Everything you need to do takes about a minute, but the order matters.
Four steps
- Take the phone out of airplane mode.
- Point mobile data at the eSIM line. On iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data > choose the eSIM. On Android: SIM manager > mobile data > choose the eSIM.
- Turn on data roaming for the eSIM line. This is normal and expected: the profile connects as a guest on the local network.
- Turn off data roaming for your home SIM, so nothing slips through it by accident.
If nothing happens in the first couple of minutes
- Toggle airplane mode on and off.
- Restart the phone.
- Check that network selection for the eSIM line is set to automatic.
The first connection can take a few minutes while the phone scans available networks.
Useful before you leave
Download an offline map of the destination and save the order confirmation to your phone. If something goes wrong you will have both the manual entry code and the order number for support.