How to activate an eSIM, step by step

Installing an eSIM takes about two minutes and almost always works first time. The parts that go wrong are predictable, and nearly all of them come from doing it in the wrong place at the wrong moment.

Before you start

Do it at home, on wifi, before you travel. Your phone downloads the profile from a server, so it needs an internet connection. Landing abroad with no data and trying to install one there is the single most common way to have a bad first hour.

Installing early costs nothing. The plan normally starts counting when the line first connects to a network abroad, not when you install, though it is worth confirming that with your provider.

Check the phone can take one. Dial *#06#. If you see an EID, the phone has an eSIM chip. No EID usually means no eSIM.

Check the phone is not locked. A carrier-locked phone often installs the profile happily and then refuses to connect, which looks like a broken eSIM and is not. On iPhone: Settings, General, About, then Carrier Lock. "No SIM restrictions" is what you want.

On iPhone

1. Settings, then Cellular (or Mobile Service, depending on your region).
2. Add eSIM.
3. Choose Use QR Code, and point the camera at the code your provider sent.
4. If you are reading the code on the same phone, there is no camera shot to take: choose the manual option and paste the activation string instead, the one that starts LPA:1$. That is the same thing as the QR code, written out. See what an LPA string is.
5. Give the line a label you will recognise, like "Japan" or "Travel". You will be switching between lines in a hurry later.

On Android

The wording varies by manufacturer, the shape does not.

1. Settings, then Network and internet or Connections.
2. SIMs, SIM manager or Mobile network, depending on the phone.
3. Add eSIM, Add mobile plan or the + next to your current SIM.
4. Scan the QR code, or choose to enter the details by hand.

On Samsung the path is usually Settings, Connections, SIM manager, Add eSIM. On Pixel it is Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, then the plus.

The three settings that actually matter

The profile is installed. It will still not work until these are right, and this is where nearly every "my eSIM doesn't work" message comes from.

• Travel eSIM: data roaming ON, for that line. This feels wrong and is correct. A travel eSIM rides on partner networks, so the phone treats it as roaming. With the switch off it shows full signal and carries nothing. The long version is in what data roaming is.
• Home line: data roaming OFF. It stays in the phone for calls and texts without quietly connecting abroad and billing you.
• Cellular data: set to the travel eSIM. Having it on and not selected is the other half of the same mistake.

On iPhone all three are in Settings, Cellular. On Android they are split between the SIM manager and the mobile network settings for each line.

When to turn it on

Install at home, then leave the line off until you land. Switching it on at the gate or on the plane does nothing useful and can start a validity clock early on some plans.

When you arrive: turn the line on, turn airplane mode off, wait a minute or two for it to register. If nothing happens after five minutes, toggle airplane mode once.

What the errors mean

"Unable to activate" or a timeout: almost always your internet connection rather than the eSIM. Move to better wifi and try again.

"This code is no longer valid": the profile has already been installed somewhere. Activation codes are normally good for one install. Check your eSIM list in Settings before asking for a new one, because it may already be there.

Installed, full signal, no internet: the three settings above, in that order. Then check whether the phone is carrier locked.

No "Add eSIM" option at all: the phone has no eSIM support, or the carrier lock is hiding it.

Quick answers

How do I activate an eSIM?

Settings, Cellular, Add eSIM on iPhone, or Settings, Network, SIMs, Add eSIM on Android. Scan the QR code or paste the activation string, then turn data roaming on for that line and set it as the line for cellular data.

Do I need internet to install an eSIM?

Yes. The phone downloads the profile from a server, so install at home on wifi rather than after you land.

Should I install the eSIM before I travel?

Yes. Install at home and leave the line switched off until you arrive. The plan normally starts when the line first connects abroad, not when you install.

My eSIM is installed but there is no internet. Why?

Nearly always one of three switches: data roaming off on the travel line, the home line still selected for cellular data, or the phone is carrier locked. Check them in that order.