To set up an eSIM on an iPhone, connect to Wi-Fi, open Settings > Cellular, and tap Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM. Then pick how your plan arrives: Transfer From Nearby iPhone to move your number from an old iPhone, Use QR Code to scan a code from your carrier, or follow the carrier’s link or app. A new iPhone offers the same options on the Set Up Cellular screen during setup.
You need an iPhone XS or later and a carrier that supports eSIM. If the plan is from a different carrier than the one that sold you the phone, the iPhone must also be unlocked. Which options appear depends on your carrier, so if one is missing, ask the carrier for a QR code or activation link.
Before you start
- Wi-Fi. Apple says the iPhone must be on Wi-Fi or a hotspot to download the eSIM (a few regions make exceptions for eSIM-only models).
- Software. Update to the latest iOS. Moving an eSIM from another iPhone after setup needs iOS 18.4 or later on both phones.
- Your carrier’s activation details. This could be a QR code, a link in an email or text, a carrier app, or nothing at all if the carrier assigned the eSIM to your new iPhone when you bought it.
- Your old phone nearby. If you’re moving your number, keep the old iPhone charged, unlocked and with Bluetooth on.
How to get an eSIM for your iPhone
An eSIM comes from the company that provides your phone service, not from Apple. You can get one by:
- Asking your current carrier to switch your line from a physical SIM to eSIM, in its app, online or in a store. Many carriers can also do the switch on the iPhone itself through Convert to eSIM in Cellular settings, if they support it.
- Signing up with a new carrier that supports eSIM on iPhone. The carrier sends a QR code, link or app instructions.
- Buying a travel eSIM for a trip abroad. The iPhone must be unlocked to use another carrier’s plan. Apple lists the options in its guide to using eSIM while traveling.
Warning: Only use QR codes and links that come directly from your carrier. An eSIM controls your phone number, so never scan a code someone else sends you unexpectedly.
Which eSIM setup method should you use?
| Your situation | Method |
|---|---|
| Carrier set up the eSIM when you bought the iPhone | eSIM Carrier Activation: follow the prompt during setup or in Settings |
| Moving your number from an old iPhone | eSIM Quick Transfer (Transfer From Nearby iPhone), if your carrier supports it |
| Carrier sent a QR code | Use QR Code, or scan it with the Camera app |
| Carrier sent a link or has an app | Tap the link, or activate in the carrier’s app |
| Carrier gave you an SM-DP+ address and activation code | Enter Details Manually |
| Moving from an Android phone | Ask the carrier for a QR code or carrier activation; with iOS 26 or later, some carriers and phone makers support a direct Android-to-iPhone transfer |
How to set up an eSIM in Settings
Use these steps on an iPhone that’s already set up. The menu is called Cellular in the US and Mobile Service or Mobile Data in some other regions.
- Connect to Wi-Fi.
- Open Settings and tap Cellular.
- Tap Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM.
- Choose how to add the plan:
- Tap Transfer From Nearby iPhone, or tap the number shown if your iPhone already lists one from your account.
- Tap Use QR Code and point the camera at the carrier’s code. If you can’t scan it, tap Enter Details Manually and type the information from your carrier.
- If you’re transferring, check your old iPhone and tap Transfer, or enter the verification code it shows.
- Wait for the new line to activate. This can take a few minutes. When you transfer from another iPhone, the SIM on the old phone stops working once the new eSIM is active.
- Give the line a label, such as Personal or Business, if you’re asked. This helps if you have more than one plan.
You’ll know it worked when your carrier name and signal bars appear in the status bar. Make a test call, send a text, and load a web page with Wi-Fi turned off to confirm calls, messages and cellular data all work.
How to set up an eSIM with a QR code from the Camera app
- Open the Camera app and point it at the carrier’s QR code.
- Tap the Cellular Plan Detected notification that appears.
- Tap Continue, then tap Add Cellular Plan.
- Enter the confirmation code if your carrier gave you one.
If your carrier sent a link instead, tap it. When the Activate New eSIM notification appears, tap Allow and follow the prompts.
Setting up an eSIM on a brand-new iPhone
A new iPhone asks about cellular service during setup. On the Set Up Cellular screen, choose the plan your carrier assigned, transfer your number from your old iPhone, or tap Use QR Code. If you skip this screen, you can come back later through Settings > Cellular. If you’re moving everything from an older phone, our guide to setting up a new iPhone from your old one covers the rest of the transfer, and moving an eSIM to a new iPhone goes deeper on Quick Transfer.
Using two lines on one iPhone
An iPhone can store eight or more eSIMs, but only two lines can be active at once. iPhone 13 and later can run two eSIMs at the same time; older eSIM-capable models pair one eSIM with a physical SIM. After adding a second line:
- Open Settings > Cellular.
- Tap Default Voice Line to pick which number calls and texts people who aren’t in your contacts.
- Tap Cellular Data and choose the line that should handle data.
Turn on Allow Cellular Data Switching only if you want data to move to your voice line during calls on the other line, since it can use data from either plan. Travelers who keep their home line active abroad should also check how data roaming works on iPhone before turning it on.
Is your iPhone eSIM-only?
Some iPhones have no SIM card tray at all, so eSIM is the only option:
- iPhone 14 and later models sold in the United States.
- iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max sold in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
- iPhone Air, everywhere it’s sold.
If your model has a tray, you can still use a physical SIM, an eSIM, or both.
eSIM won’t activate?
Apple suggests these steps, in this order:
- Turn Airplane Mode on, wait a few seconds, and turn it off.
- Open Settings > Cellular. If the number you’re adding is listed, turn the line off and back on.
- Restart your iPhone.
- Check for a carrier settings update in Settings > General > About. If an update is waiting, you’ll be asked to install it.
- Contact your carrier with the exact error message and your iPhone’s EID and IMEI, found in Settings > General > About.
Don’t delete an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless your carrier tells you to. A removed eSIM usually needs the carrier to reissue it. If you do need to remove one later, see how to delete an eSIM from your iPhone. Apple’s full list of setup routes is on its Set up eSIM on iPhone page.
Matthew Roberts is the founder and editor of ARS Digitech. He started the site to answer the iPhone questions his friends and family kept asking him, and it has grown into a library of iPhone and iOS how-to guides. Matthew writes and maintains every tutorial on the site, checking steps and menu names against Apple’s official support documentation and updating guides when an iOS release moves a setting.