How to Add eSIM to iPhone & iPad

A HelloRoam eSIM can't move from your old iPhone to a new one. Quick Start and Quick Transfer don't work for it, and neither does scanning the QR code again. Leave the eSIM on your old iPhone rather than deleting it. 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, that code can't be used again, and we can't issue a new one just because you've got a new phone.

Plan it in three stages. Before you fly, buy your plan and install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi, leaving the line switched off. When you land, switch the HelloRoam line on, turn on Data Roaming for it and choose it under Mobile Data. While you're away, check the data you have left in the HelloRoam app. Your Eir, Vodafone Ireland or Three SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts.

HelloRoam eSIM plans start at €0.89. The price depends on the destination and the amount of data you choose. Compared with standard roaming charges from Irish carriers like Eir, Vodafone Ireland or Three, HelloRoam can save you up to 86% on data while you're away.

Yes. You rename a HelloRoam plan on iPhone through Settings > Mobile Service. Tap the line, tap Mobile Plan Label, then choose a preset or type a name of your own. It helps when your iPhone has two or more lines, such as your home number and a HelloRoam travel plan.

Your existing physical SIM stays active when you add an eSIM on iPhone, and both lines work at the same time. You choose which line handles data, calls and messages in Settings > Mobile Service. Your Eir, Vodafone Ireland or Three SIM keeps taking calls and texts while your HelloRoam eSIM handles your data when you're away.

A HelloRoam plan should only come off your iPhone once its plan is over, or if its eSIM never connected. In Settings > Mobile Service, tap the HelloRoam line, then tap Delete eSIM, which shows as Delete Plan when several plans are on the phone. The same QR code can reinstall it up to its first connection, but after that, deleting it means the HelloRoam eSIM is gone for good. To take a break from it without deleting anything, switch Turn On This Line off.

Check the basics first. At your destination, switch on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and pick it under Mobile Data. If it still won't connect, 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, switch Data Roaming back on for the HelloRoam line at Settings > Mobile Service.

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 Mobile Data, or you're not yet on a network your plan covers. At your destination, go to Settings > Mobile Service > your HelloRoam line and check that Data Roaming is on, then pick HelloRoam under Mobile Data. Still not connecting? Restart your iPhone and try a manual network under Network Selection.

If the Add eSIM option is missing from Settings > Mobile Service, check three things. Your iPhone 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 free of carrier restrictions, which you can check at Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. Then restart your iPhone and try again.

eSIM activation on iPhone doesn't follow a set timetable. The download needs a working internet connection, so if it fails, restart the phone and have another go on a different Wi-Fi network or a hotspot. Your plan's days are only counted from the moment the eSIM first joins a supported network at your destination. After landing, switch on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and choose it under Mobile Data. If there's still no data, restart the iPhone, turn off Wi-Fi and wait 2 to 5 minutes.

Three steps set up eSIM on an iPhone 15. Open Settings, tap Mobile Service, then Add eSIM and Use QR code. Scan the code in your HelloRoam email from a second screen, or tap Enter Details Manually and type the SM-DP+ address and activation code. Keep the phone on Wi-Fi until the download is done. The iPhone 15 holds eight or more eSIMs, so plans for a few different trips can sit side by side and you swap between them without reinstalling.

Start with these 5 fixes if your HelloRoam eSIM stops working on iPhone. Check the HelloRoam app for data and days remaining. Once abroad, switch Data Roaming on for the HelloRoam line in Settings > Mobile Service, and pick that line under Mobile Data. Give the iPhone one restart, then choose a network yourself under Network Selection. Leave the eSIM installed, because its QR code can't be reused. If you're still stuck, email help@helloroam.com and include your order ID.

You make HelloRoam your main data line on iPhone through Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data. At your destination, pick the HelloRoam line there. To keep your home number for calls, tap Default Voice Line and choose your home SIM. That way you use HelloRoam data abroad while your home number stays reachable for calls.

Not on your HelloRoam line. Data Roaming must be on for your HelloRoam eSIM to work when you're away. When you land, go to Settings > Mobile Service, tap your HelloRoam line and switch Data Roaming on. Keep Data Roaming off on your home carrier SIM (Eir, Vodafone Ireland or Three) to avoid unexpected charges from your home network.

Yes. VPN apps can run over a HelloRoam eSIM on iPhone. Install the VPN app, connect to the VPN, and your HelloRoam eSIM carries the mobile data underneath it. A VPN can also stop your eSIM data from working, so if data fails at your destination, turn the VPN off and reload the page. Check local laws before you travel, as countries like China and Russia restrict VPN use.

It does. iMessage carries on working with a HelloRoam eSIM on iPhone. When both lines are on, choose your home number for iMessage in Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive. HelloRoam gives iMessage its data connection, and your iMessage identity is tied to your Apple ID rather than to whichever line is carrying the data.

iPhone XS and newer store eight or more eSIM profiles, but only two can be active at the same time. iPhone 13 and later can run two eSIMs, while older models run one eSIM plus one physical SIM. Stored profiles stay in Settings > Mobile Service even when they're off, so you can move between country plans without reinstalling each time.

Your iPhone must be unlocked (free from carrier restrictions) to use HelloRoam. Check at Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock: an unlocked phone shows No SIM restrictions. If your iPhone is locked to an Irish carrier like Eir, Vodafone Ireland or Three, contact them to lift the restriction. Only your carrier can unlock it, and Apple can't do it for you.

Most QR code scanning problems on iPhone come down to five things you can fix. Give the camera lens a wipe. Put the QR code on a bright screen and hold the iPhone so the full code sits inside the frame. Turn up the light in the room. Close the Settings app and open it again. If it still won't scan, tap Enter Details Manually and key in the SM-DP+ address and activation code from your HelloRoam email.

Your iPhone eSIM and Apple Watch need separate mobile plans. HelloRoam installs on your iPhone only, though a watch near your iPhone can connect through it. Apple Watch uses its own mobile plan linked to your iPhone carrier. If you travel with a cellular Apple Watch, check whether your home carrier (Eir, Vodafone Ireland or Three) offers international roaming for Apple Watch.

Checking iPhone eSIM compatibility comes down to three steps. Open Settings, tap Mobile Service, and look for Add eSIM, or a set-up button if your iPhone has no line yet. Then open Settings, tap General, tap About, and check Carrier Lock: an unlocked phone shows No SIM restrictions. Confirm your model is an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or newer, out since 2018. In mainland China, only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air support eSIM, and some phones sold in Hong Kong and Macao use two nano-SIM cards instead.

A SIM-eject tool or a thin paperclip does the job. Press it straight into the small pinhole on the side of the iPhone and the SIM tray pops out. US iPhone 14 and newer models are eSIM-only, so there's no tray on those. You can leave your physical SIM card in to use a HelloRoam e-sim, as the iPhone runs both lines together and your home line keeps looking after calls and texts.

APN (Access Point Name) settings tell the iPhone which network gateway handles mobile data. For a HelloRoam eSIM, leave them alone: you don't need to add or change anything. If data won't work at your destination, open Settings > Mobile Service > your HelloRoam line, turn on Data Roaming, and choose that line under Mobile Data. Still stuck? Email help@helloroam.com with a screenshot of those settings.

Buy a HelloRoam plan for where you're going, either in the app or on our website. Your QR code and activation details then arrive by email, ready for whichever install route on this page suits you. Your iPhone needs to be unlocked and an iPhone XS or newer.

You turn on iPhone hotspot (Personal Hotspot) in Settings > Personal Hotspot by switching on Allow Others to Join. 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.

It means two lines working side by side on one iPhone: a physical nano-SIM plus an eSIM, or, on an iPhone 13 or later, two eSIM profiles. Your home number stays on for calls and texts while HelloRoam looks after data abroad. Under Settings > Mobile Service you choose which line does data, calls and texts, and each line has its own plan and Data Roaming switch.

An eSIM is a SIM that's built into the iPhone, so there's no card to swap in or out. You add a plan by scanning a QR code or typing an activation code, and the phone downloads it over Wi-Fi. A HelloRoam eSIM runs beside your home SIM: your calls and texts stay on your usual number, and HelloRoam looks after data abroad. Set it up at home, then switch it on after you land. The plan's days start the first time it connects to a supported network at your destination.

If a SIM problem is stopping your eSIM on iPhone, it's usually one of four causes. A carrier lock can block outside plans, so check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. A line setting under Settings > Mobile Service may be switched off: when you arrive, turn the line on, allow Data Roaming for it and make it your data line. Your iPhone may not have found a supported network yet, so keep automatic network selection on and treat a manual scan as a test only. Or you might not have reached a destination your plan covers. If all four are fine, email help@helloroam.com with screenshots and keep the eSIM installed.