Guides / 6 min read
Installing an eSIM, step by step
Installing an eSIM takes about two minutes and goes wrong in roughly three predictable ways. This covers the process on both platforms and the fixes for each failure.
Install before you travel if you can. The process needs an internet connection, and the most frustrating version of this task is doing it on airport wifi while a taxi queue grows.
Before you start
Check the phone supports eSIM and is carrier unlocked. On iPhone, Settings then General then About will show an EID if the hardware is present. On most Android phones, dialling the code hash 06 hash displays the EID alongside the IMEI.
A locked handset has eSIM hardware but will refuse a profile from another operator, which produces a confusing error rather than a clear explanation. If the phone came free with a contract that is still running, assume it is locked until proven otherwise.
On iPhone
Open Settings, then Cellular or Mobile Service, then Add eSIM, and choose to use a QR code. Point the camera at the code and confirm. The phone downloads the profile and asks you to label it, which is worth doing properly because the default names are unhelpful.
Next choose your default line. Keep your usual SIM as the voice line and set the new profile as cellular data. Turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching so the phone does not quietly fall back to your expensive home SIM.
Finally, open the new line and enable Data Roaming for it. This step is skipped constantly and is the single most common reason a profile installs and then does nothing abroad.
On Android
The path varies by manufacturer but is usually Settings, then Network and Internet or Connections, then SIMs or SIM Manager, then Add eSIM or Download a SIM instead. Scan the QR code and confirm.
Once installed, set the profile as the mobile data SIM and enable roaming on that profile specifically. Samsung and Pixel both keep the roaming toggle inside the individual SIM settings rather than in the global network menu.
- Install on a stable connection, ideally before departure
- Label the profile so you can tell the lines apart
- Set it as the data line, keep your normal SIM for calls
- Enable data roaming on the new profile
When it does not work
If the QR code is rejected, the usual cause is that the profile has already been installed once, since a code can only be used a single time. Delete any half-installed profile and use the manual activation string instead.
If the profile installs but there is no service, check data roaming on that line, then toggle airplane mode for ten seconds to force a fresh network scan. If it still fails, select the network manually from the operator list rather than leaving it on automatic.
If speeds are poor in one place and fine in another, that is normal partner network behaviour rather than a fault. Manual network selection often finds a better mast than automatic does.
Moving to a new phone
An eSIM profile is tied to the device it was installed on, so a new phone needs a fresh installation rather than a copy. Keep the recovery token safe and the profile can be reissued to the new handset without losing your balance.
Delete the profile from the old phone before selling or recycling it, the same way you would remove a plastic SIM.