SIM swap, how long will it typically take, plus other advice needed please

[rp_yorkshire]

I was in an O2 store earlier to perform a sim swap, getting a new SIM (one which can be broken down to micro and nano sizes) to replace a very old full size SIM. ... Also need that new SIM for when they turn off human access to 2G (I understand they still haven't really set a date for that but this third party link suggests Oct 2026 as 2G restriction date   Switch Off Announcement – O2 2G and 3G - PiBlu Technologies ), though I understand that how 4G VoLTE will work on PAYG (even with one of the non-contract but still in practice pay by month with unlimited calls for X pounds per month) isn't explained yet either. ... I've been trying each SIM in my old phone for now, for the moment only the old SIM is still working. It has been quite a few hours since the shop and whilst I know the swaps CAN take up to 24hrs, I understand they usually SHOULD be a lot quicker? Does the fact it has already taken hours with nothing happening mean the sim swap has failed?

I did get an SMS whilst in the shop "Your SIM swap request is successful. Activation may take up to 24hrs.", I have since been swapping between which SIM is inserted?

Should I be leaving the old SIM in the phone until it goes to "emergency only" or should I leave the new SIM in the phone (which presently gives an "emergency only" network status) and wait for it to come alive?

I managed to log in to MyO2 whilst the old SIM was still active, hence why I'm typing here at all, and I set up my contact number as a backup phone (not on O2's network) which I keep to hand, so if I need to log in to MyO2 again then in theory I can get the SMS code to that number?? I'd plan to wipe that backup-non-02 contact number from my o2 account if the SIM swap goes properly, so my O2 contact number becomes my actual O2 number again?

I can't easily get to an o2 shop again for some time, and my backup phone is an SMS only phone so I can't use it to ring customer service if something goes wrong.

Is there anything I should be doing to ensure the SIM swap goes properly, and given it has taken several hours already does that mean something might be going wrong? As I said, I know it CAN take 24 hours, but in people's experience, does taking more than a few minutes (new SIM working before you leave the shop) or more than a few hours mean that a failed swap is likely to result?

Thank you

[MI5]

Patience is required these days @rp_yorkshire 

Some swaps have been taking up to 48 hours.

Leave your old working sim in the phone until it goes dead.

ALL ways to contact O2 here Guide: How to find help & contact O2 

[rp_yorkshire]

Thanks, putting the old SIM back in now. I'm assuming then that taking up to 48 hrs is a typical time, but that crucailly as soon as the old SIm does stop working, the new one should be workable almost immediately afterwards? Thanks

P.S. that thing I mentioned about an alternative contact number DOES work, it might be worth mentioning in a guide somewhere, that putting a non-o2 contact number in there for a while means one can log in to o2's forum/myo2 webpages/... when one's actual o2 phone is undergoing some sort of disruption. Alas there's no way to have multiple numbers in there at once, the 2 factor login prompt doesn't let you select your o2 number or the non-o2 number each time, it just uses the non-o2 number if one is present.

[MI5]

I've got two numbers on my account and can select between them both for codes, (one is on EE), so it should work for you too once your swap is complete.

The new sim should come online fairly quickly, but you may need to reboot a few times.

Guide: Migration & porting into O2 

[jonsie]

If the old sim is still active why not do the sim swap yourself?

Because if it is still active I doubt it will go through now

Guide: Sim Swap: a mini guide 2017 update 

[rp_yorkshire]

MI5, you're saying keep waiting, and could (and plausibly, even fairly likely, not just as a remote possibility) be the end of tomorrow before the old Sim stops working?

jonsie, you're saying to what, use the sim swap feature within the myo2 webpages? That would seem a pretty dangerous thing to try at a time when, in theory, something is supposed to be happening within o2's backend which is supposed to by tranferring my number over from my old sim to a new one. I have both SIM cards on hand, old one in the phone and still connected, new one waiting to put in when the old one stops, and I'm power cycling the phone (old one in it) every so often. I did get a text, immediately, in the shop when I began this saying the request for the swap had gone through, I've had no further texts or other communications about it since. It surely wouldn't be sensible to try performing the swap online though, until enough time has passed to know that the swap started in the shop hasn't worked?

Just to be clear, when I was in the shop it was some time between 1600 and 1700, so the working day would have ended not long after I was there. I don't know if the backend part of the sim swap process, after receiving the SMS about the request but before the old card goes inactive, has any element to it which is manual and involves someone who works 9-5 doing something to make it proceed?

[jonsie]

You could leave it until tomorrow and see if your old sim disconnects within the 24 hour time scale

However, with a working sim you don't do it online

You just send the text from your old sim as outlined in the link I posted

By text:

Text the word SWAP to 20220 from your O2 phone. You will get step by step instructions via text message. You will then be advised to enter the sim serial number of the new sim card.

It's a very simple process 

Note that if you're texting 'Swap' to 20220 to activate the SIM this needs to be sent from the old SIM only, the new SIM won’t be active to enable this.

[MI5]

Personally I'd wait @rp_yorkshire 

You have a confirmed active request in the system. Any further interaction whilst that is processing, however tempting, may just confuse matters further.