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Internal SIM, or eSIM, is a technology that has been available in mobile phones for several years. Instead of fiddling with a small, physical SIM card, you can add a cellular plan electronically through the device SIM built into your device. With an eSIM on your iPhone, you can add up to eight plans, switch between them, and even use more than one at a time.
How To Transfer Sim To Esim Iphone
The iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR were the first iPhone models to offer an eSIM (along with a physical SIM), but the iPhone 14 lineup is the first to offer a digital SIM only, at least in the US. This means that US customers buying the iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Pro and 14 Pro Max have no choice but to add their primary carrier (and additional carriers) via eSIM.
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Now that dealing with an eSIM is mandatory, how does the process work? Learn how to add your primary carrier and any additional lines to your iPhone.
ESIM offers some advantages and disadvantages compared to physical SIM. Instead of taking care of the SIM card to activate your main carrier, you can do it yourself from the phone’s cellular settings. If you need to set up multiple carriers or plans, it’s easier to use an eSIM. Instead of removing and replacing a physical SIM card, you switch from one plan to another in the settings.
You can even have multiple plans running at the same time, one for calls and texts and one for data. This feature is especially useful if you’re traveling abroad and want to keep your domestic schedule active, even if you want to make a local schedule. It’s best to rely on separate phone numbers for business and personal use.
On the downside, eSIM is still not fully or widely supported by traditional carriers around the world. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon all support eSIM in the US, but many smaller carriers do not. Some carriers only support it with postpaid plans, not prepaid plans.
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Adoption is increasing, and Apple’s decision with the US iPhone 14 should prompt more carriers to act. Check Apple’s support page (Opens in a new window) to see if your carrier supports it in your country.
There are several different ways to add and activate an eSIM on the new iPhone 14. If your carrier supports eSIM Carrier Activation, they will assign aneSIM to your iPhone when you purchase it. This setup should be almost automatic.
Your iPhone must be connected to Wi-Fi to set up your plan with Carrier Activation. If your carrier activated an eSIM at the time of purchase (or immediately), your iPhone should display a notification with the message “Cellular plan ready to set up.” Click on this message and complete the process.
After the process is complete, you should call your iPhone to verify that you have cellular coverage through the eSIM.
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Alternatively, an option called eSIM Quick Transfer lets you switch from your old iPhone to a new SIM without contacting your carrier. To use this method, you select the Quick Start option when you first set up your phone. This will allow you to transfer data and settings from your old phone to your new phone.
Select your language and country, place your new phone next to your old phone until you see the Quick start message on your old phone. Go through each screen until you get to the screen to set up your ESIM. From here, click on Transfer from another iPhone button, then click on the Transfer icon to confirm the transfer.
A message will appear asking if you want to transfer the SIM to your phone number on your old phone. Click the Transfer SIM button. Double-click the side button on the old phone to confirm the transfer. The eSIM will then be activated on your new phone and connected to your carrier’s cellular network. When the process is complete, click the Apply button. Then take a moment to reboot your phone and call to make sure the service is active.
If you didn’t select the eSIM transfer option during initial setup, you can do so later. Your phone will likely remember to set up your cellular connection, but you can also go to Settings > Cellular and the Set Cellular button. Click the Transfer from another iPhone button, then select the Transfer icon to confirm your selection.
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Click SIM Transfer on your old phone. Double-click the side button on your old phone to confirm the transfer. Click Done, then restart your phone. Place a test call to make sure the service is running correctly.
Once you’ve added your primary carrier, you can open Settings > Cellular to add other carriers or plans to your phone. Click the Add SIM button and use the QR code (assuming you have a QR code for your provider) and scan the code.
If you don’t have a QR code, if you have an activation code and other information, click on the Enter data manually option at the bottom of the screen, then enter the required information.
After the plan is added, the primary eSIM and secondary eSIM will appear on the cellular screen. A request may appear asking you to assign a specific label to each SIM to distinguish it from one SIM to another. Your primary SIM may be marked as primary.
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Select the Label option for the second eSIM and give it a name. You can choose a given label, such as Travel or Business, or use the Custom Label field to create your own.
You can then decide how you plan to use each SIM card. For example, if you’re traveling, you might want to use your primary plan for voice calls and text messages and your secondary plan for data. You can determine this from the cellular settings page on your phone.
Tap Cellular data, then select the eSIM you want to use for your data. Allow cellular data transfer if you want both SIMs to provide cellular data. Go back to the Cellular Settings page, select Assigned Voice Line and select the SIM you want to use for calls.
You can adjust individual settings for each eSIM from the Cellular Settings page. Select different eSIMs, then make sure they are enabled and all relevant settings are correct. For example, if you’re not using your primary SIM card for data, turn off Data Roaming. If you are using a second SIM card for data, turn on Data Roaming.
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At some point, a secondary eSIM may not be necessary, especially if you have it as a temporary plan while traveling. To disable that eSIM, select it and turn off the switch next to Enable this line.
To remove it completely, click the Remove eSIM button and follow the instructions to remove it. After deleting the ESIM, select the primary SIM and check all settings to make sure they are current.
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What Is Esim? And How Does It Work?
I’ve been writing tutorials, how-to articles, and other consumer tech articles for it since early 2016. Additionally, I have written news and tutorials for various websites and publications, including CNET, ZDNet, TechRepublic, Macworld, Popular Science, Time, Fortune, US News & World Report, and AARP Magazine. I spent seven years writing news for CNET as one of the site’s East Coast correspondents. I’ve also written two books for Wiley & Sons – iOS 16 introduces a useful new feature that lets you set up cellular service and transfer an eSIM between iPhones.
Clicking the “Set up eSIM” button in the Settings app on an iPhone running iOS 16 enables you to transfer the eSIM and its associated phone number from another iPhone via Bluetooth. To transfer an ESIM from another iPhone, Apple says make sure the other iPhone is nearby, unlocked, has Bluetooth turned on, and is running iOS 16 or later.
The feature appears to be available in a few countries, including the US and UK, but it is possible to complete Bluetooth transfers of eSIMs issued by carriers that support the feature. Since iOS 16 was announced only a few days ago and is currently in beta, carrier support may be limited at this time.
Apple also continues to provide a more traditional way to set up an eSIM by scanning a carrier-provided QR code.
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An eSIM is a digital SIM that allows you to activate a cellular plan from your carrier without using a physical nano-SIM card. One eSIM is available