How to Install eSIM on iPhone and iPad

You can't transfer an installed HelloRoam eSIM to a new iPhone. Quick Start and Quick Transfer during iPhone setup don't work for it, and scanning its QR code again doesn't work either. A HelloRoam eSIM stays on the phone where you install it, so don't delete it from your old iPhone. If it hasn't yet made its first connection to a network your plan covers at your destination, email help@helloroam.com and we can issue a new eSIM. Installing it at home doesn't count as that connection. Once it's connected, its code can't be used again, and we can't issue a new one just because you've switched phones.

Install your HelloRoam eSIM on Wi-Fi at home before you fly out. When you land, switch on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and pick HelloRoam under Cellular Data. Your plan's days start when it first connects to a supported network at your destination, whether that's the US, Mexico, the Dominican Republic or the UK. Your Bell, Rogers or Telus SIM stays on for calls and texts, so keep Data Roaming off on that line to avoid roaming charges.

HelloRoam eSIM plans start from CA$1.44 and are priced by destination and data amount, with one upfront price and no daily fees. Compared with standard roaming from Bell, Rogers or Telus, you can save up to 86%. There are no setup fees and no contracts. Check the HelloRoam plan page for current prices in Canadian dollars.

Delete a HelloRoam plan only once it has ended, or if its eSIM never connected. Open Settings > Cellular, tap the HelloRoam line and choose Delete eSIM, or Delete Plan if your iPhone has several. Until that first connection, the same QR code can reinstall it. After it, deleting the plan loses your HelloRoam eSIM permanently. If you'd just like to stop using it for now, switch the Turn On This Line toggle off.

Your home carrier SIM keeps working normally after you add an eSIM. Both lines appear under Settings > Cellular. Your Bell, Rogers or Telus SIM stays active for calls and texts while HelloRoam handles your data abroad. Turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching so your iPhone doesn't switch back to your home carrier's data without you noticing.

Yes. Data Roaming must be on for your HelloRoam plan to work abroad. When you land, go to Settings > Cellular, tap your HelloRoam line, and switch Data Roaming on. Turning roaming on for your home SIM doesn't turn it on for the eSIM. Keep Data Roaming off on your home carrier line (Bell, Rogers or Telus) to avoid surprise roaming charges on your home bill.

Check the basics before resetting network settings for an eSIM connection problem on iPhone. At your destination, turn on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and pick it under Cellular Data. If that doesn't fix it, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings, enter your passcode and confirm. This clears saved Wi-Fi passwords and VPN settings but keeps your eSIM profiles. After the reset, turn Data Roaming back on for the HelloRoam line at Settings > Cellular.

A HelloRoam eSIM that won't activate usually has one of three causes. Data Roaming may be off on the HelloRoam line, the line may not be set under Cellular Data, or you're not yet on a network your plan covers. At your destination, go to Settings > Cellular > your HelloRoam line and check that Data Roaming is on, then pick HelloRoam under Cellular Data. If Carrier Lock at Settings > General > About shows anything other than No SIM restrictions, ask Bell, Rogers or Telus to unlock your iPhone.

When Add eSIM, Set Up Cellular or Add Cellular Plan doesn't appear on your iPhone, check three things. Your model must be an iPhone XS or newer. It must not be a mainland China model, where only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air have eSIM. And it must be unlocked: check Carrier Lock at Settings > General > About, and if it's locked, ask your home carrier for an unlock.

How long activation takes on an iPhone varies. The download needs a working internet connection, so if it fails, restart the phone and retry on another Wi-Fi network or a hotspot. Your plan's days begin once the eSIM connects to a supported network at your destination for the first time. On arrival, turn on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, then select it under Cellular Data. Still no data? Restart the iPhone, switch Wi-Fi off and give it 2 to 5 minutes.

On an iPhone 15, go to Settings > Cellular, tap Add eSIM and choose Use QR Code, then scan the code from your HelloRoam email on your laptop or a second phone. If scanning won't cooperate, Enter Details Manually takes the SM-DP+ address and activation code instead. Keep Wi-Fi on until the download finishes. The iPhone 15 holds eight or more eSIMs, so a plan for your next trip can sit beside this one, ready to switch on.

Work through these 5 checks when a HelloRoam eSIM stops working on your iPhone. Open the HelloRoam app and confirm you still have data and days left. At your destination, go to Settings > Cellular, tap the HelloRoam line and make sure Data Roaming is on, then choose that line under Cellular Data. Restart the iPhone once and, if needed, select a network by hand under Network Selection. Don't delete or reinstall the eSIM: its QR code only works once. If you're still offline, email help@helloroam.com with your order ID.

Any iPhone XS or newer can store eight or more eSIM profiles, with 2 active at a time. An iPhone 13 or later can run 2 eSIMs together, and earlier models pair 1 eSIM with 1 physical SIM. Profiles you're not using stay listed under Settings > Cellular, so switching between country plans never means reinstalling.

Everything eSIM on an iPhone sits under Settings > Cellular. That's where you add a plan, see each line, choose which one handles data and which one handles calls, and switch Data Roaming on or off line by line. To pick a network by hand, tap a line, then Network Selection.

Yes. A VPN app runs fine over a HelloRoam eSIM on iPhone: install it, connect, and the eSIM carries the cellular data beneath it. That said, a VPN is also a common reason eSIM data stops working, so if pages won't load at your destination, turn the VPN off and try again. Look up the local laws before you go, since China, Russia and some other countries restrict VPNs.

Yes, iMessage keeps working. If both lines are on, set your home number for iMessage in Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive. HelloRoam supplies the data connection iMessage uses, while your iMessage identity stays tied to your Apple ID whichever line is carrying the data.

Settings > Cellular shows how much data your HelloRoam eSIM has used. On a Dual SIM iPhone, that figure is for the line set as Cellular Data, so select the HelloRoam line there once you land in the US, Mexico or Europe. For the data left on your plan, open the My eSIM tab in the HelloRoam app.

You pick a network manually on iPhone through Settings > Cellular. Tap your HelloRoam line, then Network Selection, and turn Automatic off. Wait for the full list of networks to load, then pick your preferred carrier. If data is slow, try a different one. Turn Automatic back on when you're done, because it's the normal setting.

Yes. HelloRoam only works on an iPhone with no carrier restrictions. To check, go to Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock and look for No SIM restrictions. If your iPhone is locked to Bell, Rogers or Telus, ask that carrier to remove the lock, since Apple can't unlock it for you.

Three quick checks tell you. In Settings > Cellular, look for Add eSIM, Set Up Cellular or Add Cellular Plan. In Settings > General > About, Carrier Lock should read No SIM restrictions. And your model should be an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or newer, the 2018 models onward. Mainland China is the exception: there only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air have eSIM, while some Hong Kong and Macao models take two nano-SIM cards.

No. Your iPhone eSIM and an Apple Watch each need their own cellular plan. HelloRoam goes on the iPhone only, but a watch near the iPhone can still connect through it. The watch's plan is linked to your iPhone carrier, so if you're bringing a cellular Apple Watch on your trip, ask Bell, Rogers or Telus whether they offer Apple Watch roaming abroad.

A SIM-eject tool or a thin paperclip gets the SIM card out: push it straight into the little pinhole on the side of the iPhone and the tray slides out. US iPhone 14 and newer models don't have a tray at all, as they're eSIM-only. To use a HelloRoam e-sim, you can leave your physical SIM card in place. Your iPhone runs both lines together, and your home line keeps your calls and texts.

No. APN (Access Point Name) settings tell an iPhone which gateway to use for mobile data, and your HelloRoam eSIM doesn't need you to add or change them. If data won't connect at your destination, open Settings > Cellular, tap your HelloRoam line and switch on Data Roaming, then select that line under Cellular Data. Still no luck? Email help@helloroam.com with a screenshot of your settings.

Buy a HelloRoam plan for your destination in the HelloRoam app or on our website. We'll email you a QR code plus the activation details, and the steps on this page cover the install. Your iPhone must be an iPhone XS or newer and carrier-unlocked, so if you bought it through Bell, Rogers or Telus, check that it's unlocked first.

You turn on iPhone hotspot (Personal Hotspot) in Settings > Personal Hotspot by switching on Allow Others to Join. At your destination, set Cellular Data to your HelloRoam line at Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, then turn on the hotspot. Laptops, tablets and other devices can then connect to your iPhone over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB and use your HelloRoam data. Hotspot sharing counts toward your data allowance.

With Dual SIM, an iPhone runs two lines side by side: a physical nano-SIM with an eSIM, or two eSIM profiles on the iPhone 13 and later. So your Bell, Rogers or Telus number can stay on for calls while HelloRoam provides affordable data abroad. Settings > Cellular is where you choose which line handles data, calls and texts, and each line has its own plan and Data Roaming switch.

An eSIM is a SIM built right into your iPhone, with no card to swap. You add a plan by scanning a QR code or entering an activation code, and the iPhone downloads it over Wi-Fi. A HelloRoam eSIM works beside your home SIM: calls and texts stay with Bell, Rogers, Telus or whoever your carrier is, and HelloRoam covers the data abroad. Set it up at home and turn it on when you land. The plan's days start the first time it connects to a supported network at your destination.

Four things can stop an eSIM when your iPhone has a SIM problem. A carrier lock blocks outside plans, so check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. A line may be switched off under Settings > Cellular: after you arrive, turn it on, allow Data Roaming for it and set it as your data line. Your iPhone may still be searching for a supported network, so keep automatic network selection on and scan manually only as a test. And you may not be in your plan's destination yet. If none of those is the cause, email help@helloroam.com with screenshots, and don't delete the eSIM.