This article was published on October 16, 2014

Apple just introduced a SIM that you don’t have to replace when you switch carriers


Apple just introduced a SIM that you don’t have to replace when you switch carriers

Apple didn’t announce this during its event today, but it has created a SIM that makes switching carriers as easy as a few taps without having to visit a physical carrier store.

The Apple SIM that ships in the new iPad Air 2 just made switching carriers and traveling abroad about a hundred times easier. Instead of having to replace a SIM every time you want to connect to a new carrier, the Apple SIM lets you choose carriers in both the US and UK from the Cellular Data setting in the iPad.

Screen Shot 2014-10-16 at 12.34.19 PM

This is what Apple says on it’s iPad Air 2 page about the new feature:

The Apple SIM gives you the flexibility to choose from a variety of short-term plans from select carriers in the U.S. and UK right on your iPad. So whenever you need it, you can choose the plan that works best for you — with no long-term commitments. And when you travel, you may also be able to choose a data plan from a local carrier for the duration of your trip.

While this is great for the iPad, the Apple SIM could make its way into the next iPhone and make SIM swapping a thing of the past. For anyone with an unlocked phone or that travels internationally, this is some pretty stellar news.

Apparently T-Mobile CEO, John Legere is a fan of the Apple SIM:

How other carries react and whether the technology behind Apple SIM will carry over to other smartphone platforms is yet to be seen. Currently AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile support the feature in the US. In the UK, it is supported by EE.

Apple SIM [Apple]

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