If you love technology and mobile phones, there is no doubt you will miss any new updates happening regarding these two. And if you are a frequent smartphone user, you know about SIM cards but have you heard about the new technology eSIM? eSIM technology is the upcoming future of the telecommunication industry and has already made its way to the Indian market. But still many people are aware of this new technology, so here’s everything you need to know about eSIM.
What is eSIM?
eSIM stands for “Embedded SIM” and is a form of an integrated chip that is embedded inside mobile devices. It is sometimes also known as electronic SIM or Virtual SIM. It is a chip in your mobile devices that acts like a regular physical SIM. With this new technology, all the subscriber or user’s data is stored on the device itself. So, there will be no need for physical card slots. In these, users get all those services that are present in the SIM cards. eSIM will let the users change their provider without having to request a new SIM card as it is already present on their mobile phone. This is definitely the best replacement for the physical SIM.
How does eSIM work?
eSIM works like a regular physical SIM card, it’s just embedded in your mobile phone and you can’t remove it. This SIM works by letting you connect to second, third, or other mobile networks without swapping a new SIM card. So, it is having multiple networks in one phone. For this to work, all you need to do is download an eSIM profile which is provided by the operator or carrier to be able to buy an eSIM plan and voila, you are in a multi-network squad.
Which Types of Phones have eSIM Technology?
eSIM technology makes it easy to have cellular networks. If you have a new phone, it probably has eSIM technology already but still not every device, region, or country has this technology.
All the latest iPhone models and Apple watches have eSIM technology built in. Most of the latest android phones also have eSIM inbuilt. In android most of the Samsung Galaxy’s latest models like Galaxy S20 have eSIM, and Google Pixel mobile phones also have this technology. Nowadays, the latest laptop and tablets are also coming up with eSIM like the Microsoft Surface Pro LITE, the first Windows 10 to have eSIM technology.
The new Motorola Razr was the first smartphone to not have a physical SIM card slot at all, it only has an eSIM. The number of devices with eSIM technology is increasing day by day and soon it will be the era of eSIM cards.
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How to Activate eSIM on iPhones?
Iphones need either eSIM or physical SIM cards to activate your cellular plans or connect to cellular networks. However, not all models of the iPhone have all these options in all countries or areas. If your carrier supports eSIM technology you can activate eSIM in your iPhones. Some iPhone models can digitally store an eSIM provided by your carrier. You want to activate eSIM in your iPhone through the Carrier Activation method and Convert physical SIM to eSIM, so follow these instructions to activate eSIM:
Through Carrier Activation
- Some carriers directly assign eSIM to your iPhone so, you need to contact your carrier to initiate the activation process.
- When you receive the “Finish Setting Up Cellular” notification on your iPhone, Tap on it.
- Go to the Settings
- Tap on Cellular
- Tap on Add eSIM or Set Up Cellular.
Convert Physical Sim To eSIM On iPhones
You can convert a physical SIM to eSIM on your iPhone if your carrier supports it as not all models, countries, or regions support this. Follow these steps to convert SIM:
- Go to the Settings
- Tap on Cellular
- Tap on Convert to eSIM
- Select Convert Cellular Plan
- Select convert to eSIM
- Now, wait for your SIM activation. Your previous SIM card will be deactivated when the cellular plans in your iPhone have been activated again.
- Now, Remove your physical SIM from your iPhone
- Restart your iPhone
How to Remove eSIM from iPhone?
You may want to erase eSIM for various reasons like you want to sell or give away your iPhone or transfer your eSIM number to another iPhone. You might not want to erase your eSIM through troubleshooting unless it is said by your carrier. To erase the eSIM in your iPhone:
- Go to your iPhone Settings
- Tap on Cellular Data
- Tap on the plan you wish to erase
- Tap to delete the eSIM/ or cellular plan
How to Activate eSIM on an Android Phone?
To activate the eSIM technology in your mobile device, you need a wireless carrier to give you an eSIM profile. The carrier provider will give you a QR code to activate your eSIM on your android device. To activate your profile you need to follow these steps:
- To scan the QR code
- Click on the Cell Plan Detected notification when it appears on the screen
- Tap on continue at the bottom of the screen
- Tap on Add a cell plan
You can also get a confirmation code to activate the eSIM card, so enter the number provided by the operator.
Sometimes the carrier does not give you a QR code but will provide you with a set of information to follow up.
How to Remove eSIM from an Android Phone?
If you want to remove the eSIM plan then you should follow these steps.
- Go to the Settings
- Tap on Connections and then on the SIM card manager
- Select the eSIM plan you want to erase
- Toggle the switch to Disable
- Tap Remove