Install your eSIM before you travel, then switch it on when you land
Install your eSIM before the trip, at home, over Wi-Fi. It stays saved but inactive. Your plan's days start only when it first connects to a supported network in your destination, not at purchase or install. On landing, turn on the HelloRoam line, its data roaming, and set it for mobile data.
Your place in the trip sets the step
- You installed the eSIM at home and the HelloRoam line shows no service.
- Nothing is wrong. Leave the line off until you land, then turn it on.
- You just landed and the HelloRoam line is still switched off.
- Turn the line on, turn on its data roaming, and pick it for mobile data.
- You landed, the line is on, and data still has not started.
- Restart your phone, turn Wi-Fi off, and wait 2 to 5 minutes.
- The install stops or fails on the Wi-Fi you are using.
- Restart your phone, then try again on a different Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot.
- The HelloRoam app on your iPhone still shows an install button.
- Ignore that button. Look for the HelloRoam line in your phone's list of mobile lines.
The first connection in your destination starts the days
Your eSIM is in use from its first connection to a supported network in your destination. Before that connection it is not in use yet, even when it is already installed on your phone. To check, sign in on our website, open My eSIMs, and open the plan details. Activated On with a date, or Active on the card, means it is in use. Not Activated with a Purchase Date is not proof of the opposite. The website reads a stamp the system adds when the eSIM is enabled or first connects, so it can lag behind your phone. The HelloRoam app has no matching label at all. Its Current tab lists every eSIM that has not expired and was not refunded or cancelled, used or not. On iPhone the app can show an install button either way. This boundary decides one thing: while the eSIM is not in use yet, the same QR code or activation code still installs it. From its first connection onward that code cannot be used again, so don't delete it. If you are not sure, email help@helloroam.com.
Install at home, then wait to switch on
iPhone
Install at home over Wi-Fi, keep the line off, then switch it on after you land.
- Install the eSIM at home while your phone is on Wi-Fi.
- Open Settings > Cellular and tap the HelloRoam line.
- Turn off Turn On This Line so the line stays off while you travel.
- After you land, tap the HelloRoam line and turn on Turn On This Line.
- Turn on Data Roaming for that line.
- Under Cellular Data, pick the HelloRoam line.
Samsung
Install at home over Wi-Fi, then leave the HelloRoam eSIM switched off until you arrive.
- Install the eSIM at home while your phone is on Wi-Fi.
- Open Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
- Switch off the HelloRoam eSIM so it stays off while you travel.
- After you land, switch the HelloRoam eSIM back on.
- Set Mobile data to the HelloRoam eSIM.
- Open Mobile networks and turn on data roaming for that line.
Pixel
Install at home over Wi-Fi, then keep the HelloRoam line off until you land.
- Install the eSIM at home while your phone is on Wi-Fi.
- Open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs.
- Tap the HelloRoam line and turn off Use SIM.
- After you land, tap the same line and turn on Use SIM.
- Turn on Mobile data for the HelloRoam line.
- Turn on Roaming for that line.
Other Android
Menu names change by brand and Android version, so look for the closest match.
- Install the eSIM at home while your phone is on Wi-Fi.
- Open Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network.
- Find the HelloRoam line there and switch it off while you travel.
- After you land, switch the HelloRoam line back on.
- Turn on Roaming for that line.
- Set the HelloRoam line as your mobile data line.
If you already landed without it
- You can still install after you land. Your phone needs a working internet connection to download the eSIM.
- Use hotel Wi-Fi, or a hotspot from a phone that already has data in your destination.
- Airport, hotel and other public Wi-Fi can block the download, so move to another network and retry.
- If the install stops, restart your phone and try again on a different Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot.
- Once it installs, turn on the HelloRoam line, turn on its data roaming, and pick it for mobile data.
- If data still does not start, restart your phone, turn Wi-Fi off, and wait 2 to 5 minutes.
- Don't delete the eSIM to make it work. Deleting fixes nothing, and the settings above come first.
While your eSIM has never connected
- This window lasts until the eSIM first connects to a supported network in your destination.
- Inside it, you can remove the eSIM and install it again with the same QR code or activation code.
- From that first connection onward the code cannot be used again, so leave the eSIM where it is.
- Installing early is not a reason to remove it. Keep it on your phone until you travel.
Ask us before you fly, with these details
Email help@helloroam.com and tell us where you are in the trip. These details let us read your setup instead of guessing. Crop any QR code out of a screenshot before you send it.
- Your order number.
- Your phone brand and model.
- Whether your eSIM has ever connected, as far as you know. If My eSIMs shows Activated On, treat it as in use. Ready, Not Activated and Purchase Date tell you nothing either way, so a best guess is all we ask for.
- A screenshot of your phone's Cellular or SIM settings that shows the HelloRoam line.
- If the install failed: the exact error message, or a screenshot of it.
- If the install failed: the kind of Wi-Fi you used, such as home, hotel, airport or other public Wi-Fi.
- If you have already traveled: the country and city you are in now.
Timing questions before your trip
How to know if an eSIM is activated on iPhone
Sign in on our website, open My eSIMs, and open the plan details. Activated On with a date, or Active on the card, means treat it as in use. Ready, Not Activated and Purchase Date tell you nothing, because that stamp can lag behind the phone, so they are never permission to remove it. The iPhone app shows an install button either way. If you are unsure, email help@helloroam.com.
When does my eSIM plan start?
Your plan's days start at the eSIM's first connection to a supported network in your destination. Buying it does not start them. Installing it does not start them either. Install on the 25th, land and connect on the 27th, and your plan counts from the 27th. The two days it sat installed at home cost you nothing.
How do I install a travel eSIM on an iPhone before arriving in the USA?
Install the e SIM at home, on your own Wi-Fi, before you leave. Airport and hotel Wi-Fi can block that download, so home is the safer choice. Once it's installed, leave the HelloRoam line switched off until you land, since the install alone doesn't use any plan days. Switching the line on is a separate step once you arrive.
When should I install my eSIM before a trip?
Install it at home, on your own Wi-Fi, before you leave. Installing early does not use plan days, because the days start at the eSIM's first connection to a supported network in your destination. An e-sim downloads over the internet, and hotel or airport networks can block that download. Your home network is the one you can count on.
Does a layover start my eSIM plan?
No. Your plan starts at the eSIM's first connection to a supported network in your destination. A line you left switched on at home does not start it. Neither does a connection during a layover on a network your plan does not cover. If you want to be certain, keep the HelloRoam line off until you reach your destination.