Emnify Statuses - Explained by Emnify Support

SIM Statuses

The SIM status reflects the lifecycle state of the SIM itself:

• Issued | The SIM has been created/provisioned but is not yet active on the network.
• Activated | The SIM is active and allowed to connect to mobile networks (subject to device settings and coverage).
• Suspended | The SIM has been manually or automatically disabled, meaning it cannot attach to the network. No data/session activity is possible.
• Factory Test | This is a pre-operational/testing state, typically used during provisioning or manufacturing. SIMs in this state are not intended for normal production use.

“Deactivate SIM” vs “Delete SIM”

These two actions serve very different purposes:

Deactivate SIM

• Moves the SIM into a non-operational state (similar to Suspended)
• The SIM remains in your account
• Can typically be re-activated later
• Used when you want to temporarily stop connectivity

Delete SIM

• Permanently removes the SIM from your account
• This action is irreversible
• The SIM cannot be reused or reactivated
• Used for cleanup or when the SIM is no longer needed at all

Device Actions: Enable vs Disable

These actions apply to the device (endpoint) and control network access, regardless of SIM status:

• Enable Device
  • Allows the device (and its SIM) to connect to networks
  • Equivalent to allowing traffic / connectivity
• Disable Device
  • Blocks the device from accessing networks
  • Effectively cuts off connectivity, similar in effect to suspending the SIM

Why you don’t see “Activate” on a suspended SIM

When a SIM is associated to a device, connectivity control is expected to be managed via Enable/Disable device.

This avoids conflicting states between SIM and device.

A quick rule-of-thumb is: Network Access = SIM Activated AND Device Enabled