Remember where you keep your SIM ejector tool? You know, those little metal things you occasionally get with a new phone? No, me neither, but don’t despair. Fortunately for you and me, I’ve MacGyvered my way into the SIM card tray and microSD card slot many a time. Here are a few handy ways to open the SIM card slot without a SIM tool.
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Earring or piercing
The right tool for the job might be closer than you think, as in on your body. Traditional earrings with thinner wires or hooks work best. On others, you might need to unscrew the ball/spike on the end. More extreme piercings might be too large to serve as SIM tray openers. (Be careful not to bend your earrings!)
Earrings are the most common and simple DIY SIM tools around. / © NextPit
Paperclip
Probably the next most common thing, if you happen to work in an office. Not the fat plastic-coated paperclips, but pretty much any small metal paper clip will get your SIM tray ejected. And when you’re done, you can use it to attach various bits of paper together.
It looks like you are trying to open a SIM tray! / © NextPit
Needle
If you repair socks and pants as much as I do (you don’t want to know), then you’ll have a needle floating around the house somewhere. Just use the not-pointy end in the SIM eject hole and press down on the edge of a table. I’d advise you not to try this using your hand. But desperate times call for desperate measures!
Often, a needle will just do the trick. / © NextPit
Thumbtack/staple
Another ubiquitous object that you may find in most homes and offices is the humble little thumbtack. There are many shapes and sizes, but pretty much all of them are capable of opening your SIM tray. If you’re thinking outside the box, then you’ve probably realized that you could also use a staple.
Safety Pin
A safety pin is something that is very ubiquitous and found in nearly every household. Thanks to its sharp, pointed edge, it makes for a great sim tool. The fact that its design allows for more force to be (safely) exerted makes me think the safety pin is a better sim ejector tool than needles.
Toothpicks
Now, this is an option that can be used as a last resort if none of the objects above are at your disposal. But you’d be already aware that most toothpicks aren’t thin enough to be inserted into the tiny SIM hole. To get around this, you might be required to whittle away some buts towards the bottom using a knife.
Yes, we were able to open the SIM tray with this monster toothpick. / © NextPit
Once again, if none of these things is an option, just look for any pointy thing you have lying around – and if you still failed in your mission, it’s time to get to a store for a solution.
Go to a store and ask nicely
If you are ever out and about and need to pull out your SIM card tray, as I have been in the past, one of the quickest ways to solve the problem is to pop into a nearby store. Of course, if you are in the middle of the woods, you are in trouble, but if you are in an urban area with a large shopping mall or high-street phone carrier store, you needn’t worry.
The last time I went into a cell phone store to ask them to open my SIM tray, the helpful employee was wearing a SIM tool around his neck and was more than happy to help me out for free.
Do you have any other secret SIM tools to share? Let us know in the comments.
