eSIM Setup Guide

Installing an eSIM takes about two minutes. This page covers the parts that are the same on every phone; the device guides linked below have the exact menu paths.

• iPhone (iOS 16, 17, 18 and later)
• Samsung Galaxy (One UI)
• Google Pixel
• Other Android phones

Before you start

1. Check your phone supports eSIM. Dial *#06#. If the panel that appears lists an EID alongside the IMEI, the phone has eSIM hardware. Broadly: iPhone XR/XS and later, Google Pixel 3 and later, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold, and many recent Motorola, Sony, OPPO and Xiaomi models.
2. Check your phone is unlocked. A carrier-locked handset will download the profile and then refuse to connect. On an iPhone, look at Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock; it must say "No SIM restrictions". On Android, ask the carrier the phone was bought from.
3. Get on Wi-Fi. Downloading the profile needs an internet connection, and you will not have one from the new plan yet.
4. Decide where the QR code will be. The easiest method is to scan it from another screen — a laptop, a tablet, a printout. If you only have the one phone, use the manual-entry method instead; it works just as well.

The general steps

1. Open your phone's mobile network settings and choose to add an eSIM.
2. Scan the QR code from your delivery email, or choose to enter the details by hand.
3. Wait for the profile to download — one to three minutes is normal. Do not close the settings app while it works.
4. Give the plan a label you will recognise, such as "Travel".
5. Set mobile data to the new plan, and leave calls and texts on your existing line.
6. Turn data roaming ON for the new plan.
7. Turn mobile data off on your home line so it cannot be used by accident.

Entering the details by hand

If you cannot scan a QR code, your delivery page shows the same information as text. The activation code we issue looks like this:

LPA:1$rsp.example.com$K2-4RT-9QW

It splits at the dollar signs into the two fields your phone asks for:

• SM-DP+ address (sometimes "server"): the middle part — rsp.example.com
• Activation code: the last part — K2-4RT-9QW

Leave the confirmation code field blank unless we gave you one. Some Android phones ask for a single "activation code" instead of two fields — in that case paste the whole string, LPA:1$ and all.

Why data roaming has to be on

Travel eSIMs connect to a partner network rather than to a network they "belong" to, and your phone classifies that as roaming. With roaming switched off, the eSIM will show full signal bars and pass no data, or show "No Service" entirely. Turning it on for the travel plan costs nothing extra — the plan is prepaid and the price you paid is the price.

Turn roaming off on your home line at the same time. That is the line that can generate expensive charges.

APN settings

The Access Point Name is the setting that tells your phone how to reach the network's data service. It normally configures itself. If your eSIM shows signal but nothing loads, set it manually using the APN shown on your delivery page — your device guide has the exact menu path. Leave the username and password fields empty unless we told you otherwise.

Checking that it worked

• The plan appears in your mobile network settings with signal next to it.
• Turn Wi-Fi off and load a web page. If it loads, you are done.
• An eSIM that has just been installed but not yet used shows no data consumption — that is normal, and validity has not started.

When it will not connect

1. Switch airplane mode on, wait 30 seconds, switch it off. This forces a fresh network registration and fixes most cases.
2. Restart the phone.
3. Confirm the eSIM line is switched on and set as the mobile data line.
4. Confirm data roaming is on for that line.
5. Set network selection to manual and pick the operator listed on your delivery page, then set it back to automatic.
6. Enter the APN by hand.
7. Check you are inside the plan's coverage area. A USA plan does not work in Canada or Mexico, and a Europe plan does not work outside the listed countries.

Still stuck? Contact support with your order number and tell us what your phone shows — signal bars, "No Service", or signal with no data. That one detail usually identifies the problem immediately.