How to Add eSIM to iPhone & iPad

There's no fixed time for eSIM activation on iPhone. The download just needs a working internet connection. If the install fails, restart your iPhone and try again on another Wi-Fi network or a phone hotspot. Your plan's days start when the eSIM first connects to a supported network at your destination. When you land, switch on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and pick it under Mobile Data. If data doesn't kick in, restart your iPhone, turn Wi-Fi off and give it 2 to 5 minutes.

Yes. HelloRoam eSIM plans work on any Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad with eSIM. Apple's list covers the iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation and later), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd to 6th generation), iPad Pro 13-inch (M4 and M5), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad (7th generation and later) and iPad mini (5th generation and later). To install, open the Camera app, scan the QR code from your HelloRoam email and tap the notification that pops up. Then follow the prompts to add the plan.

Only remove a HelloRoam plan from your iPhone if its eSIM has never connected, or the plan has finished. Go to Settings > Mobile and tap the HelloRoam line. Tap Delete eSIM, or Delete Plan if your iPhone holds several plans. Before its first connection, you can reinstall it with the same QR code. After that, removing it means your HelloRoam eSIM is gone for good. To pause the eSIM without removing it, switch Turn On This Line off.

You rename a HelloRoam plan on iPhone through Settings > Mobile. Tap the line, tap Mobile Data Plan Label, then pick a preset or type your own name. Something like HelloRoam Thailand or HelloRoam London makes it easy to spot when you've got two or more lines.

An iPhone XS or newer can hold eight or more eSIM profiles, although just two can be live together. From the iPhone 13, both of those can be eSIMs, while earlier models pair one eSIM with one physical SIM. Profiles you've turned off still show in Settings > Mobile, so switching between country plans never means reinstalling.

Yes. Data Roaming must be on for your HelloRoam plan to work overseas. When you land, go to Settings > Mobile, 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 Spark, One NZ or 2degrees SIM to avoid surprise charges on your home bill.

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

Yes, your iPhone needs to be unlocked (free of carrier restrictions) to use HelloRoam. Check at Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock: an unlocked phone shows No SIM restrictions. If yours is locked to Spark, One NZ or 2degrees, ask them to lift the restriction. Only your carrier can unlock it. Apple can't do it for you.

You make HelloRoam your main data line through Settings > Mobile > Mobile Data. Once you're at your destination, pick the HelloRoam line there. To keep your own number for calls, tap Default Voice Line and choose your home SIM. That way you use affordable HelloRoam data overseas while your home number stays reachable for calls and texts.

You can't transfer an installed HelloRoam eSIM from your old iPhone to a new one. Quick Start and Quick Transfer during setup don't move it, and scanning the QR code again won't work either, because a HelloRoam eSIM stays on the phone it's installed on. Don't delete it from your old iPhone. Before it first connects to a network your plan covers at your destination, email help@helloroam.com. Installing it at home doesn't count as that first connection, so there's still time. We can then issue you a new eSIM. Once that first connection happens, the code can't be used again, and we can't issue a new one just because you've changed phones.

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

Yes, VPN apps run fine 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 working, though. If data fails at your destination, turn the VPN off and reload the page. Check the local laws first, because countries like China and Russia restrict VPN use.

Yes. iMessage keeps working with a HelloRoam eSIM on iPhone. If you've got two lines on, pick your home number for iMessage at Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive. HelloRoam supplies the data that carries your messages, and your iMessage account stays tied to your Apple ID, whichever line the data comes through.

No. iOS updates don't delete installed eSIM profiles, so your HelloRoam plan stays on your iPhone after any software update. Once the update finishes, go to Settings > Mobile and tap your HelloRoam line. At your destination, check Data Roaming is on and the right line is set for Mobile Data.

Wi-Fi calling runs through your home carrier, not HelloRoam. Go to Settings > Mobile, tap your home SIM line, tap Wi-Fi Calling and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone. Your carrier, such as Spark, One NZ or 2degrees, has to offer Wi-Fi Calling for this to work. HelloRoam carries data only, not normal voice calls.

Aeroplane Mode switches off every mobile connection on your iPhone, both your physical SIM and your eSIM. To use Wi-Fi in the air, turn on Aeroplane Mode in Control Centre, then go to Settings > Wi-Fi and switch Wi-Fi back on. Your HelloRoam eSIM stays installed the whole time, and it can connect again once you turn Aeroplane Mode off.

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

eSIM settings on iPhone live under Settings > Mobile (it's called Cellular or Mobile Service in some other regions). From there you can add a plan, manage your lines, pick your default data and voice lines, or switch Data Roaming on or off for each line. Manual network selection is at Settings > Mobile: tap your line, then Network Selection.

Work through these 5 fixes if your HelloRoam eSIM stops working on iPhone. See how much data and how many days you've got left in the HelloRoam app. Once you're at your destination, turn Data Roaming on for the HelloRoam line in Settings > Mobile, and choose that line under Mobile Data. Restart the iPhone once, then pick a network yourself under Network Selection. Leave the eSIM installed, because its QR code won't work a second time. If you're still stuck, email help@helloroam.com with your order ID.

No. 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. Travelling with a cellular Apple Watch? Check whether Spark, One NZ or 2degrees offers Apple Watch roaming overseas.

Checking if your iPhone is eSIM compatible comes down to three steps. Open Settings, tap Mobile, and look for Add eSIM, or the button your iPhone shows instead when it 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, first released in 2018. In mainland China, only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air support eSIM, and some Hong Kong and Macao models use two nano-SIM cards instead.

Use a SIM-eject tool or a thin paperclip. Push it straight into the small pinhole on the side of your iPhone and the tray pops out. US models of iPhone 14 and newer don't have a SIM tray at all, as they're eSIM-only. You don't need to take your home SIM out to use a HelloRoam e-sim, because your iPhone runs both lines at once, with your home line for calls and texts.

APN (Access Point Name) settings tell your iPhone which network gateway to use for mobile data. No, you shouldn't add or change APN settings for your HelloRoam eSIM yourself. If data isn't working at your destination, switch on Data Roaming at Settings > Mobile > your HelloRoam line, then pick that line under Mobile Data. Still not sorted? Email help@helloroam.com with a screenshot of your settings.

Grab a HelloRoam plan for where you're headed, either in the app or on our website, and your QR code turns up by email with the activation details. The install steps above take you from there, whether you scan from a second screen or install on the iPhone itself. 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 > Mobile Data, then turn the hotspot on. Laptops, tablets and other devices can then join your iPhone over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB and use your HelloRoam data. Anything shared over the hotspot counts towards your data allowance.

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

An eSIM is a digital SIM already built into your iPhone, so there's no card to swap out. You add a plan by scanning a QR code or typing in an activation code, and your iPhone downloads it over Wi-Fi. A HelloRoam eSIM sits alongside your home SIM: calls and texts stay on your home line, while HelloRoam handles your data overseas. Install it at home, then switch it on when you land. Your plan's days kick off once it first connects to a supported network at your destination.

When your eSIM won't work because of a SIM issue on iPhone, look at four things. A carrier lock can block outside plans, so check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. A line setting in Settings > Mobile might be off: after you arrive, switch the line on, allow Data Roaming for it and set it as your data line. The iPhone might not have found a supported network yet, so keep automatic network selection on and use a manual scan only to test. Or you may not be in a destination your plan covers yet. If those all look right, email help@helloroam.com with screenshots, and keep the eSIM on the phone.