A SIM card is never a limitation to use your smartphone as we think. You can make calls and send and receive texts through your smartphone without a cellular network. The mobile applications that you have installed on your phone can also be used without any interruption. This article will throw light on the ways you can chat with your friends and relatives using your smartphone without the requirement of a SIM card.
It is good to understand why a SIM card is required on your cellphone. It will give ample opportunities for you to realize the methods to use your smartphone without that.
Why does your Smartphone require a SIM card?
You need to connect with people through calls or texts, and you require a network for the same. The need for a cellular network ends here. Probably, if you are planning to connect to the internet, the cellphone network provider helps you based on your mobile plan. Other than that, if you are downloading any application from the app stores and registering on banking apps or any sensitive apps, it seeks authentication. Such authentication is done only through your phone number. And the phone number is connected with your SIM card. So, these are uses of a SIM card. In a nutshell, a SIM card can help:
- Connect to the Cellular Network
- Registering your cellphone on a few applications
- Access Internet
Ideally, if you find an alternative for the same, you can very well bypass the use of the SIM card. Let’s quickly see the option left for you.
How Can I access the Smartphone without a SIM card?
Your smartphone requires a network to be connected with. Most importantly, you need to connect to the internet to access most of the services through your cell phone. The best alternative is another internet source. It can be a mobile hotspot connection or a Wi-Fi connection. So, this negates the use of the SIM card.
However, you still require a SIM card to activate a few applications. As the authentication is done by OTP that you will receive the registered number. So, if you have an old smartphone that you are planning to discard, it can be still used if you simply activate the services through the active phone and start using the old phone for chatting purposes. You can get the OTP on your active number and type it in the old phone, and it gets activated. Even if it is not possible, insert the SIM card just for the authentication and remove it. It still works well.
Different Methods to Chat without a SIM card
1. WhatsApp
WhatsApp shall be a convenient way for you to chat with your loved ones. There are many ways you can activate your WhatsApp account without a SIM card being inserted into the cellphone. Even if you do not have a cellphone, you can still activate it. Let us see both cases through the step-by-step process.
Step by Step process – Use your Active Cellphone for this method
- Open Play store and Download WhatsApp. Please ensure that the phone is connected to the internet.
- Key in the active mobile number.
- Click ‘Next’.
- Authenticate your number and click on ‘Ok’. Remember, you will get the authentication code on your active number. And, you must type that in your smartphone without the SIM card.
- WhatsApp will send a text message to the device that has the SIM card.
- Type the code on the cellphone you want to access WhatsApp.
- You are all set to use WhatsApp.
What if you do not have an active cellphone number, here we go:
- Let us start from Step 4, type in your landline number and click ok.
- The application will attempt to send the OTP to the landline number. Obviously, it will fail. Wait for it to fail. You will get an alternative option, ‘Call me’. Click on it.
- Answer the call, get the authentication code and enter it into your device.
- You are good to go even now.
Alternatively, you can also create a virtual phone number to text and use it as an authentication code receiver to activate WhatsApp. Follow similar steps to chat with your friends and relatives without the help of a SIM card.
2. Using Other Third-Party Apps
There are many applications available in the Google Play store that does not require a SIM card to chat with people. A few more for your reference
These are just samples, you can explore for more options. In fact, Google meet and Zoom can also be used for chatting purposes.