How to install eSIM on iPhone

Three ways: by link in one tap (iOS 17.4+), by QR code and manually. Step by step, with answers to common errors.
  • • You can install right now: the plan's validity starts only at the first network connection in the destination country.
  • • Don't delete the eSIM until the trip is over: once deleted it cannot be installed again.
  • • The phone needs internet to install: Wi-Fi or mobile data from your home SIM both work.

Method 1 · By link· fastest

Open the eSIM e-mail or the order page on your iPhone and tap "Install on iPhone". Then step by step:

  1. 1
    Tap "Install on iPhone"
    A system sheet "Activate eSIM" appears — tap "Continue". If a browser page with an error opened instead, your iOS is older than 17.4: install by QR code (method 2) or manually (method 3).
  2. 2
    Wait for activation
    Usually a few seconds, sometimes a couple of minutes — both are fine. If it drags on, tap "Done": the iPhone continues in the background. The error "Unable to add eSIM / code no longer valid" almost always means the eSIM is already installed — move on to setup.
  3. 3
    "Labels" and "Default line" screens
    They don't always appear. The new eSIM is always at the bottom — name it, e.g. "Simix Turkey". For the default line, cellular data and FaceTime keep your home SIM (the top one) for now: we'll switch data on arrival.
  4. 4
    Settings → Cellular
    The new eSIM is the last one in the SIMs list; iPhone may have named it anything: "Travel", "Secondary". Open it and turn on "Data Roaming". The status "Activating…" for the first minutes is normal.
  5. 5
    Give the eSIM a clear name
    "Cellular Plan Label" → "Custom Label", e.g. "Turkey". That way you won't mix it up with your home SIM.
  6. 6
    On arrival
    Settings → Cellular → "Cellular Data" → pick the Simix eSIM. Keep "Allow Cellular Data Switching" off. Turn "Data Roaming" off on your home SIM in advance so you don't end up in your carrier's roaming.

Method 2 · QR code

The QR code is in the e-mail and on the order page. Scan it with the camera from another screen: open the e-mail on a computer or a second phone.

  1. 1
    Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM
    Choose "Use QR Code" and point the camera at the code.
  2. 2
    Tap "Continue" and wait for activation
    Then it's the same as the link method: name, data roaming, and on arrival pick the eSIM for cellular data.

Method 3 · Manually

The SM-DP+ address and activation code are in the e-mail and on the order page, with "Copy" buttons next to them.

  1. 1
    Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM
    "Use QR Code" → "Enter Details Manually" at the bottom. Paste the SM-DP+ address and activation code, tap "Next".

On arrival

After installing: name the eSIM, turn on "Data roaming" for it, and on arrival pick it for mobile data. Turn off airplane mode — the phone finds a local operator on its own. Network registration takes up to a minute. If there is no network, open the eSIM settings and pick an operator manually.

Installation FAQ

Still have questions?
Write to us — a real person answers, not a bot

Simix · How to install eSIM