Apple SIM
proprietary subscriber identity module produced by Apple Inc.
The Apple SIM is a proprietary subscriber identity module (SIM) produced by Apple Inc. It is included in GPS + Cellular versions of the iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 3 and later, and iPad Pro.
The Apple SIM supports wireless services across multiple supported carriers, which can be selected from a user interface within iOS and iPadOS, removing the need to install a SIM provided by the carrier itself. While Apple did not acknowledge the feature whilst presenting the iPad models that ship with Apple SIM, promotional materials on its website discuss the feature as being geared toward users of short-term mobile Internet contracts across multiple carriers.
Carriers supported by Apple SIM include AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile US, EE, au, GigSky, Truphone, Three, and AlwaysOnline Wireless. Altogether these carriers provide coverage in 100+ countries. However, activating mobile services on AT&T will permanently lock the Apple SIM to AT&T, requiring the purchase of a new Apple SIM in order to use a different carrier.
The Apple SIM is known as a Removable SIM with Remote Provisioning – it is a special SIM card that may be configured with different operator profiles. This is in contrast to an embedded SIM, which is not removable and may also be remotely provisioned. It appears that Apple has begun to include both types of SIM in their newer devices.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Apple SIM” is proprietary subscriber identity module produced by Apple Inc. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Apple, proprietary and subscriber, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “proprietary subscriber identity module produced by Apple Inc” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 14, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q18352794. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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This entry incorporates text from “Apple SIM” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.