How to Add eSIM to iPhone and iPad

eSIM activation on an iPhone doesn't have a fixed timeframe. The download needs a working internet connection, so if it fails, restart the phone and try again on another Wi-Fi network or a hotspot from a second phone. Your plan's days begin the first time the eSIM joins a supported network at your destination. After landing, switch on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, then select it under Mobile Data. Still no data? Restart the iPhone, turn Wi-Fi off and give it 2 to 5 minutes.

Yes, as long as it's a Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad with eSIM. Apple names the iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation onwards), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd to 6th generation), iPad Pro 13-inch (M4 and M5), iPad Air (3rd generation onwards), iPad (7th generation onwards) and iPad mini (5th generation onwards). Open the Camera app, point it at the QR code in your HelloRoam email, and follow the on-screen prompt to add the plan.

Delete a HelloRoam plan from your iPhone only once its plan has ended, or if its eSIM has never connected. In Settings > Mobile Service, tap the HelloRoam line, then tap Delete eSIM (or Delete Plan when there are several plans on the phone). Up to its first connection, the same QR code will reinstall it. After that, deleting it loses the HelloRoam eSIM for good. If you'd rather pause it than delete it, switch Turn On This Line off.

Go to Settings > Mobile Service and tap the line you want to rename. Tap Mobile Plan Label, then choose one of the preset names or type your own. It's handy when two or more lines sit on the same iPhone.

Every iPhone XS or later can store eight or more eSIM profiles, though only two can be active together. From the iPhone 13 onwards, both of those can be eSIMs, while older models pair one eSIM with one physical SIM. Profiles you've switched off stay listed in Settings > Mobile Service, so you can hop between country plans without reinstalling.

Data Roaming must be on for your HelloRoam plan to work abroad. When you land at your destination, go to Settings > Mobile Service, 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 EE, O2, Vodafone or Three SIM to avoid unexpected charges.

You select a network manually through Settings > Mobile Service. 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've finished, as that's the normal setting.

Yes, HelloRoam needs an unlocked iPhone with no carrier restrictions. To check, open Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock: an unlocked handset says No SIM restrictions. If yours is locked to EE, O2, Vodafone or Three, ask that network to remove the lock. Apple can't unlock it for you, as only the carrier can.

Make HelloRoam your data line in Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data by choosing the HelloRoam line once you're at your destination. To keep calls and texts on your usual number, tap Default Voice Line and pick your home SIM. You then browse on affordable HelloRoam data abroad and stay reachable on your own number.

You can't transfer an installed HelloRoam eSIM from your old iPhone to a new one. Quick Start and Quick Transfer don't move it during setup, and scanning its QR code again won't work either. Your eSIM stays on the phone it's installed on, so don't delete it from the old iPhone. Before it first connects 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 first connection. Once it has connected, the code can't be used again, and we can't issue a new one just for a change of phone.

Check the basics before you reset network settings for an eSIM problem on iPhone. At your destination, turn on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and pick it under Mobile Data. Then 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 > Mobile Service.

Yes, a VPN app works over a HelloRoam eSIM on iPhone. Install it, connect, and the eSIM carries the mobile data beneath the VPN. Bear in mind a VPN can also be the reason your eSIM data stops working, so if pages won't load at your destination, switch the VPN off and try again. Check the local rules before you go, as places such as China and Russia restrict VPNs.

Yes. iMessage keeps working with a HelloRoam eSIM. If both lines are on, set your home number for iMessage under Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive. HelloRoam supplies the data that iMessage travels over, and your iMessage identity stays tied to your Apple ID whichever line is carrying that data.

iOS updates don't delete installed eSIM profiles on your iPhone. Your HelloRoam plan stays on the device after any software update. After updating iOS, go to Settings > Mobile Service and tap your HelloRoam line. At your destination, check that Data Roaming is on and the right line is set for Mobile Data.

Wi-Fi Calling belongs to your home network, not to HelloRoam. In Settings > Mobile Service, tap your home SIM line, then Wi-Fi Calling, and switch on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone. It only works if your network, such as EE, O2, Vodafone or Three, supports it. HelloRoam is data-only and doesn't carry ordinary voice calls.

Switching on aeroplane mode cuts every mobile connection on the iPhone, your physical SIM and your eSIM alike. If you want Wi-Fi while it's on, turn aeroplane mode on from Control Centre, then open Settings > Wi-Fi and switch Wi-Fi back on. The HelloRoam eSIM stays installed throughout and reconnects as soon as aeroplane mode is off.

You check HelloRoam eSIM data usage on iPhone through Settings > Mobile Service. With Dual SIM, your iPhone shows the data used on the line picked for Mobile Data, so pick the HelloRoam line there once you land in Spain, Greece or Portugal. The HelloRoam app also shows how much data your plan has left in the My eSIM tab.

You'll find iPhone eSIM settings in Settings > Mobile Service, which some iPhones call Mobile Data. That screen lets you add a plan, look after each line, set your default data and voice lines, and turn Data Roaming on or off line by line. For manual network selection, stay in Settings > Mobile Service, tap the line, then Network Selection.

Five things usually sort out a HelloRoam eSIM that's stopped working on iPhone. First, check the HelloRoam app still shows data and days left. Once you're abroad, make sure Data Roaming is on for the HelloRoam line under Settings > Mobile Service, and that the same line is chosen under Mobile Data. Restart the iPhone once, then try picking a network yourself under Network Selection. Don't delete or reinstall the eSIM, as its QR code won't work a second time. Still stuck? Email help@helloroam.com with your order ID.

No. Your iPhone eSIM and an Apple Watch each need their own mobile plan. HelloRoam goes on the iPhone only, although a watch close by can still connect through the phone. The watch's plan comes from your iPhone carrier, so if you take a cellular Apple Watch abroad, ask your home network (EE, O2, Vodafone or Three) whether it offers Apple Watch roaming.

There are three quick checks. In Settings > Mobile Service, look for Add eSIM, or a set-up button if the iPhone has no line yet. In Settings > General > About, Carrier Lock should read No SIM restrictions. And your model should be an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or later. Mainland China is different: only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air there have eSIM, and a handful of Hong Kong and Macao models use two nano-SIM cards.

Use the SIM-eject tool that came in the box, or a thin paperclip. Push it straight into the tiny hole on the side of the iPhone and the tray slides out. There's no tray to eject on US iPhone 14 and newer models, which are eSIM-only. You can leave your physical SIM where it is to use a HelloRoam eSIM, because the iPhone runs both lines together and keeps calls and texts on your home line.

APN (Access Point Name) settings point your iPhone at the right network gateway for mobile data. You don't need to add or change them for a HelloRoam eSIM. If data won't work at your destination, go to Settings > Mobile Service > your HelloRoam line, turn on Data Roaming, and select that line under Mobile Data. If it's still not working, email help@helloroam.com with a screenshot of those settings.

Pick up a HelloRoam plan for where you're going, in the app or on our website, and your QR code arrives by email with the activation details. Follow the install steps on this page to add it, from another screen or on the iPhone itself. You'll need an unlocked iPhone XS or newer.

You turn on iPhone hotspot (Personal Hotspot) in Settings > Personal Hotspot by switching Allow Others to Join on. At your destination, set Mobile Data to your HelloRoam line at Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile 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 towards your data allowance.

Dual SIM on iPhone lets you run two lines at once, using one physical nano-SIM and one eSIM. iPhone 13 and later can also use two eSIM profiles. With a dual SIM iPhone setup, you keep your home number for calls while HelloRoam handles affordable data abroad. Choose which line handles data, calls and texts at Settings > Mobile Service. Each line keeps its own plan and Data Roaming switch.

An eSIM is a SIM built into the iPhone itself, so there's no plastic card to swap. You add a plan by scanning a QR code or keying in an activation code, and the phone downloads it over Wi-Fi. A HelloRoam eSIM sits beside your home SIM: your number keeps handling calls and texts while HelloRoam covers data abroad. Install it before you travel and turn it on when you arrive. The plan's days start the first time it connects to a supported network there.

When a SIM problem stops your iPhone eSIM working, it's usually one of four things. A carrier lock can block any outside plan, so check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. A line setting under Settings > Mobile Service may be off: after you land, switch the line on, allow Data Roaming for it and make it your data line. The iPhone may not have found a supported network yet, so keep automatic network selection on and only use a manual scan to test. Or you may not be in a destination your plan covers yet. If all four look fine, email help@helloroam.com with screenshots, and don't delete the eSIM.