In this article, we will be learning how we can switch from a physical SIM to an eSIM on your iPhone.
And iPhone has always been a single SIM smartphone until the recently launched iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.
The smartphones offer electronic sim support, aka eSIM. And the idea is to to provide a dual sim enabled iPhone.
What is an eSIM?
An eSIM is, as the name suggests, stored digitally on your iPhone so that there is no need of a physical SIM. This helps Apple offer a Dual SIM enabled phone despite not having space for an additional slot. At least that’s what they say.
Android has been offering this feature from a very long time.
Almost all the smartphones based on Android have been offering dual SIM support, even the Flagships like Samsung Galaxy S series and Note series.
How is Dual SIM support useful for iPhone users
There are many benefits of having a Dual SIM enabled iPhone.
You can use one number for Business and the other for Personal calls.
Or you can have SIMs from two carriers, one for calls and one for data, in case the best offers for Dala and Calls are from different Carriers.
It is also useful if you are travelling abroad, as you can keep your Physical SIM slot free for inserting a SIM for local communication.
How to Switch from Physical SIM to eSIM
If you want to convert your physical SIM from your current carrier to an eSIM, you need to make sure if the carrier offers the feature.
Majorly every carrier has been offering this feature. If you are not sure, you can start the search for your carrier on this page, which is maintained by Apple and is pretty accurate.
If you have your carrier in the list mentioned by Apple, call the customer service to ask them to activate the eSIM service on your number.
Once it is activated, it’s time to make changes to your iPhone settings to change from Physical SIM to eSIM.
- Open iPhone Settings option
- Tap General > About
- Scroll down to Digital SIM section
- Write down or copy the IMEI number from the list. (make sure you have this right, double-check it).
Call the customer service of your carrier and ask them you want to swap your Physical SIM to an eSIM. They would require the Digital SIM IMEI number you’ve written down.
Once the IMEI number is accepted, your carrier generates a new electronic ICCID number for your eSIM service.
Follow the instructions given by the customer service representative to receive the activation code information.
