Is your phone eSIM-ready? Two checks before you buy

Nearly every eSIM that cannot be installed has the same cause: the phone. Either it does not support eSIM at all, or it is locked to the carrier that sold it. Both are quick to check before you buy, and neither can be fixed from the eSIM side.

Check 1: does your phone support eSIM?

Most flagship phones released since 2019 support eSIM, but not every model sold in every region does, and some budget models never have.

On iPhone

• iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and every later model support eSIM, as do some iPad models with mobile data.
• Go to Settings, then Mobile Data or Cellular. If you see an option to add an eSIM, your phone supports it.
• Models sold in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao may use dual physical SIMs instead and may not support eSIM.
• iPhone 14 and later models sold in the US have no physical SIM tray at all and use eSIM only.

On Android

• Many recent Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy and other flagship phones support eSIM.
• Look in Settings under Network and internet or Connections, then SIMs or SIM manager, for an option to add an eSIM or download a SIM.
• If there is no such option anywhere in the settings, the phone most likely does not support eSIM.

A quick test on most phones

Open the phone app and dial *#06#. If the screen shows an EID number, a long identifier for the embedded SIM, the phone has an eSIM chip. If it shows only IMEI numbers, it probably does not.

Check 2: is your phone unlocked?

A phone bought on a contract or from a carrier may be locked to that carrier's network. A locked phone may install a travel eSIM but refuse to connect with it, or refuse to install it at all.

• On iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then About, and look for Carrier Lock or Network Provider Lock. "No SIM restrictions" means the phone is unlocked.
• On Android, the easiest check is to ask your carrier, or to try a SIM from a different carrier if you have one.
• If the phone is locked, ask your carrier to unlock it. Many do so free of charge once the contract is paid off, and some are required to by law in certain countries.

Other things worth knowing

• Phones that have been repaired, or that use certain enterprise management profiles, can have eSIM restricted. If your work manages your phone, check with your IT team.
• Some phones support only one active eSIM at a time alongside a physical SIM, or a limited number of stored eSIM profiles. Remove expired travel eSIMs if you reach the limit.
• Tablets and laptops with mobile data can use data eSIMs too, if they support eSIM.

What happens if you buy and it does not work

Checking compatibility before you buy is your responsibility, because nothing on the provider's side can make an unsupported or locked phone accept an eSIM. That is stated at checkout.

If you discover the problem before installing, you can cancel the order from its order page and the full amount returns to your balance, ready for a plan on a compatible device. Once a profile has been installed on a phone, it has been delivered and can no longer be refunded.

Two minutes of checking at home, one for eSIM support and one for a carrier lock, are the difference between landing connected and landing with a QR code your phone cannot use.