How to Add eSIM to iPhone & iPad

A HelloRoam eSIM cannot be transferred to a new iPhone once it is installed. Quick Start and Quick Transfer do not move it, and scanning the QR code again will not work either. It stays tied to the phone you install it on, so do not delete it from your old iPhone. If you switch phones before your plan first connects to a network at your destination, email help@helloroam.com and we can issue a new eSIM. Installing it at home does not count as that first connection. Once it connects, the code cannot be used again, and we cannot issue a new eSIM just because you changed phones.

Install your HelloRoam plan at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. When you land in Japan, South Korea, Thailand or Australia, switch on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and select HelloRoam under Mobile Data. Your plan's days start when it first connects to a supported network there. Your Singtel, StarHub or M1 SIM stays in the tray for calls and texts, so keep Data Roaming off on that line.

HelloRoam eSIM plans start from S$1.32. The price depends on your destination and how much data you choose, and you can pick a fixed data plan or an unlimited plan. Compared with standard roaming from Singtel, StarHub or M1, you can save up to 86%. There are no contracts and no monthly fees.

Only remove a HelloRoam plan if its eSIM has never connected or the plan has run out. Open Settings > Mobile Service, tap the HelloRoam line and choose Delete eSIM, or Delete Plan if there are several plans on the phone. Before the first connection, you can reinstall it using the same QR code, but after that a removed HelloRoam eSIM is gone for good. To simply stop using it, switch Turn On This Line off and keep it installed.

Your physical SIM keeps working when you add an eSIM on iPhone. Both lines run at the same time with Dual SIM, and you choose which line handles calls, messages and data under Settings > Mobile Service. Your Singtel, StarHub or M1 SIM keeps receiving calls and texts while HelloRoam handles your data overseas. Nothing on your physical SIM is deleted or changed.

iPhone XS and newer store eight or more eSIM profiles, but only 2 can be active at once. iPhone 13 and later can run 2 eSIMs, while older models run 1 eSIM plus 1 physical SIM. Stored profiles stay in Settings > Mobile Service even when switched off, so you can move between country plans without reinstalling each time.

Check the basics before you reset network settings for an eSIM connection issue on iPhone. At your destination, turn on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, and select it under Mobile Data. If the issue remains, 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.

An installed HelloRoam eSIM that will not activate usually has one of three causes. Data Roaming is off on the HelloRoam line, the line is not selected under Mobile Data, or you have not reached a network your plan covers yet. At your destination, go to Settings > Mobile Service > your HelloRoam line, check that Data Roaming is on, then select HelloRoam under Mobile Data. Still no connection? Restart your iPhone and choose a network manually under Network Selection.

If you have already installed a HelloRoam eSIM but cannot see it, open Settings > Mobile Service and look for the HelloRoam line in your list of lines. If it is there but off, tap it and switch on Turn On This Line. If there is no Add eSIM option at all, your iPhone may be older than the iPhone XS or a mainland China model. It may also be locked to a carrier, so check Carrier Lock at Settings > General > About.

iPhone eSIM activation does not have a fixed duration. The download requires a working internet connection, so if installation fails, restart the iPhone and try another Wi-Fi network or a hotspot from a second phone. The plan's days begin only when the eSIM first connects to a supported network at your destination. After landing, turn on the HelloRoam line and Data Roaming, then select the line under Mobile Data. If data still does not come through, restart the iPhone, switch off Wi-Fi and wait 2 to 5 minutes.

On an iPhone 15, eSIM setup is three steps. Go to Settings > Mobile Service, tap Add eSIM and then Use QR Code. Either scan the QR code in your HelloRoam email from a second screen, or tap Enter Details Manually and key in the SM-DP+ address and activation code. Remain on Wi-Fi until the eSIM has downloaded. As the iPhone 15 stores eight or more eSIM profiles, plans for different trips can stay on the phone, and switching between them needs no new code.

Try these 5 fixes if your HelloRoam eSIM stops working on iPhone. Check your data and days left in the HelloRoam app. At your destination, turn Data Roaming on at Settings > Mobile Service for your HelloRoam line. Select that line under Mobile Data. Restart your iPhone once, then choose a network manually under Network Selection. Do not delete or reinstall the eSIM, because its QR code cannot be used again. If nothing works, email help@helloroam.com with your order ID.

You set HelloRoam as your primary data line on iPhone through Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data. At your destination, select the HelloRoam line there. To keep your home number for calls, tap Default Voice Line and choose your home SIM. You then use HelloRoam data abroad while your home number stays active for calls.

Not on your HelloRoam line. Data Roaming must be on for your HelloRoam eSIM to work overseas, so when you land, go to Settings > Mobile Service, tap your HelloRoam line and switch Data Roaming on. Do keep it off on your Singtel, StarHub or M1 line to avoid roaming charges from your home carrier. Turning roaming on for your home SIM does not turn it on for the eSIM.

Yes. VPN apps can run over a HelloRoam eSIM on iPhone. Install the VPN app, connect to the VPN, and HelloRoam eSIM carries the mobile data underneath it. A VPN can also stop your eSIM data from working. If data fails at your destination, turn the VPN off and load the page again. Check local laws first, as countries such as China and Russia restrict VPN use.

Yes. If both SIMs are active, set iMessage to your home number at Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive. HelloRoam carries the data for iMessage, and your iMessage identity stays with your Apple ID no matter which line supplies the data.

Yes. You can add a HelloRoam eSIM to your iPhone without scanning a QR code by entering the details from your HelloRoam email instead. Open Settings > Mobile Service, tap Add eSIM, then Use QR Code, and tap Enter Details Manually under the camera box. Paste the SM-DP+ address and the activation code into their fields. On an older iOS version, or an iPhone with no line yet, the button in place of Add eSIM has a different name. Tap that button instead.

A few things can stop Add eSIM from showing under Settings > Mobile Service on your iPhone. First, check your model: only the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and newer support eSIM. Second, if you bought your iPhone in China mainland, only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air have eSIM there. Third, some iPhone models from Hong Kong or Macao use two nano-SIM cards instead and have no eSIM. Fourth, a carrier-locked iPhone cannot add a HelloRoam plan until your carrier unlocks it. Check Settings > General > About for Carrier Lock status.

Five fixes clear up most QR code scanning issues on iPhone. Clean your camera lens. Show the QR code on a bright screen and hold your iPhone so the whole code fits inside the frame. Improve the room lighting. Close and reopen the Settings app. If none of these work, tap Enter Details Manually and enter the SM-DP+ address and activation code from your HelloRoam email.

Yes, through your home carrier's Wi-Fi Calling, not through HelloRoam. Go to Settings > Mobile Service, tap your Singtel, StarHub or M1 line, tap Wi-Fi Calling and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone. Your home carrier must offer Wi-Fi Calling for this to work. HelloRoam carries data only, not normal voice calls.

Three checks confirm whether your iPhone supports eSIM. Under Settings > Mobile Service, see if the Add eSIM option is there. Under Settings > General > About, Carrier Lock should read No SIM restrictions. Your model should be an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or newer, released from 2018. Units sold for China mainland differ: only the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and Air there have eSIM, and some Hong Kong and Macao models use two nano-SIM cards instead.

You eject the SIM card from an iPhone with a SIM-eject tool or a thin paperclip. Push the tool straight into the small pinhole on the side of the iPhone, and the tray pops out. US models of iPhone 14 and newer have no physical SIM tray because they are eSIM-only. You do not need to remove your physical SIM to use a HelloRoam e-sim, since your iPhone runs both lines at once, with your home line for calls and texts.

No. APN (Access Point Name) settings tell your iPhone which network gateway to use for mobile data, and your HelloRoam eSIM sets its APN automatically, so do not add or edit it yourself. If data does not work at your destination, turn on Data Roaming at Settings > Mobile Service > your HelloRoam line and select that line under Mobile Data. If the problem continues, email help@helloroam.com with a screenshot of your settings.

Get a plan for your destination in the HelloRoam app or on our website, and we'll email you a QR code with the activation details. From there, follow the install steps earlier on this page. You'll need an unlocked iPhone XS or newer.

Turn on Personal Hotspot at Settings > Personal Hotspot by switching on Allow Others to Join. At your destination, first set Mobile Data to your HelloRoam line at Settings > Mobile Service > Mobile Data, then turn the hotspot on. Laptops, tablets and other devices can then connect to your iPhone over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB and use your HelloRoam data. Anything shared through the hotspot counts towards your data allowance.

Dual SIM on iPhone runs two lines at once, one physical nano-SIM and one eSIM, and iPhone 13 and later can also use two eSIM profiles. With a dual SIM setup, your Singtel, StarHub or M1 number stays active for calls while HelloRoam handles affordable data overseas. Choose which line handles data, calls and SMS at Settings > Mobile Service. Each line keeps its own plan and its own Data Roaming switch.

An eSIM is a SIM that is built into the iPhone, so you never swap a physical card. 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 sits alongside your Singtel, StarHub or M1 SIM: calls and SMS remain on your usual number while HelloRoam provides the data overseas. Install it before you fly and switch it on after landing. Your plan's days begin the first time it connects to a supported network at your destination.

There are four usual reasons a SIM issue stops an iPhone eSIM. A carrier lock prevents any outside plan from activating, so check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. A line setting in Settings > Mobile Service may be switched off: on arrival, turn the line on, enable Data Roaming for it and select it as your data line. The iPhone may not yet have found a supported network, so keep automatic network selection on and run a manual scan only as a test. Or you may not have reached a destination your plan covers. If all four are in order, email help@helloroam.com with screenshots, and keep the eSIM on the phone.