SIM Only Guides & Advice

In-depth information to make you a smarter shopper.

We spend hours searching, trialling and testing – then make these guides so that you don’t have to.

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Using the Tor browser on a smartphone

On: Sunday, 29 August, 2021

Like certain dog breeds or brands of German cars, the Tor browser has become guilty by association in the eyes of many people. The actions of a malignant minority are enough to tarnish an entire brand, and a similar fate has befallen the To...

Tips for quickly adding charge to your phone battery

By: Neil Cumins

On: Monday, 23 August, 2021

It’s a common scenario. Just before leaving the house, you notice a red battery symbol in the corner of your smartphone screen. Disaster! It’s down to ten per cent! Suddenly, a nightmarish future unspools before your eyes – one involv...

How to perform a full factory reset on Android handsets

By: Neil Cumins

On: Sunday, 22 August, 2021

There comes a time in every smartphone’s life where its replacement sits alongside it, looking pristine in cellophane, patiently waiting to take its place. For many handsets, that time comes a mere twelve months after it was itself unboxe...

A beginner’s guide to USB-C cables

By: Neil Cumins

On: Saturday, 21 August, 2021

Since they first entered our lives, mobile phones have always been supplied with cables. Initially, these were purely used to replenish the battery. Then, as dumb phones gave way to smartphones, cables became a way to transfer media files. ...

A beginner’s guide to Android

By: Neil Cumins

On: Wednesday, 18 August, 2021

If you’re not technically minded, the science behind smartphone operating systems can seem complex, and even unfathomable. That’s particularly true for the Android operating system, which runs in mildly revised forms across numerous han...

How to avoid becoming a victim of number spoofing

By: Neil Cumins

On: Sunday, 15 August, 2021

Smartphones have been capable of displaying caller identification ever since the Nokia 1011 introduced the concept of multi-line screens in the early 1990s. More recently, it’s become commonplace for caller ID to be prominently displayed ...

A beginner’s guide to Bluetooth

By: Neil Cumins

On: Wednesday, 11 August, 2021

Bluetooth has become an indispensable component of modern smartphones. Intended primarily to connect a device with wireless peripherals, its uses have expanded to areas as diverse as data distribution and smart home security. In this beginn...

How to unlock your smartphone from a specific network

By: Neil Cumins

On: Monday, 9 August, 2021

In the Noughties, it was common for a new smartphone to have a discreet logo somewhere on its chassis, identifying the mobile network it had been supplied by. The presence of this network logo politely but firmly told you that the phone cou...

How to transfer an Android phone’s contents to another handset

By: Neil Cumins

On: Thursday, 5 August, 2021

Regardless of how well it’s looked after, or how infrequently it’s used, even the most cossetted mobile phone eventually needs replacing. When that day comes, the process of swapping over user data and account settings can seem daunting...

Do telephone area codes still matter?

By: Neil Cumins

On: Wednesday, 28 July, 2021

Before the 1980s, the phrase STD had a far more innocent primary definition. The Subscriber Trunk Dialling system enabled people to place and receive phone calls without needing a switchboard operator to connect them. Different regions were...