How to Install a Travel eSIM on iPhone and Android

Installing a travel eSIM takes about five minutes. Most problems people run into come from doing it at the wrong time (at the airport, with no Wi-Fi) or forgetting one setting after it's installed.

Here's how to do it properly.

Before you start

Check three things:

1. Your phone supports eSIM. Dial *#06#. If you see a number labelled EID, you're good. Our eSIM compatible phones page has the full list.
2. Your phone is unlocked. A phone locked to your carrier won't accept an eSIM from anyone else, even if the model supports it.
3. You're on Wi-Fi. The eSIM downloads over the internet, so do this at home or at the hotel, not on the plane.

Do it a day or two before you fly. Most Wakavi plans don't start counting days until your phone connects to a network at your destination, so installing early costs you nothing.

iPhone

1. Open the email from Wakavi. On an iPhone you can tap Install on iPhone and skip the QR code completely.
2. If you'd rather scan, go to Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Use QR Code and scan the code from another screen. (In the UK and some other countries, "Cellular" is called "Mobile Service".)
3. When it asks you to label the new line, call it something you'll recognise, like "Wakavi Japan". Leave your main line as "Primary".
4. Set Cellular Data to the Wakavi line.
5. Keep your Primary line for calls and iMessage if you want to stay reachable on your normal number.

Samsung Galaxy

1. Go to Settings → Connections → SIM manager.
2. Tap Add eSIM, then Scan QR code from service provider.
3. Scan the code and confirm.
4. Back in SIM manager, set Mobile data to the new eSIM.

Google Pixel

1. Go to Settings → Network & internet → SIMs.
2. Tap Add SIM, then Download a SIM instead?
3. Scan the QR code and follow the prompts.
4. Choose the new eSIM for mobile data.

Menu names move around a bit between Android versions. If you can't find it, search "eSIM" in the Settings search bar.

The three settings people forget

This is where most "my eSIM doesn't work" messages come from.

1. Data roaming on the eSIM line must be ON. Your travel eSIM is technically roaming when you use it abroad, so your phone needs permission. On iPhone: Settings → Cellular → tap the Wakavi line → turn on Data Roaming. On Android it's in the same SIM settings screen.

2. Data roaming on your home line should be OFF. Otherwise your phone might quietly use your home SIM for data and your carrier will bill you for it. This is the setting that saves you money.

3. Turn off "Allow Cellular Data Switching" on iPhone. If this is on, your iPhone can fall back to your home line when the eSIM signal drops. Turn it off for the trip.

When you land

Switch off airplane mode and give it a minute. Your phone should pick up a local network on its own. If it doesn't:

• Toggle airplane mode on and off once.
• Check that data roaming is on for the eSIM line.
• Go to network selection and choose a network manually. The plan page on Wakavi lists the networks your plan uses.
• Restart the phone. Boring, but it fixes more than you'd think.

Don't delete it

Most eSIM QR codes work only once. If you remove the eSIM from your phone, you usually can't scan the same code again. Keep it installed until the trip is over. You can switch it off in settings instead of deleting it.

Short version

Install at home on Wi-Fi. Set the eSIM as your data line. Turn data roaming on for the eSIM and off for your home SIM. That's it.

Haven't picked a plan yet? See all destinations or check the cheapest eSIMs per GB.