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Hugh Jeffreys, a dedicated Apple Right to Repair activist and tech YouTuber, has figured out how to convert a single-SIM iPhone into a dual-SIM device using DIY tools.
DIY expert Hugh Jeffreys has decided it isn’t fair that China should have all the fun with multiple SIMs, and posted a video to his channel explaining how anyone can take a regular non-Chinese iPhone (one that has the digital eSIM card specifically) and modify it to accept two physical cards. This hack will render the eSIM useless, essentially replacing it with the insertable card—which some people may prefer to the eSIM, however.
After Jeffreys fitted the new module into place, the question narrowed down to whether the iPhone’s software would be able to read both the front and back SIMs in the new configuration.
To his surprise, the phone not only worked perfectly normally after the mod was complete, but the device was able to recognize and display the new configuration as a “Front SIM” and “Back SIM” instead of displaying “Physical SIM” and “Digital SIM” as it normally would in Settings.
Although the eSIM card option had disappeared entirely, the iPhone 12 had clearly already been programmed to recognize a dual SIM slot even if it was manufactured without one.
Hugh Jeffreys had essentially created a one-of-a-kind iPhone mutant, a configuration which cannot be found literally anywhere in the world. He was successful in adding a dual-SIM card slot—which is only found in China—to a 5G-supporting iPhone 12, which is only sold in the United States.
Until that happens, however, anyone handy with a few iFixit tools (an Amazon link can be found below) can upgrade their own compatible iPhone to support two physical SIM cards in the same way. Opening up an iPhone does void its warranty, however, which is something to be aware of before taking on such a DIY project.
