How to Retrieve Data from SIM Card on Android? Solved!

When it comes to keeping a big number of contacts and messages on your Android devices, a SIM card excels. In general, the SIM card memory stores all text messages and contacts on an Android phone. However, your SIM card may be damaged or suffer SIM card issues like that phone says no SIM card. Or even, you may mistakenly remove all the data on your SIM card. A case like this necessitates the use of Android SIM card data recovery right away.

We’ve included two methods in this post to help you quickly restore all of your deleted text messages, contacts, and other files. But first, let’s look at the kinds of data that consumers typically save on SIM cards and how to access sim card data.

Further Reading: “Not Registered on Network” Error on Android? Here are Fixes >

What Data is Stored on SIM Card?

The SIM comes in a variety of storage capacities, ranging from 8 KB to 256 KB. That may not seem like much, but it’s enough to hold up to 250 contacts on the SIM alone. That implies that if you switch phones, your contacts will accompany you on the SIM. SMS text messages can also be stored on SIM cards. The amount of data that can be stored varies per SIM, but most modern SIMs aren’t utilized as a memory bank because phones have plenty of storage and much of it is now cloud-based.

SIM cards store data for the phone user, containing personal information like phone number, contact information, text messages.  SIM cards also act as storage devices that hold Service Provider Name, Mobile Subscription Identification Number, International Mobile Subscriber Identity or IMSI, etc. 

How to See What is Stored on SIM Card?

How do I see what is stored on my SIM card? To figure it out, we will introduce you different ways to see what is stored on your SIM card.

How to access SIM card data on Android? For Android users, you can go to Settings to check the data stored on SIM card. Tap “About Phone” or search “About phone”, then choose “Status” and “SIM status” to see SIM card data like your phone number, service status, signal strength, network, and roaming info.

For iPhone users, you can go to Settings, then tap “Cellular” and “Cellular Data Option” to see your account and view your SIM card info. You can also see if any apps are taking up SIM card data by tapping “SIM Applications” in Setting.

Another option is to buy a SIM card reader. A SIM card reader is a device that allows you to access information without having to insert the SIM card into a phone. With this, you are able to view the data saved on SIM card. 

How to Retrieve Data from SIM Card?

In this part, we offer two ways to get data from the SIM card below.

Method 1. Insert the SIM Card into a New Phone

SIM cards can be used to store contact information, downloaded mobile software and files, songs, ringtones, videos, and other material for transferring and retrieving. If the information is saved on the SIM card, you can recover any erased data from a phone by inserting the SIM card. The only issue is that all cell carriers do not use them and SIM cards may cause errors on your phones.

Method 2. Use DroidKit to Retrieve/Transfer Data from a SIM Card to a New Phone

Using third-party software is one of the most effective and efficient methods of retrieving and transferring data. DroidKit is a complete Android solution for recovering lost data and reviving your phone from a locked or crashed state. DroidKit allows you to effortlessly retrieve SIM data and recover contacts with numbers/email/addresses. All SIM cards are supported, and all Android models are supported.

See some of the main features of DroidKit:

• Contacts can be recovered from a SIM card without the use of a reader.
• Extract SD card data to your computer or device with one click.
• Easy to learn, no technical skills required.

Here’s how to get data from a SIM card:

Step 1. Download and install the latest version of DroidKit on your PC.

Start the software and select Data Extractor > From SIM Card.

Step 2. Connect your device (with a SIM card) to your computer and head to the “Start” button. Please confirm the USB debugging mode is enabled on your device and select the MTP/PTP mode on your device.

Step 3. Wait for the scanning process and preview the data scanned out. Then select and transfer SIM card data to your new phone.

After that, the application will complete the transfer for you. All you need to do is to wait for a while.

Frequently Asked Questions

We have collected some frequently asked questions that users always ask.

Are pictures stored on a SIM card?

The SIM card typically has enough memory to keep up to 250 contacts, some of your text messages, and other information that the card’s provider can use. Because SIM cards do not store photos, be sure you have a backup.

Does a SIM card hold deleted text messages?

There is a file dedicated to storing texts and other mobile data within the SIM card memory. However, the deleted SMS is still retained on the SIM card, and by changing the status field into “in use”, the deleted SMS can be restored on the SIM card.

Are my passwords stored on my SIM card?

SIM cards store your private secret passwords, like your Personal Identification Number (PIN) and Personal Unblocking Key (PUK).

What data can be retrieved from a SIM card?

SIM cards may store contacts, messages, and a few other bits of information. These are recoverable from a SIM card. But some phones bypass the SIM card and save data directly on the phone or cloud account. So, no data from the SIM card can be recovered in this scenario.

Does taking out the SIM card delete everything?

Taking out your SIM card won’t delete all your data. A SIM card stores your phone information, such as phone numbers, contacts, and text messages. After removing the SIM card, you will no longer be able to make calls, send text messages, or use mobile internet. But after you put the SIM card back, you can use these functions again.

Does switching SIM cards transfer everything?

No. Your Photos, apps, files, and other data not stored on the SIM card will stay on your phone, do not affect by the card switch. If you are worried about losing contacts, you can back up this information to your phone before switching.

How to Retrieve Contacts from SIM Card on Samsung or Other Android?

For Samsung or other Android users, we highly recommend DroidKit. DroidKit allows you to restore contacts from SIM card directly or extract contacts from Google.

The Bottom Line

That’s all! With the simple methods outlined above, you may have learned how to retrieve data from SIM cards. And if looking for a quick fix, we recommend using DroidKit as it is an excellent tool for transferring contacts through USB to a PC. Install this complete Android solution on your PC and use it to recover contacts successfully.