I think the Librem 5 (may've been another phone) came with a hole to attach to a keychain so it's the only one that I constantly have on me solely because someone thought to design for it.
Needle is pointy. Needle sometimes does not push button. Needle digs in and makes doubt and concern.
Needle may work, but requires dedication that causes anxiety.
Needle maybe will break things inside and the only way to know for sure is to hit a very uncomfortable point of no return for the result.
Needle is danger maybe, and I hate the needle for that. But sometimes needle is necessary.
it's within my phone's protection case, so i do have it right now. Also, anecdote, a random stranger on a bus was switching sim cards, and asked me if I have the tool, which I indeed I had!
If you’re using a burner SIM in your regular phone then it’s not really a burner SIM.
Fine if you’re just using it to hide your phone number companies, but if you’re hiding from the authorities then it’s the devices IMEI which is going to sell you out I’m afraid.
IMEI's can be changed. (Which is highly illegal in many jurisdictions) It's not really worth the effort, I use it for when i need a new phone number for something and don't want it immediately tied to me commercially. If hiding from the authorities, don't use unencrypted comms.
They can but I don’t believe the average burner phone user would even know how.
I’m no expert but you would need to flash the firmware for the baseband modem. But then you would need a valid IMEI and then what happens with network collisions if it’s already on the network.
How do you verify you’re actually broadcasting the spoofed IMEI without some hardware to intercept the signals being sent out.
Just seems like a lot of effort when you can just use burner phones and not run the risk. With OPSec you only need to screw up once.
I found a pencil holder I had in the 1990s. It has these little drawers for erasers and stuff. I was like "oh cool, I can fill the rest of these with my SD cards and USB sticks."
So, while cleaning my desk looking for those, I found one of these. I was like "I'm pretty sure I had at least 2 of these." ...I found three.
Had issues charging my phone lately and tried to clean it out with toothpicks etc to no avail. Used this thingy I also carry in my wallet and hey, works like a charm again
I generally prefer the clear toothpick - easier to hold, came with a designer cupcake once (and I keep the flag on it because it's otherwise easy to lose a clear toothpick), generally better if the button is deeply recessed.
The paperclip phone tool is kept on the keychain between the USB micro card reader and the wallet sized SD card holder
Same. And in the past decade plus of using smartphones, I've never had to open the slot except to install the SIM card for the first time. Why do I even keep it around?
I've seen a carrier charge for Sim cards, although I would personally still pay for the convenience of not having to figure out esim and if esims can be transferred between phones without any internet.
That looks quite sophisticated for the purpose, I love it. If a phone repair man pulls out one of these, the alarm in my head to make the good coffee will most certainly go off.
And that's why it can never go away. I keep mine in a box in a closet, but it's accessed multiple times a year. Hell, I just broke it out the other day for a VGA cable
I have one in my wallet - just in case someone wants to steal my phone and I somehow have time to remove my SIM and SD before they take it.. optimistic I know
I have mine under my phone cover. Got sick of losing them all the time when I needed one. Since I put it under the cover, I've only needed it about two times. (Under my cover for over a year).
I have a small zip bag of 100+ of these in a drawer. Sometimes you gotta pop out a SIM card. Other times you gotta hit a pinhole reset button to fix a rogue router. In a pinch, they're also a good shiv or shank.
I have dumped like 30 of them into trash recently because I tend to sometimes replace/repair phone parts for people and if you buy a replacement part it comes with this thing.
I used to have it between my phone and phone case, but I gave it away to a family member in need as I have something better.
You know those tiny factory default buttons on various hardware? I have a homemade tool in my work backpack specifically for that - The thickest syringe needle my local pharmacy had in store, and I cut the end off. The protective sleeve made it fit perfectly in a pen holder in my work backpack.
I have multiple. I keep the phone boxes after I buy a phone. I probably still have them for 3 or even all my 4 smartphones that I've owned over the years.
tied it around my keychain because SIMs are still much more handy than esim. Phone service where I live charge a fuck ton of money everytime you re register with the QR.
its not really changing sim but more like changing phone. I have the big S24 Ultra but sometimes I just want something smaller and easier to carry, so I swap to a Zenfone 10.
I've got at least 2 on my desk. Both from my new phones ( the one I accidentally fried in a lake and the replacement I got ). They're both connected to some little piece of magnet strip that I have no idea where it came from.
Absolutely not, lol; It's the opposite. I have a keychain one that I'm too lazy to remove. And it actually twists and gets caught in the holes on adjacent keys, so it's not like I never notice it!
Wait aren't those ADHD therapeutic help made so you can feel good about losing something that easily replaced by a paperclip for once instead of losing something actually important like your keys ?
I have a key holder with a fabric holder above it for random things. Like my checkbook for paying the gardeners, the mailbox keys, and this doodad is leftover from when I used to have a rechargeable front door camera doorbell.
I feel like everyone’s missing the joke here. That’s not the normal sim pen ejector tool. That’s the liquid metal one that they only made for like a year or two
I used to work for a cell phone "fixer" place. The quotations are because the hardware and software on iPhones is so locked down. Usually we would get iPhones that broke in a way that was out of warranty. Their warranty sucks. You will pay for your iPhone until it dies. Then you will pay for a new one. Android based devices followed suit. Neither had this problem starting out.
I tied a string around mine and threw it into one of those organiser boxes that's full of all sorts of other small items; it's there, I just need to remember exactly in which box (out of several dozen like this) it is.
I just put it back in the box when I'm done
I have a stack of boxes in the closet, because I might need them someday
Yupppp; same here.
I think the Librem 5 (may've been another phone) came with a hole to attach to a keychain so it's the only one that I constantly have on me solely because someone thought to design for it.
I never throw out boxes, because I know as soon as I'm unable to get it back I'll need it for something.
not whether you have it – it’s whether you know where it is
I usually flip it to justify excessive organization: “if you can’t find it when you need it, you don’t actually own it.”
wise words
Or, you know, a hoarding problem…
Excuse me, what do you mean, 'problem'?
Laughs in paper clip
Finding the one that is small enough to pull off the job has been a pain. Recently switched to a new phone... And I struggled until I found
Just. The. Perfect. Paperclip.
And then I immediately dropped it between the center console and seat of my car.
I'll find it eventually. One day.
True. Go one step smaller: A needle will do too (don't ask me how I know)
Needle is pointy. Needle sometimes does not push button. Needle digs in and makes doubt and concern.
Needle may work, but requires dedication that causes anxiety. Needle maybe will break things inside and the only way to know for sure is to hit a very uncomfortable point of no return for the result.
Needle is danger maybe, and I hate the needle for that. But sometimes needle is necessary.
Wrong topic bud. We are talking sim card release pins here. NOT the official cisco reset tool.
It's good to finally get some recognition!
I keep one in my wallet.
I tried that, but it pierced through the leather and escaped
Keychain baby
it's within my phone's protection case, so i do have it right now. Also, anecdote, a random stranger on a bus was switching sim cards, and asked me if I have the tool, which I indeed I had!
I open so many tablets and shit at my work I have preferences on form. Samsung has the worst ones.
I keep one on my key ring, never know when you need to pop in a burner sim.
If you’re using a burner SIM in your regular phone then it’s not really a burner SIM.
Fine if you’re just using it to hide your phone number companies, but if you’re hiding from the authorities then it’s the devices IMEI which is going to sell you out I’m afraid.
IMEI's can be changed. (Which is highly illegal in many jurisdictions) It's not really worth the effort, I use it for when i need a new phone number for something and don't want it immediately tied to me commercially. If hiding from the authorities, don't use unencrypted comms.
They can but I don’t believe the average burner phone user would even know how.
I’m no expert but you would need to flash the firmware for the baseband modem. But then you would need a valid IMEI and then what happens with network collisions if it’s already on the network.
How do you verify you’re actually broadcasting the spoofed IMEI without some hardware to intercept the signals being sent out.
Just seems like a lot of effort when you can just use burner phones and not run the risk. With OPSec you only need to screw up once.
How about just messy? Occasionally I still find them laying around
I keep it in my keychain, save the back up ones in the junk drawer.
OP!!! RIGHT HERE!!!! I FOUND THE RESPONSIBLE AF PERSON!!!!
I found a pencil holder I had in the 1990s. It has these little drawers for erasers and stuff. I was like "oh cool, I can fill the rest of these with my SD cards and USB sticks."
So, while cleaning my desk looking for those, I found one of these. I was like "I'm pretty sure I had at least 2 of these." ...I found three.
I have one in my wallet - they are quite handy for cleaning lint out when the phone charging port inevitably collects enough to be annoying.
This works suprisingly well, thanks for the tip!
Had issues charging my phone lately and tried to clean it out with toothpicks etc to no avail. Used this thingy I also carry in my wallet and hey, works like a charm again
I threw all of those away. I have paper clips, and those eject holes are intentionally designed to be the width of a bent paper clip.
Those things are just a less useful paper clip.
They're easier to use, but a monotasker, so yea, gimme a paperclip
My kit:
I generally prefer the clear toothpick - easier to hold, came with a designer cupcake once (and I keep the flag on it because it's otherwise easy to lose a clear toothpick), generally better if the button is deeply recessed.
The paperclip phone tool is kept on the keychain between the USB micro card reader and the wallet sized SD card holder
smug look of superiority
Ah Fairphone 5 life
Same here, Sony Xperia
Just keep it in the box the phone came in with all the warranty documentation. I've never lost one of these
Same. And in the past decade plus of using smartphones, I've never had to open the slot except to install the SIM card for the first time. Why do I even keep it around?
Because the moment you throw it away a timer starts and in the next week you'll need it out of nowhere.
I miss sim slots.
Then don't buy a stinkin' apple device. It's that simple.
Hate them for what they are. A worse Microsoft.
I will start using esim the moment they are cheaper then normal simcards. But as long i must pay extra to not get a card (?) i will never switch.
I've seen a carrier charge for Sim cards, although I would personally still pay for the convenience of not having to figure out esim and if esims can be transferred between phones without any internet.
They still make phones with them, just not the big flagships
I need them for work so I got a fancy keychain one
Question: Is using paperclips a worse alternative? I've found them useful for those sim pinholes but im not entirely sure if its good practice
Paperclips are just fine, they're just not as ergonomic / easy to hold while pushing
It’s just a piece of metal that you use to push in another piece of metal, the same as the sim tool. They don’t cause any damage and are fine to use.
That looks quite sophisticated for the purpose, I love it. If a phone repair man pulls out one of these, the alarm in my head to make the good coffee will most certainly go off.
I have the ifixit screwdriver kit and one of the bits is a Sim card ejector. Does it count ?
"Looks like you lost your sim tray ejector"
or a hoarder
I have one... somewhere. Probably in a tiny box, mixed in with my random cables
I hate the random cable drawer, but I'm always pulling shit out of it cause I need something in there.
And that's why it can never go away. I keep mine in a box in a closet, but it's accessed multiple times a year. Hell, I just broke it out the other day for a VGA cable
I have a VGA cable, a pair of RCA cables, a PS/2 to USB adapter... I haven't needed any of them in over a decade but you never know.
Raz keeps track of mine
Yes, I keep them in the box.
I have the whole box. Because you know, it might be needed sometime :P
I still have my first smartphone. It's from 2011 and the screen is undamaged.
I also still have the extra plugs for the in-ear headphones that came with it.
ok sorry, right this way sir ==>
You still have it or you still use it?
I have it but I don't use it.
I have about 8 of those. I'm a fucking packrat
If you need any spares, let me know.
What if I have three sitting on my desk right now?
You could make a cool little Mitsubishi-like symbol/design with them
I have 3 lying around somewhere. Comes in handy every few years
I still have like eight of those. I bought some smart devices a while ago that all had them for the reset hole, so I’m stocked up for life.
Like seven a drawer somewhere. I don't know where though
I have three downstairs in the garage, now the real question is... Where in the garage tho.
I got like 20 of these motherfuckers and one hanging around my neck.
we need a picture to appreciate
You only need it when setting up a new phone. So once you put the card in, you put the tool back in the phone’s box and just stick that in a closet.
So I’m asking… how CAN you even misplace one of those?
What do you mean you don't take out the sd card every so often so you can quickly transfer 48GB of cat videos to your computer?
I have more than one. The key is the word somewhere.
I can confirm that this is false
Oh I for sure still have at least 10. But finding them when I need them is a whole other story
I have one in my wallet - just in case someone wants to steal my phone and I somehow have time to remove my SIM and SD before they take it.. optimistic I know
I taped mine inside the cell phone case.
That's honestly brilliant.
Oh. Thanks. That made me feel good. Don't hear that often.
Yes, in my drawer of miscellaneous tiny things, next to pens, tiny screwdrivers, and a few old microsd cards.
on my keychain with a set of handcuff keys and some earplugs lol
You sound fun.
One can never be too prepared. "Prepared for what?" is the question.
I have one with a big duct tape flag/handle. Stays in the phone kit with spudgers, tiny screwdrivers, etc.
i'm just old and still have all the boxes all my phones came in. anyone need a poker for a blackberry curve?
I have like four or five of these.
I have one in my tech pouch
I have mine under my phone cover. Got sick of losing them all the time when I needed one. Since I put it under the cover, I've only needed it about two times. (Under my cover for over a year).
I have a small zip bag of 100+ of these in a drawer. Sometimes you gotta pop out a SIM card. Other times you gotta hit a pinhole reset button to fix a rogue router. In a pinch, they're also a good shiv or shank.
I have dumped like 30 of them into trash recently because I tend to sometimes replace/repair phone parts for people and if you buy a replacement part it comes with this thing.
It's on my keychain
Sounds like a good way to stab yourself in the balls.
Im always looking for new opportunities
me to.
I keep one in my wallet.
chaotic neutral?
I have a bunch of them.
I keep one in my wallet along with a safety pin, hairpin, hair tie, and a twist key from an old fashioned roll top anchovy tin.
Any one of these things have come in handy a surprising number of times.
I'm sure I have it in a box somewhere, but paperclips open up SIM slots just as well as SIM tools do.
Two. I know exactly where they are.
I used to have it between my phone and phone case, but I gave it away to a family member in need as I have something better.
You know those tiny factory default buttons on various hardware? I have a homemade tool in my work backpack specifically for that - The thickest syringe needle my local pharmacy had in store, and I cut the end off. The protective sleeve made it fit perfectly in a pen holder in my work backpack.
Why thank you.
Ive always just used a hair pick when I cant find it 😂
I have the round bit in my screwdriver set, the pointy bit broke off so I also now have a bent paperclip in there too.
I think I lost it within seconds of turning my phone on for the first time lol
I've got plenty!
what is it?? never seen in my life
it's that little thingy that comes with new phones that opens the SIM card slot
What are they called?
SIM card ejector
they're called that SIM card thingy
Ive had them for a handful of different devices, but theyre typically used to push in the tiny hole for ejecting sim/data cards or manual resets
I have a whole key ring of these.
I sequestered mine in a box of tarot cards so I couldn't lose it
I have a draw with a box full of Luke 50 of these
Just replaced my phone so I know exactly where one is. I'm on eSIM tho, so doesn't really matter.
I have it. I just don't know where it is.
Planning ahead? Sounds pretty responsible to me
I just tossed several. I have used them rarely but kept up with every one ever
As foretold 🙏
I have multiple. I keep the phone boxes after I buy a phone. I probably still have them for 3 or even all my 4 smartphones that I've owned over the years.
I bought a multi tool that has one of these built in.
Lies and slander. I have several, specifically because I am not responsible and lose things often.
I have some smart devices that came with these so I appear very responsible.
I have two, and I know exactly where they are. If GPS were more accurate, I could give you the GPS coordinates for each of them.
A paperclip works fine.
Yeah. I have a Nintendo DS game box (still with the original game) where I keep such tiny things. Including various SD card adapters.
I have one in my wallet and one on my keychain.
tied it around my keychain because SIMs are still much more handy than esim. Phone service where I live charge a fuck ton of money everytime you re register with the QR.
How often do you change sim (asking for a friend)
its not really changing sim but more like changing phone. I have the big S24 Ultra but sometimes I just want something smaller and easier to carry, so I swap to a Zenfone 10.
Inside my phone case. Only makes sense to keep it with the phone.
I switch phone plans every few years, and I have no idea how esims work, so yes.
I still have the box for my phone with the SIM remover still in it lol
Yep, used it immediately to put the sim card in and then put it back in the box.
I do have one but it is because I'm lazy and dont go through my shit. I am not responsible.
I am the distributor of cell phones where I work. I have a box of these. They’re also useful to reset UniFi and other networking equipment.
I keep one in my keychain for the random instances I need one, especially when I'm away from home.
It's come in handy more than I thought it would.
I did that until it left a hole in my thigh. Now I have one in my desk drawer and center console.
I keep my keys on a dog leach clip on my belt loop, but I am sorry to hear that.
I keep one in my travel wire pouch thingy.
I stick them in a cork board.
I bought a bag of 20, stash them all over the place.
Nope. I got a pack of Resetamatron 3000s off Amazon to take up space in my junk drawer.
Resetamatron, hahaha.
I clicked... Dammit I didn't know I needed these.
In an electronics tool kit.
Mostly because the only time recall using that specific tool was when I got my Pixel 8, and that was shortly after release, so its been a minute.
oof yeah wow they're on what, the pixel 9 now? That was ages ago.
The ones I have seen most recently are so thin and flimsy that they are worse at the job than a paperclip.
I usually find my thinnest allen wrench and use that.
Forbidden abortion tool
One in my wallet at all times.
I pinned one to my wall in my bedroom just in case
You can buy screw drivers with a zillion different "proprietary" bits for driving whatever thing. This is one of them.
I've got at least 2 on my desk. Both from my new phones ( the one I accidentally fried in a lake and the replacement I got ). They're both connected to some little piece of magnet strip that I have no idea where it came from.
I usually have one, but right now I have a paper clip with one side folded out 90° sitting in my wallet.
No, I have OCD and everything has its spot
I do have one but don't know here is it in the sea of shit I have.
Absolutely not, lol; It's the opposite. I have a keychain one that I'm too lazy to remove. And it actually twists and gets caught in the holes on adjacent keys, so it's not like I never notice it!
Mine is in my case with adapters & extra SD cards.
Where that case IS however, fuckin, no clue.
I have like 3 😅 and I don't even need them cause my ifixit kit has one that's a screwdriver bit but I don't wanna throw them away lol
Multiple ones.
I still have it and I bought backups
Yep its not hard to keep around. How are people losing em just put it in the right place after you’re done using it.
I still have my Oneplus 3 box with all the things it came with. I switched to Pixel 6A last year, because my mom dropped it and screen broke.
I my keyring. Duh.
It's in my phone repair kit XD
Have one in my wallet, I change simcards often though, basically each new country.
Taped mine to the back of my phone, hidden by the case.
Probably, but it doesn't matter. A number of small improvised tools will do the same job.
I probably have like 3 or 4
probably
Oh really? I didnt know that, yes I still do and it's only one I have
One? Easely 10.
Yep I have 2 on a small o-ring with a usb memory stick I use.
I have 3, 2 ovals and 1 circle.
Attached it to the pen drive as a key tag
More than one actually. I keep one stabbed into my computer desk most of the time
Wait aren't those ADHD therapeutic help made so you can feel good about losing something that easily replaced by a paperclip for once instead of losing something actually important like your keys ?
I have one sitting on my fireplace mantle in a little dish. It's there to pop our Arlo doorbell off when it needs to come inside to charge.
I have a key holder with a fabric holder above it for random things. Like my checkbook for paying the gardeners, the mailbox keys, and this doodad is leftover from when I used to have a rechargeable front door camera doorbell.
Somewhere, yes..
what is that
It's the tool that you use to open the SD/sim card slot on phones.
I feel like everyone’s missing the joke here. That’s not the normal sim pen ejector tool. That’s the liquid metal one that they only made for like a year or two
Huh ibhaave two of these. What do you mean liquid metal? Like the thermal paste
https://www.cultofmac.com/news/apple-already-uses-liquidmetal-in-mystery-product-competition-answer
A bunch, but the cherry is taken by a dedicated SIM ejection tool bit in my IFixIt kit.
The ifixit toolkit has it - well with a hex shank.
But the last time i actually opened that hatch, i had to split a sliver off a wooden stick (coffee stirrer).
I got two ifixit kits and that's all I need, even though I stopped repairing the phone and just trade in every three years.
I use it as an embroidery tool instead.
I used to work for a cell phone "fixer" place. The quotations are because the hardware and software on iPhones is so locked down. Usually we would get iPhones that broke in a way that was out of warranty. Their warranty sucks. You will pay for your iPhone until it dies. Then you will pay for a new one. Android based devices followed suit. Neither had this problem starting out.
I have several, all in a big keyring. I used one of them once. So I keep them. One never knows.
I had one of these hanging out in my bathroom for forever. The little fucker wouldn't just go away.
This is the main reason I buy paperclips. I've got some of these around but I'm not sure where.
* AF
I tied a string around mine and threw it into one of those organiser boxes that's full of all sorts of other small items; it's there, I just need to remember exactly in which box (out of several dozen like this) it is.