The eSIM or the electronic SIM feature is available on iPhones XS and above. The eSIM gives you the ability to use cellular data without the requirement of a physical SIM. In India, eSIM is offered by Airtel, Vodafone-Idea, and Jio cellular plans. Moreover, eSIMs are rather convenient. Especially when most modern iPhones come with water resistance features, users don’t need to worry about damage to their SIM with the presence of an eSIM. But how do you transfer your eSIM when you buy a new iPhone?
If you’ve been using the eSIM technology on your iPhone and are now shifting to a new iPhone model, you might be wondering how to transfer your eSIM to a new iPhone. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Read on to know how to use the same eSIM number on your new iPhone.
Move eSIM from One iPhone to Another
Remember the process of activating eSIM for the first time? Transferring your existing eSIM to a new iPhone is pretty similar. Apple’s support page also suggests that certain cellular plan providers allow you to transfer an existing eSIM to a new iPhone via the Quick Start setup feature if both the devices are running iOS 13.1 and later.
However, certain carriers do not give you the option to transfer via Quick Setup. In such a scenario, you need to contact your cellular plan provider. Usually, you just need to send a text to a particular number to initiate the transfer process. Follow these steps to transfer your existing eSIM to a new iPhone.
- Send a text containing either the mobile number or your registered mobile number on your carrier’s customer care number (for Airtel, that’s 121, as an example). Check your carrier’s website for details.
- You might receive an automated message and a call confirming your switch. You may have to provide the IMEI number of your new iPhone.
- Once the process is complete, you will receive a QR code on your email that you can scan to activate the eSIM on your new iPhone.
- To scan the QR code, head to Settings –> Mobile Data –> Add Data Plan.
Most mobile network carriers in India will suspend text messages for a day for security reasons. But you should be good to go after that! Still got questions about how to transfer your eSIM to a new iPhone? Feel free to drop them below.
