Life-Hack: Dual-SIM with SD-Card

Hi everyone!

Did someone already try with a 10 II if this hack works? I really would love to do that but I also do not want to break my phone :sweat_smile:

3 Likes

Wow good idea! Don’t really know if this is a joke or not but i consider it as quite possible.
Is the SIM card’s chip really thin enough to not damage the contacts and the socket?
Are differences between SIM cards or all the same in thickness?
Does phone software allow 2nd SIM and memory card at the same time?

The 10 II is a dual sim phone but you have to decide if you use a second sim or a SD card. I found at least one other report online who tried that with three phones and they claim it worked. I guess it mostly depends on the tolerances on the phone.

1 Like

Oh my, I’d probably try using a bit more precise tools, and obviously test with a throwaway SIM and SD card first.
But this indeed deserves the title ‘hack’!

(PS: I loathe how everything must be a video these days. This information could have been transported in seven lines of text and three pictures.)

2 Likes

It was in text but the text was in German so I decided to post the video.

In the mean time I found an old SIM and tried to get the chip of. It was not that easy as in the video and the glue on the backside of the chip looks very much burned. I can not test the SIM because it is an old one.
The SIM Chip is really small. You can actually see how thin it is by looking at your SIM card. The plastic has a groove where the chip is inserted. That is how big it is.

If I can find an old SD card as well I will try to make a groove in the plastic as well.

I am less worried about the SD card or the SIM. I am more worried about getting something stuck inside the phone and damaging some contacts.

I actually gave it a try with an old SIM and SD card. Here is what I learned form that try.

First, I did not burn the glue. They used a black glue. Image 1 shows the chip after I got it off. (Sorry for the bad image quality.)


Getting the rest of the glue off was not that easy. First I tried a tiny screw driver, than a knife. Both did not really work. At the end I used some nail polish but I do not now if the encapsulation of the chip really likes that.
I assume there is some epoxy on the backside to encapsulate the chip and the wire bonds.

Image 2 shows the backside after cleaning.

Next was to get some glue. I got some multi purpose glue and placed the chip on the SD card. Prior to that I put in my current SIM Card in slot two to get the right position.


Image 3 shows the SD card with the SIM card on top.

Image 4 is how it looked with the X10 II carrier.

It was possible to slide it in and out but it takes way more force.

Result was that I had no contact to the SIM or SD.

I made several mistakes. First I used too much glue. Second I did not wait long enough to let the glue dry. So when I got it out again I saw that the chip had moved and that the scratches from the contacts did not made to the third contact pad.

I will give it another try with some modifications. Compared to image 3 I will trim the SIM card on the left and right, so that it will be within in the frame of the carried and not add to the thickness of the SD card. Also I will place the SIM card a bit further down. And of course this time I will wait until the glue is dried and the chip is not moving anymore.

3 Likes

Pretty sure you have the slimmed-down sim turned 180 degrees the wrong way.
Note how the corner pad that is connected with the center is in the opposite direction compared to the normal sim.

1 Like

Yes, you are absolutely correct. That makes it even easier to see what the correct orientation should be. Thanks for the hint.

1 Like

Gave it another try with a slightly trimmed SIM card and super glue. The SD card was detected but the SIM card not. I did not test the SIM card before so I am not sure if it did not make contact or if I broke it before.

Space wise it should work. I guess it is important to take some more time placing and gluing the SIM card…

3 Likes

This is pretty cool, but I’m wondering if it might be easier/safer to run some modwires from the second SIM contacts and solder (or glue with conductive glue) to the pads on the second SIM, which could then be tucked away somewhere inside the phone. This would allow you to swap the MicroSD as normal, though it would obviously void the warranty on the phone. Also not sure there is actually room inside the case for even a nano-SIM, but the back on my dual-SIM XA2 is already loose so I might have a look…