Jammed SIM card tray

[nyc_rock]

I was using an adapter and I put the tray in without the SIM card and now the adapter is stuck. Anyone run Into this issue? Any tools that you can recommend. I have tried everything.

Thanks.

 

[WorzelGummage]

Sounds like a trip to a Nokia Care Point is in order. Hopefully, by using an adapter, you haven't broken any of the SIM tray pins otherwise it will be an expensive repair job.

 

[cayano]

I ran into the same situation. Nobody could fix it. I had to send it to a Nokia repair center. Do not force it, pins will get broken.

 

[arni99]

The Lumia 920 does NOT like adapters (i.e nano sim => micro sim adapter).
Just ruined my sim tray board pins on my 4 day old by trying to remove the stuck sim tray with the sim tray tool.
Will use the 920 for anything but calls now as a 2nd "cell"phone besides my iPhone 5.
Just learned from another forum that using adapters voids warranty and Nokia charges 210.- Euro (270 US$) for repair.
This was my last Nokia...bye bye Stephen Elop.

 

[nikhilr51]

This was my last Nokia...bye bye Stephen Elop.

So you're not buying nokia phones anymore because you broke yours?
Pretty much all modern smartphones that have a unibody design and have sim cards inserted like the lumia will be susceptible to this same problem. Get a samsung galaxy or a non-smartphone if you want to use a nano->micro adapter.

 

[bearxor]

I had my Lumia 920 all of two minutes before this happened to me. Purchased it off Craigslist and wanted to try my SIM in it to make sure it worked. Have an iPhone 5 so I used a nano to micro adapter. Popped the sim in the phone to verify service was good, then paid for the phone. He was driving off, I pulled my SIM out to put it back in my iPhone 5. The design of the tray is such that my nano SIM came out but the adapter stayed in. I thought that was all right so I slid it back in the phone.


So I went to take it out and it was jammed. I didn't pull on it too much, but I knew instantly that the SIM contacts were reaching in to the recess of the adapter preventing it from coming up. Having searched for the problem and found many threads like this all giving up in removing the adapter. Not me. Here is how to remove a Lumia 920 SIM card tray that has a nano to micro adapter stuck.


Step 1: Order a new SIM card tray off of eBay. Yours will be damaged beyond repair during this process. However, if you follow my directions, the tray will be usable and removable until the replacement comes in. It sucks buying a new SIM card tray, but its better than writing your phone off or spending a couple hundred dollars on a service repair.


Step 2: Go to Home Depot (or lowes) and buy a box cutter. It doesn't really matter which type. Something sturdy. While there, buy replacement blades for a box cutter that are very thin and about 9mm wide. I bought these:
Stanley 9mm Quick-Point Blades (3-Pack)-11-300 at The Home Depot


Buy a Torx screwdriver set if you don't have one. HD has a pretty nice 8 size Torx set with storage in the handle that goes down to a T4, which is what you need.


You can probably guess where I'm going with this by now.


Step 3: Eject your SIM card tray as far out as it will come. It should be enough to get the box cutter in between it and the phone. Cut the top of the SIM card tray off just as close as you can get to the top. I set the phone on its left edge and cut the tray down using a small sawing motion. Basically only the top of the tray should have come off.

Step 4: Push your tray back in to the case. Flip the phone over and use a T4 to unscrew both screws. Once unscrewed, pry the phone apart starting at the bottom. The whole phone is basically on assembly with the screen inside the plastic shell. I did not have to disconnect the mUSB ribbon cable from the inside of the phone when I did mine.

Step 5: Push the SIM ejector back to pop the tray out a little bit. Take one of the blades and begin to stick it in the sim tray. Make sure to not use the end with the hole, as then the hole will get stuck, though its a lot easier to remove than the SIM tray.

What you'll want to do is kind of angle it down and the push it up. You're trying to lift the pins so that they won't block the adapter from coming out any more. Just alternate that motion until you feel like you're at the bottom. Then, put pressure downward on the blade so that it pushes up the pins. Then grab the sim tray and begin wiggling it up. This will be a process of wiggling the blade in to position and then wiggling the tray up. Will take some persistence, but it will come out.


Step 6: Slide the screen assembly back in to the housing, snap the sides securely in to place and replace the T4 screws on the bottom.


You should be able to slide the SIM card tray back into the slot once the phone is assembled, provided you have removed the adapter or inserted a nano SIM in to the space (or a MicroSIM if you're done fooling around) and it will work fine. You'll still be able to remove the SIM tray by pushing the metal lever to the side of it, you may just need a pair of tweezers to get it out until your replacement SIM tray arrives. You know, the one you ordered in step 1 before you cut the top off yours.

 

[dccorona]

I'm sure this tip comes too late to help you, unfornately, but for those looking, I've found a solution to this issue that doesn't damage anything. All it requires is the SIM itself, and a semi flexible/semi rigid object around the width of you SIM (I used a collar stay).

Slide the collar stay in between the tray and the pins (between the tray and the front of the phone). Try to wedge it in and "push down" the pins. The whole thing may pop out, and then you're done...but more likely, you'll pop out the SIM tray, leaving the adapter stuck inside.

DON'T pull out the adapter. Slide your SIM into the adapter. This will put upward pressure on the pins, allowing you to pull the whole adapter out without bending/breaking anything.

 

[Chaitanya Shah]

Same problem here. Rcvd device yesterday, given to nokia care today. This issue is rather irritating. More so because Nokia blames the users for using the adapters.
So far no pins broken, but the device is being sent off to a full scale service centre from the local Nokia Care outlet. Anyone has any suggestions. Please do share.

 

[pezley]

ultimitely it is the users fault for using an adapter. All phones will be the same, some will just have better tollerence and space around the sim reader contact pins. I have damaged some pins on an Omnia 7 before with the exact same thing. never again. luckily the omnia sim reader is on a seperate board to the mother board. Very lucky and easy replacement.

 

[iolet11]

what happend after you sent it to nokia? did they fix it? i have the same problem with my n9. i left my empty nano to micro sim adapter then the tray was stuck. my phone is still with nokia as of the moment... its been 4 days all ready:unhappy::unhappy:

 

[Shadow1965]

today I upgraded to the Nokia lumia 11020 from an Iphone5... when i upgraded they did not set up for me, and knowing that I had the iphone5 she just gave me an adapter, instead of changing my sim to the correct size, i didn't say anything as I thought this was the normal thing to do nowadays, I got back and TRIED to set up the phone, but it kept telling me the sim wasn't recognised, so i took the sim out, and then tried to put it in again.. and then the sim holder got jammed half way in the phone, i managed to get my sim out, but the adapter is now jammed inside the sim card holder in the phone which i cant get out... any suggestions... was I at fault? was the shop at fault for not supplying me with the correct sized sim? i don't know what to do

 

[hemanga295]

hi...i ran into the same problem yesterday. mine was just 4 days old.
can you tell me if your problem was fixed. and if you went to the nokia care center ,did they charge you anything,,if so, how much is it?

 

[wagleshivanand]

Yes, using a hard plastic worked for me too. just insert a hard plastic between tray and phone body from back side.

 

[pschulte67]

Just ran into this same issue with my Lumia 920.
Hard plastic did the trick.
I just cut a strip of plastic from an old membership rewards card I had sitting around.
Thanks for all the info.

 

[davidrej]

Hi ppl,
i jus bought my lumia 730 today evening within 2hrs of time i ran into the same problem... i inserted the micro sim adapter since i use nano sim. but i had pain removing it, somehow i managed to pull it out but the sim tray's three pins came outward.... !!!

anyone think that service centre will repair this issue !!!!

 

[Lucho Rabu]

I'm sure this tip comes too late to help you, unfornately, but for those looking, I've found a solution to this issue that doesn't damage anything. All it requires is the SIM itself, and a semi flexible/semi rigid object around the width of you SIM (I used a collar stay).

Slide the collar stay in between the tray and the pins (between the tray and the front of the phone). Try to wedge it in and "push down" the pins. The whole thing may pop out, and then you're done...but more likely, you'll pop out the SIM tray, leaving the adapter stuck inside.

DON'T pull out the adapter. Slide your SIM into the adapter. This will put upward pressure on the pins, allowing you to pull the whole adapter out without bending/breaking anything.

Thanks! this saved my day and my phone! :smile:

I?ve only a thing to say, and is that you need to slide the collar between the tray and the BACK of the phone. And then try to slide in the sim to fit in the adaptor, and all solve!

 

[terrorcock]

I had made a video how to unstuck the sim tray the old skool way which most of the people can do it ....... Just google in youtube "how to unstuck lumia 920 sim tray" I hope it help

 

[dmillar01]

The above suggestion worked for me. A slight refinement: The plastic strip I used, cut from packaging material, was not stiff enough to depress the SIM card contacts, so I just shoved in a few more strips on top of it (4 total in this case) until the stack got thick enough to depress the contacts. Worked like a charm. Thanks for the help - it initially looked like a disaster.