My iPhone 4 hasn't been detecting the SIM card for a few months now. I've cleaned it several times, tried with other SIM cards and nothing works. Is it a tray issue or a problem with the motherboard? Is it worth sending it in for repair or should I just buy another phone?
Clean the golden contacts on the tray really well with something dry and soft (a little cloth, even dental floss) because a lot of the time it's just accumulated dirt. If that doesn't work, the tray itself is cheap to replace and worth trying before you toss the phone. In the rare case that it's the circuit board, then yeah, the repair probably isn't worth it at this point, but honestly with an iPhone 4 it's already so old that even if you fix it, it won't last you much longer.
If you've already tried different SIM cards and basic cleaning, it's most likely the tray itself or the connector on the motherboard - by this point the iPhone 4 is pretty old and those components wear out. The tray is relatively cheap to replace if you find someone to repair it, but before you spend money on that it's worth ruling out the connector: you can try inserting the SIM with a bit more pressure or at slightly different angles to see if it picks up signal at any point, which would tell you if it's dirty contacts or a dead component. Honestly, unless it's a keepsake with sentimental value, a phone from that generation costs more to fix than what a decent used phone runs for these days, so you'd probably be better off getting a new one.
The iPhone 4 is pretty old hardware at this point, so if you've tried multiple SIMs and nothing's worked, it's probably not just dirt. What maybe hasn't been mentioned is trying something more aggressive: grab a toothpick or something with a really fine point and gently press the gold contacts inside the slot while you're inserting the tray. Sometimes the internal springs get stuck or misaligned after years of use, and a little push in the right spot gets them working again. That's actually worked for me with old phones.
That said, if that doesn't do it either, honestly at this point repair isn't really worth it. A new tray is cheap, but if it's the connector on the motherboard that's damaged, the fix costs almost as much as a decent used phone. The iPhone 4 is almost fifteen years old now, so spare parts are getting rarer and rarer, and techs charge quite a bit to hunt them down. You're better off saving those euros and starting to think about something more modern that'll at least last you another few years without surprises.
At this point, if you've already ruled out dirt and tried several SIMs, chances are the connector on the board is damaged and honestly it's not worth fixing - the iPhone 4 is old enough that any repair would cost more than finding a decent used phone.
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