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A HelloRoam eSIM that stopped working lost data, days or its network

HelloRoam Editorial TeamLast updated:

A HelloRoam eSIM usually stops because its data or days ran out, you moved to a new area, or its line is switched off. Sometimes the network is at fault, not your phone. Check data and the Expires on date in the HelloRoam app, restart once, then try a manual scan. Never reinstall or delete a plan that already worked.

What changed since it last worked

Data has run out on the eSIM's card in the app
Open the HelloRoam app's My eSIM tab, where the card shows data remaining and where you add more.
The card reads EXPIRED, or has moved to the Expired tab
The days ran out. They counted from the eSIM's first connection, not from the day you installed it.
No service, or emergency calls only, since you moved
Restart the phone once, then run the manual network scan for your phone below.
The HelloRoam line is off, or another line took over mobile data
Turn the line back on and set it as your mobile data line again.
3G or E on the line, and data crawls
You are on a network, just a weak one. Run a speed test with Wi-Fi off.

An eSIM that has worked already connected once

Your eSIM has worked, so it already made its first connection to a supported network in your destination. That single event puts it in use: the plan's days started counting from it, and its QR code went dead at the same moment. The website is where you can see that state. Its My eSIMs page shows the card as Active, or Activated with an Activated On date in the details. Do not judge it from the app, which carries no label for in-use state at all. On iPhone, the app's Install eSIM on this device button can stay on screen after first use, and it is not proof that you can install the eSIM again. Because yours is in use, taking it off the phone and scanning the same QR code will not bring it back. Keep it installed while you work through this page.

Restart, then scan networks on your phone

iPhone

Restart the phone once, not three times. If data does not come back, work down this list instead of restarting again.

  1. Restart the phone once and see whether data comes back.
  2. Open Settings > Cellular and check Turn On This Line is on.
  3. Check Data Roaming is on for that line.
  4. Set Cellular Data to the HelloRoam line.
  5. Turn Wi-Fi off and switch off any VPN.
  6. Open the line's network selection setting and turn the automatic option off.
  7. Wait for the full list of networks to load.
  8. Screenshot the list before you pick a network.

Samsung

Restart once, then work through the settings. Galaxy phones sometimes switch automatic network selection back on part way through a scan, so a restart matters more than a second tap.

  1. Restart the phone once and see whether data comes back.
  2. Open Settings > Connections > SIM manager and check the HelloRoam line is on.
  3. Check that Mobile data points to the HelloRoam line.
  4. Turn Wi-Fi off and switch off any VPN.
  5. Open Settings > Connections > Mobile networks.
  6. Open the screen that lists the network operators, then turn Select automatically off.
  7. Wait for the scan to finish, then screenshot the full list.
  8. If Select automatically flips back on, restart and turn it off again.

Pixel

Restart once before anything else. If data does not come back, the checks below show you where the line actually stands.

  1. Restart the phone once and see whether data comes back.
  2. Open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs and tap the HelloRoam line.
  3. Check the line is on, with Roaming on and Mobile data pointing to it.
  4. Turn Wi-Fi off and switch off any VPN.
  5. Turn off the setting that picks a network automatically.
  6. Wait for the full list of networks to load.
  7. Screenshot the list before you choose a network.
  8. If automatic selection switches back on, restart and turn it off again.

Other Android

Menu names change from brand to brand, so look for the closest wording. Restart once, then work down the list. A second restart adds nothing.

  1. Restart the phone once and see whether data comes back.
  2. Open Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network.
  3. Check the HelloRoam line is on, with Roaming on for it.
  4. Turn Wi-Fi off and switch off any VPN.
  5. Find the network operators screen and turn the automatic option off.
  6. Wait for the scan to finish before you read the list.
  7. Screenshot the full list before you tap a network.
  8. If the automatic option switches back on, restart and turn it off again.

If it drops again after a restart

  1. Think about where you were when it last worked. Moving to another city, island or border area changes which networks your eSIM can use.
  2. If you crossed into another country, check your plan covers it. A country plan covers one destination, while regional and global plans cover a set list.
  3. With several eSIMs on the phone, match the ICCID in the app against the line you are testing.
  4. Try the networks from your list one at a time, and wait 2 to 5 minutes after each one.
  5. If data still works but crawls, run a speed test with Wi-Fi off and the HelloRoam line picked for data.
  6. If it comes back after a restart and drops again an hour or two later, stop restarting. Log each drop instead: the time, the place, the network name, and the signal type before it went.
  7. Leave the APN settings alone. Do not delete the eSIM and do not scan its QR code again, because that code was spent the first time it connected.
  8. When nothing on the list works, or the list stays empty, stop trying. Send us the screenshot and your exact location instead.
  9. Sometimes a network problem hits many people at once and nothing on your phone is wrong. Keep the eSIM installed and write in.

This eSIM already connected, so that path is closed

  • Removing an eSIM and installing it again with the same QR code or activation code works only before its first connection to a supported network in your destination.
  • Yours has already connected, so the code behind it is spent and will not install it a second time.
  • Never delete this eSIM to fix a connection problem. Keep it installed while you and support sort it out.
  • If you think it has to come off this phone, write to help@helloroam.com first and keep it installed while you wait.

Tell us what changed, and when

When data, days, location and the line settings all check out and it still will not work, email help@helloroam.com. Send these with your first message, because screenshots tell us more than a description does.

  • Your order number.
  • Your phone make and model.
  • The country and city you are in now, plus a zoomed-out map screenshot if you're near a border, on an island or at a port.
  • When it last worked, when it stopped, and where you were each time.
  • Whether you moved city or country before it stopped.
  • A screenshot of the eSIM's card in the app showing data remaining and the Expires on date.
  • A screenshot of the HelloRoam line's settings showing the line on, data roaming on and the mobile data choice.
  • A screenshot of the full manual network list, taken before you pick anything.
  • If it keeps dropping: your log of drop times, places, network names and signal types.
  • If it's slow: a speed test result taken with Wi-Fi off.
  • What you already tried, including the restart.
  • If you have more than one eSIM: the ICCID shown for the HelloRoam line.
  • Crop any QR code out of your screenshots before you send them.

help@helloroam.com

Questions when a working eSIM quits

Does restarting my eSIM fix it?

There is nothing on the e SIM itself to restart, so restart the phone instead, once. That clears a network registration that has gone stale, which is one cause of a line that worked and then stopped. Give it two to five minutes afterwards before you judge it. Do not remove the eSIM or scan its code again to try.

eSIM not working Samsung

On a Galaxy phone, the usual cause is Select automatically switching itself back on part way through a manual network scan. Restart the phone, turn it off again, and let the scan finish before you touch anything. Check the same things every phone needs too: the line switched on, data roaming on for it, and mobile data pointed at the HelloRoam line.

Can I just reinstall or rescan my eSIM to fix it?

No. Yours already worked, so it connected once and its QR code is spent. The same-code path exists only before that first connection, so it is closed to this eSIM. Do not take the e-sim off the phone to try. Email help@helloroam.com first, and keep the eSIM installed while you wait.

How do I know when my eSIM plan ends?

The eSIM's card in the HelloRoam app carries an Expires on date, and that date is the answer. Open the My eSIM tab and read it off the card. Your days started at the eSIM's first connection to a supported network in your destination, not on the day you installed it. Do not assume the plan ends at midnight or on your return date.

Other guides for a line that drops

Plan your next trip abroad

eSIM help guides