How to switch to iPhone using only a SIM and a microSD card

[Mr MnmlEngr]

Good day, iPhone folks!

Here's the situation: my family member was recently in a car accident, where their android phone was destroyed. He was able to replace the device with insurance, and got an 11 Pro. Before they took away the old android device, they gave the owner the SIM card and the microSD card that the phone had. This entire transaction occurred through Best Buy.

So now, we're faced with figuring out how to transfer the contents of the two cards to the iPhone, a task that is typically facilitated with an app on a second phone...which we don't have because it was destroyed.

My questions are:
1. Is there any reason that simply inserting the SIM into the iPhone wouldn't cause the phone to pull any contacts or data from the SIM? I'm fairly new to iPhone myself, so I don't really know.

2. What content (and through what app) would we be able to import from the microSD card?

Thanks so much for the help. My family member is safe and recovering, so we as his family are trying to handle this so he can have a phone again and communicate (with Facetime and the like) with family that is eager to see him.

 

[mrluky60]

Good day, iPhone folks!

Here's the situation: my family member was recently in a car accident, where their android phone was destroyed. He was able to replace the device with insurance, and got an 11 Pro. Before they took away the old android device, they gave the owner the SIM card and the microSD card that the phone had. This entire transaction occurred through Best Buy.

So now, we're faced with figuring out how to transfer the contents of the two cards to the iPhone, a task that is typically facilitated with an app on a second phone...which we don't have because it was destroyed.

My questions are:
1. Is there any reason that simply inserting the SIM into the iPhone wouldn't cause the phone to pull any contacts or data from the SIM? I'm fairly new to iPhone myself, so I don't really know.

2. What content (and through what app) would we be able to import from the microSD card?

Thanks so much for the help. My family member is safe and recovering, so we as his family are trying to handle this so he can have a phone again and communicate (with Facetime and the like) with family that is eager to see him.

If he had Google app he needs to download if and a lot of his information should return.

 

[sinime]

Glad to hear they are safe now.

Unfortunately, iPhones cannot use micro SD cards, so you'd have to use a PC/Mac as an intermediate to transfer pictures and files. However, there may be a way to download pictures from their google drive if that's where they backed up photos/videos on the android device.

regarding the contacts, it all depends on how the android was set up. I didn't have my contacts stored on my SIM when on Android... They were stored in my Android account. So if/when they add their gmail account to the iPhone, there should be an option to sync contacts. If not, you could maybe log into the gmail account online and export the contacts to a vCard file, which could then be imported on the iPhone.

 

[SwitchBeach]

The contacts are most likely not on the SIM card. But if it was an Android device and they used GMail, the contacts are likely stored in the GMail account.

You can use a Lightning USB card reader to transfer information such as pictures, files, etc to the new iPhone. Alternately, you can use a computer and email them to the device. Much more clunky.

 

[Mr MnmlEngr]

Thanks all!

I was thinking the same thing in regards to the contacts. I personally synced all of my contacts to my Google account when I was on Android. I just don't know how the device was set up when he purchased it. So just to be clear, the SIM card from the Android phone SHOULD be compatible with the iPhone, we just don't know if anything is on it, correct?