Switching between TBolt and Droid day-to-day

[blackjaguar25]

Hey there, first post here. Tried the search function but didn't find my answer so here I am!

So I currently have a Thunderbolt, which I love with the Seidio Convert Case and Arkon dock (Garmin who?) and the OG Droid, which is just laying around. I was wondering if I want to switch from my TBolt to Droid, and then back to my TBolt, if there are any problems that I would encounter.

Would my TBolt's sim card stay active?
How would I activate my TBolt back on without dialing *228, because I heard that ruins the sim.
Anyone have any experience with that?

Thanks.

 

[fadepoint89]

I guess before I can answer your question, why would you want to switch to the og droid?

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[blackjaguar25]

I guess before I can answer your question, why would you want to switch to the og droid?

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

Now THAT is a good question. I live in mountainous Colorado, and am a diehard adventurer. I found out with an older Droid Eris that rocks are not soft and really hurt a phone, and water doesn't help either :'(
I was hoping it'd be easy to switch to the OG when climbing and hiking around water, just in case. I have a case for that Droid too, and I'd much rather break that thing than the TB. I'm heading off to college in about a week, and that leaves no open money to buy or replace a phone of the TB's caliber.

Thanks for the quick reply, too.

 

[fadepoint89]

Hmmm. Well I can't give an exact answer. It should be possible to activate both of them back and forth but don't quote me on that one. Two alternatives you could take though: activate the second phone (og droid) for 10.00 extra a month on a separate number and then forward all calls from the Thunderbolt to the droid, or buy the g'ozone commando which is an android phone that is shock, dust, dirt, and water resistant. Just my thinking. Your best bet would be to call Verizon ask them. Best of luck.

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[Cyber Warrior]

If you're talking about swapping phones back and forth... all you need to do is switch out the SIM Cards. Just make sure both phones are registered to your account. As soon as the SIM is placed in the phone it is automatically activated, no more calling *228.

Edit: Misread the post. Thought it was the Charge. It needs to be two 4G LTE phones to switch out the SIM Cards..
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[Bolt_of_Thunder]

From my experience, no you can't do it easily. This is because you are going from a 4G to 3G phone. I t had to get a loaner droid Eris while waiting for a refurb bolt and they spent an hour and a half trying to get the eris activated. Once they finally did the system switched my unlimited data to 2gb and i had to get a new sim card. And you can only use sim cards in phones that use them. From what I know that is only 4G phones and maybe a few of the newest 3G phones.

 

[BostonBeats88]

Also, if do not actively use your SIM card (if the TB is disable for more than ~3 weeks) they will retire the SIM card all together and you need to go to a VZW store / have one shipped to you.

The switch for you will not be too bad I would imagine. You could do it on the VZW site, since the data plans are roughly the same (even though the TB gets 4g.)

I switched from my TB to a phone from 2006 that didn't even get data so the the switch TO that phone was fine, just diabled data, however going back up to the TB was a pain, since my SIM was retired and I had to reinstate my data plan.

But like I said, since the data stays the same between the OG and TB it shouldn't be too bad!

 

[joshua.worth]

That might be the case if he was talking about GSM similar cards and phones he's talking about LTE with an LTE sim card and CDMA without a sim card

If you're talking about swapping phones back and forth... all you need to do is switch out the SIM Cards. Just make sure both phones are registered to your account. As soon as the SIM is placed in the phone it is automatically activated, no more calling *228.

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[blackjaguar25]

From my experience, no you can't do it easily. This is because you are going from a 4G to 3G phone. I t had to get a loaner droid Eris while waiting for a refurb bolt and they spent an hour and a half trying to get the eris activated. Once they finally did the system switched my unlimited data to 2gb and i had to get a new sim card. And you can only use sim cards in phones that use them. From what I know that is only 4G phones and maybe a few of the newest 3G phones.

Did you get your data back? I would have been livid. Switching to 2 gb is probably the worst decision I have ever seen then make.

 

[blackjaguar25]

Also, if do not actively use your SIM card (if the TB is disable for more than ~3 weeks) they will retire the SIM card all together and you need to go to a VZW store / have one shipped to you.

The switch for you will not be too bad I would imagine. You could do it on the VZW site, since the data plans are roughly the same (even though the TB gets 4g.)

I switched from my TB to a phone from 2006 that didn't even get data so the the switch TO that phone was fine, just diabled data, however going back up to the TB was a pain, since my SIM was retired and I had to reinstate my data plan.

But like I said, since the data stays the same between the OG and TB it shouldn't be too bad!

Yeah I would only have my droid activated for two days at the most at a time. I would hate to buy the g'zone because that's more money instead of just using my Droid, although that phone looks perfect for me. I don't have the most money right now.
Stupid college

 

[kpageisgreat]

When I switched from the Thunderbolt to the Droid 3 and then back to the Thunderbolt I had to get a new sim card from Verizon store. They said they could ship me some if this was going to become a regular thing. So in my experience it was a hassle but not an inconvenience

 

[Bolt_of_Thunder]

Did you get your data back? I would have been livid. Switching to 2 gb is probably the worst decision I have ever seen then make.

Yea they finally did but it took about 4 days since they had to put in a special request to switch it back. I'm guessing it depends on which store you go to because the corporate one I went to had never done this kind of switch before which I thought was odd.

 

[Cyber Warrior]

That might be the case if he was talking about GSM similar cards and phones he's talking about LTE with an LTE sim card and CDMA without a sim card

That is true... For some reason I thought it said Droid Charge.. too early in the morning for me

Yea.. it would have to be two 4G LTE phones on Verizon to clear things up.

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[cegabq]

Plus, even if this were possible, I think unless you are activating a new phone through Verizon's online service, they might charge you a $35 activation fee everytime you switched phones - kind of expensive.

 

[Jux]

I live in mountainous Colorado, and am a diehard adventurer.

*fistbump*

So here's the thing. You can switch back to your OG Droid, but the moment you do it, the SIM in your Thunderbolt is permanently retired and can never be used again. So even though you can switch back and forth, each time you do it you will need to obtain a new SIM card for the Thunderbolt.

As others have said, you should be able to go to a store and not have any problem obtaining one, but it's going to be an extra hassle each time you want to do the switch. You may have to call customer service if you have problems switching them through MyVerizon, but at the end of the day, yes, it can be done, and you won't incur any type of activation fee. But, it won't be as easy as switching between two 3G devices.

 

[blackjaguar25]

Plus, even if this were possible, I think unless you are activating a new phone through Verizon's online service, they might charge you a $35 activation fee everytime you switched phones - kind of expensive.

I don't think I've ever paid an activation fee to switch phones. I've switched phones with my sisters, mom, and friends without seeing an activation fee. All online too...Unless...
SNEAKY VERIZON!

 

[blackjaguar25]

*fistbump*

So here's the thing. You can switch back to your OG Droid, but the moment you do it, the SIM in your Thunderbolt is permanently retired and can never be used again. So even though you can switch back and forth, each time you do it you will need to obtain a new SIM card for the Thunderbolt.

As others have said, you should be able to go to a store and not have any problem obtaining one, but it's going to be an extra hassle each time you want to do the switch. You may have to call customer service if you have problems switching them through MyVerizon, but at the end of the day, yes, it can be done, and you won't incur any type of activation fee. But, it won't be as easy as switching between two 3G devices.

Dang. If only the Casio G'zone had a Sim Card slot. That'd make my life a hell of a lot easier. Well, guess it's just rooting and flashing for the old Droid.

By the way, love your picture. I've been to every Rockies Opening Day in their history. The first when I was 3 months

 

[Jux]

Dang. If only the Casio G'zone had a Sim Card slot. That'd make my life a hell of a lot easier. Well, guess it's just rooting and flashing for the old Droid.

By the way, love your picture. I've been to every Rockies Opening Day in their history. The first when I was 3 months

It might be worth stopping by a store and seeing if they could give you a handful of SIM cards like another poster suggested. If you can get those upfront, it might reduce the hassle of switching.

 

[Mortiel]

Plus, even if this were possible, I think unless you are activating a new phone through Verizon's online service, they might charge you a $35 activation fee everytime you switched phones - kind of expensive.

I'll start with this because it is 100% false. Activation fees are ONLY charged for new line activation. Switching phones on an active line never costs.

Secondly, once the OG Droid is activated (turn off the Thunderbolt, remove the SIM, then dial *228 option 1 on the Droid), the Thunderbolt's 4G SIM is *supposed* to stay usable for 30 days. However, I have seen many cases where the SIM is rendered Retired (RT) or Grandfathered (GF) after 24 hours.

If the latter happens you will need a new SIM card, which is free from a Verizon store or by calling Tech Support.

There is no need to dial *228 on your Thunderbolt. Simply turn the Droid completely off, placed the SIM back into your Thunderbolt and power it back on. If it does not reactivate automatically, then you can try switching it via the Verizon website, or call Customer Care.

Do not. I repeat, DO NOT let anyone replace your SIM unless they make 100% sure it is in RT or GF status. If it gets in RS status (Ready at Switch) then replacing the SIM can cause reactivating your Thunderbolt take forever.

Sent over the most advanced 4G network in America: Verizon LTE.