don’t alway remember to do. Thankfully over the years I’ve become somewhat of an expert at using alternative tools to open my SIM card trays. Here are my top tips:
[NOTE: Use these alternative tools at your own risk. If you don’t do it carefully you risk damaging your SIM tray or snapping a piece of the alternate tool off into the ejection nodule in your device.]
Staple
This is usually the easiest alternative SIM card tray eject tool to find. Simply remove the staple from any paper corner and bend one end open. Use the other curled end for leverage. Staples are the thinnest alternate tool on this list, so they have the best chance of working on any phone no matter the size of the SIM card tray’s ejection aperture.
Toothpick
A toothpick is a great tool to use in a jam, especially since they can often be found at airport restaurants in club sandwiches. I like toothpicks because they can be quite long and give lots of leverage. However sometimes they are too thick. In this case I usually snap the toothpick to produce a thinner, jagged edge.
Push pin
The trusty push pin is something you can find in virtually every office and thanks to its plastic head it gives you excellent leverage to push the tip of the pin into the ejection aperture.
Safety pin
The safety pin is also a good option. It’s strong, study, and, by design, safe to carry with you since you can clasp the needle’s head in the hood of the device. A safety pin is something I carry in the change pocket in my wallet; its design makes it the most easy alternative SIM eject tool to keep with you at all times as it won’t poke you (like a push pin) or break (toothpick) or get easily lost (a staple).
A fine-tipped pen
Believe it or not certain pens make great SIM ejection tools. The key is it must be fine-tipped–your average BIC pen isn’t going to do it. Look for a pen with a 0.3mm head or less then just uncap it and push away. Do note that with this method you risk smudging the area around the SIM card tray’s ejection aperture with ink.
An earring
If you wear an earring you’ll be happy to learn it’s not only fashionable by practical as well because it doubles as an excellent SIM card tray ejection tool. Just use the part of the earring your thread through your ear lobe. Don’t wear earrings? Usually it’s not too hard to find someone nearby who does.
Fingernail
The final, and grossest, tool I’ve ever used in a pinch is my own fingernail. Yes, I’ve actually bitten off a part of my thumbnail and twisted it to make it thinner and stranger and then plugged it into the aperture of the SIM card tray ejection opening. Is this method a bit gross? Sure. But it’s also allowed me to have a working phone too.
Michael Grothaus
16:21, 6 Mar 2015