SIM card?

[marsha32]

I bought myself an additional smartphone in order to run more apps for earning using our wifi.

I got it in today but it didn't come with a SIM card.  From what I am reading online, you have to have a service provider to activate a SIM card before putting it in the phone??

 

Since this won't be a plan phone, I would have no provider to do that.  I was going to order a SIM card for the phone from amazon, but if it won't work once I get it then I don't want to waste my money.

 

I use other cell phones for running apps on our wifi, but they are phones that we previously did have service plans on before getting new phones.

 

I thought this would be the place to come ask if I can just buy one and put it in the phone and it will work, or not.

 

Thanks!

Marsha

 

[marsha32]

I see this one on amazon, but again, I am unsure if I can install it without choosing a plan??

 

https://www.amazon.com/T-Mobile-Prepaid-Complete-SIM-Kit/dp/B00LPPHHFK/ref=sr_1_1?s=wireless&ie=UTF8&qid=1481587964&sr=1-1

[marsha32]

Sorry, or how to find out if this phone is even compatible with that SIM card.

[Guest mrclean0325]

You don't need a SIM if you are just going to use it for WiFi. It will complain about no SIM when you first set it up and all you have to do is click past it. What I do is to put it in airplane mode and turn on the WiFi. Works fine for me and I have done it with several cells over the years. They have great battery life when you don't have the cell radios on.

[marsha32]

You don't need a SIM if you are just going to use it for WiFi. It will complain about no SIM when you first set it up and all you have to do is click past it. What I do is to put it in airplane mode and turn on the WiFi. Works fine for me and I have done it with several cells over the years. They have great battery life when you don't have the cell radios on.

Oh, I just put the phone up for sale for half of what I paid for it on the local buy sell and trade facebook group.  

Maybe I should take that SIM card out and try it and see if I can get it to work.  Mostly it's seriously causing me a headache.

With the SIM card I was able to get into google play, but every app I searched for, the ones I wanted to run, told me that they weren't compatible with the device.

I'm so confused as it is an Android phone so they should work just fine!!

[marsha32]

Taking out the SIM card, I could still access.  Guess I thought when the screen said no SIM card detected that I thought I needed one. Still though it's telling me that the apps aren't compatible with the device.

[Guest mrclean0325]

It must be a very old version of Android on your phone for Google Play to not have a version for your phone. I have a few of those in a drawer gathering dust. Cell Phones are pretty much like computers with one exception - you usually can't easily upgrade to a newer version. On more recent phones, the manufacturer keeps putting out updates as long as they still sell the phone. My wife has a MotoG that hasn't had cell service for over a year, but they still send out updates since they still sell the phone. I use a Samsung Galaxy S3 which hasn't been updated by Samsung in a while since they don't make them anymore. I can put the most recent Android on it by rooting the phone (NOT for the technically challenged!) the newer Android runs very slowly on it so I use original version which works much better.