SIM PIN lock enquiry please

DIYhelp76

Hi,

I have a SIM PIN lock enquiry please if anyone is able to help.

I currently just have a phone lock on the screen of my mobile but saw on Google people recommending adding a SIM PIN lock to protect the actual SIM card if your phone is stolen.

Is this a good idea?

Does it mean you have to input the SIM PIN everytime you want to make a all, send a text, use phone browser, APPS etc, as this would seem a nuisance.

Or do you only need to use it if you remove the SIM and put it into another phone?

Do you need to have/know the default original SIM PIN before setting up your own one.

I'm with Three network if this makes any odds.

Many thanks. in advance.

indesisiv

DIYhelp76 wrote: »

Hi,

I have a SIM PIN lock enquiry please if anyone is able to help.

I currently just have a phone lock on the screen of my mobile but saw on Google people recommending adding a SIM PIN lock to protect the actual SIM card if your phone is stolen.

Is this a good idea?
Yes its a very good idea!!

Does it mean you have to input the SIM PIN everytime you want to make a all, send a text, use phone browser, APPS etc, as this would seem a nuisance.

Or do you only need to use it if you remove the SIM and put it into another phone?
You would only put the pin in when you restart your phone, or put the sim in another phone
Do you need to have/know the default original SIM PIN before setting up your own one.

I'm with Three network if this makes any odds.
Default is 0000

Many thanks. in advance.

I have replied in red for you.

Jon_01

Yes, you need a pin on your sim. The sim is the same as a black cheque if someone get hold of it.

When I worked for a network, I've seen a grand racked up over night on a stolen sim. And the owner is responsible for the debt until the sim is reported stolen/lost.

Go set one NOW!

AndyPix

Im going to buck the trend and say it's pointless ..


1) If you lost your phone/had it stolen , how long (in this day and age) do you think it would be before you noticed ?
As soon as you noticed, you would report this to the network and the sim would be blocked


If someone stole/found your phone - the first thing they would do with it would be remove the sim and discard it anyway

custardy

AndyPix wrote: »

Im going to buck the trend and say it's pointless ..


1) If you lost your phone/had it stolen , how long (in this day and age) do you think it would be before you noticed ?
As soon as you noticed, you would report this to the network and the sim would be blocked


If someone stole/found your phone - the first thing they would do with it would be remove the sim and discard it anyway

disagree. Simply because its a small inconvenience.
When I reboot my phone I need to put the phone pin in anyway plus fingerprint,another 4 digit pin is no drama.

Raxiel

AndyPix wrote: »

Im going to buck the trend and say it's pointless ..


1) If you lost your phone/had it stolen , how long (in this day and age) do you think it would be before you noticed ?
As soon as you noticed, you would report this to the network and the sim would be blocked


If someone stole/found your phone - the first thing they would do with it would be remove the sim and discard it anyway

I'm inclined to agree.
(This is for my own particular circumstances, everyone should do their own risk assessment.)
- My phone itself is protected by a 12+ digit pin (when a fingerprint isn't eligible), is encrypted, and has theft protection built in.
- The phone has 'Direct boot/file based encryption' which means it can boot to a limited mode without the pin, meaning it could still receive calls and texts without the pin
- My SIM has unlimited calls and texts, and premium rate calls & carrier billing disabled. The mobile data limit is high enough I doubt anyone could use it fast enough for extra charges to be applied before I had it blocked.

What all that means is, if I lost my phone and someone honest found it, with a SIM PIN I could only call them to arrange it's return if it hadn't been restarted. If they're dishonest, they won't be able to unlock the phone, and factory resetting from the bootloader without removing my google account first will trigger the theft protection. If they are dishonest and pull the SIM to run up charges on that, there's not much they could do.

If I didn't have the premium rate block, I'd set a PIN. If the phone would remember the PIN and it was only needed if it was put in another phone (which I'm sure my very first handset did), I'd probably enable it just because.

As it is, I'm leaving it off.

AndyPix

Raxiel wrote: »

If I didn't have the premium rate block, I'd set a PIN. If the phone would remember the PIN and it was only needed if it was put in another phone (which I'm sure my very first handset did), I'd probably enable it just because.

As it is, I'm leaving it off.

^^ This - in a nutshell

J_B

indesisiv wrote: »

You would only put the pin in when you restart your phone, or put the sim in another phone

So, phone gets stolen and as long as the sim stays in the phone, then the sim lock does nothing?

Raxiel

J_B wrote: »

So, phone gets stolen and as long as the sim stays in the phone, then the sim lock does nothing?

If you have security on the phone itself (pattern/pin/password) it doesn't need to. The only number you can call on a locked phone is 999 (or regional variants)

indesisiv

J_B wrote: »

So, phone gets stolen and as long as the sim stays in the phone, then the sim lock does nothing?

Raxiel wrote: »

If you have security on the phone itself (pattern/pin/password) it doesn't need to. The only number you can call on a locked phone is 999 (or regional variants)

@J B as @Raxiel says, what is the advantage of asking you for a PIN for the SIM when the security is already there?

Who in this day and age doesn't have a PIN / fingerprint on their phone as standard? So why go through the rigmarole of another PIN after a PIN? It serves no purpose.
Its use is to stop people being able to put the SIM into another phone.

wongataa

Jon_01 wrote: »

Yes, you need a pin on your sim. The sim is the same as a black cheque if someone get hold of it.

When I worked for a network, I've seen a grand racked up over night on a stolen sim. And the owner is responsible for the debt until the sim is reported stolen/lost.

Go set one NOW!

Of course if you are some sort of PAYG deal then this doesn't apply as once you run out of credit then you can't make calls etc. This applies to many many people. If someone stole my SIM I could lose about £8 at the most.