Will a SIM card in Hurghada work in a locked phone?

From messages by 2 participants in 1 source · Last activity: 76 days ago

TL;DR

Travelers report that Egyptian SIM cards from Vodafone and Orange worked fine in locked iPhones and Samsung phones without being blocked.

What the community said

Several chat participants reported cases where a locked phone with a local SIM stopped working (no calls, no mobile internet) but started working again on its own after about 90 days — sometimes coinciding with buying a new SIM from a different carrier. One user jokingly called it "Egypt magic," saying such random unblocking does happen, though it's not always explainable.

unblocks after ~90 days

In May 2025, a local SIM worked without any issues — no blocking occurred. This was tested on two phones simultaneously, so bringing a backup device turned out to be unnecessary.

One traveler was unable to get a SIM working in their locked phone, though this appears to be an exception rather than the rule. They plan to try again with a new device on the next trip.

One traveler used Vodafone one year and Orange the next — both worked without blocking on an iPhone and a Samsung. A carrier-locked phone was not an issue in either case.

Vodafone, Orange