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Your eSIM is not working: the checks, in order
An eSIM that is not working usually comes down to one of four things: the line is off, data roaming is off for that line, the phone is locked to a carrier, or the code was already used. Start at the top, and stop when the signal comes back.
All destinationsPick your destination
- 🇦🇺Australiafrom $2.49
- 🇧🇷Brazilfrom $2.49
- 🇨🇦Canadafrom $2.49
- 🇪🇬Egyptfrom $2.49
- 🇫🇷Francefrom $2.49
- 🇩🇪Germanyfrom $2.49
- 🇬🇷Greecefrom $2.49
- 🇮🇳Indiafrom $2.49
- 🇮🇩Indonesiafrom $2.49
- 🇮🇹Italyfrom $2.49
- 🇯🇵Japanfrom $2.49
- 🇲🇽Mexicofrom $2.49
- 🇲🇦Moroccofrom $2.49
- 🇵🇹Portugalfrom $2.49
- 🇰🇷South Koreafrom $2.49
- 🇪🇸Spainfrom $2.49
- 🇹ðŸ‡Thailandfrom $2.49
- 🇹🇷Türkiyefrom $2.49
- 🇦🇪United Arab Emiratesfrom $2.49
- 🇬🇧United Kingdomfrom $2.49
- 🇺🇸United Statesfrom $2.49
- 🇻🇳Vietnamfrom $2.49
Start with the line, not the plan
Most of the time the profile is installed but switched off, or it is not the line set for mobile data. That is two taps in the settings.
Installing needs a connection
An eSIM is downloaded, so it needs Wi-Fi or another working line. Install it before you leave, and it starts when it first sees a network abroad.
Some things cannot be fixed
A code installs once, and a phone locked to a carrier will not take another profile. Better to know it in five minutes than in an hour.
Three steps, then forget about it
- 1
Pick a destination
Search a country or region. The price shows in your currency, taxes in.
- 2
Install in minutes
Pay and the eSIM installs itself. No physical SIM, nothing to scan.
- 3
Land online
Your data is live the moment you switch on. Keep your usual number.
Good to know
- My eSIM says no service, what do I do first?
- Check that the line is on, that it is the one set for mobile data, and that data roaming is on for that line. Then pick the network by hand instead of automatically.
- Can I install an eSIM without Wi-Fi?
- Only if the phone still has another working data line. The profile is downloaded over the internet, so with no connection at all it cannot arrive.
- I scanned the QR code twice and now it will not work
- Each code installs one profile, once. If it was already used, scanning it again does nothing: the profile is already on a phone, and it has to be recovered from there or replaced.
Guides
- Data roaming is on but there is no internet: how to fix it
- eSIM installed but no service: what to check, in order
- eSIM not showing up in settings: where it went and how to find it
- eSIM QR code not working: why it fails and what to do
- eSIM keeps disconnecting: why it drops and how to stop it
- Why is my internet so slow abroad?
- New iPhone, eSIM not working: what changed and what to check
- Your phone breaks mid trip: what happens to the eSIM inside it
- Does an eSIM drain your battery?
- No network abroad even though roaming is on: what to check
- WhatsApp or iMessage not working abroad: the six things to check
- Can I delete an eSIM and reinstall it? Read this before you tap delete
- eSIM not working on iPad: what an iPad can and cannot do