eSIM for Android: Setup on Samsung, Pixel and More (2026)

Does my Android phone support eSIM?

Most recent Android phones support eSIM, but not all of them. The quickest check is to dial *#06#: if the screen shows an EID, a long number labelled EID next to your IMEI, your phone has an eSIM chip. You can also look for an Add eSIM or Download a SIM option in your mobile network settings.

eSIM for Android arrived with the Google Pixel 3a and the Samsung Galaxy S20, and since the Pixel 4 every Pixel works with eSIM, according to Google's Pixel help↗. Two things can still block it on a phone whose hardware supports eSIM. Models sold in mainland China and Hong Kong often ship with eSIM disabled, and a phone locked to the carrier that sold it can refuse other providers' eSIMs. Our eSIM compatible phones list covers the full model list.

How to install a travel eSIM on a Google Pixel

On a Google Pixel, open Settings, then Network and internet, then SIMs, and tap the add button. Choose Download a SIM instead, then scan the QR code from your eSIM provider or enter the details manually. The steps are set out in Google's dual SIM help page↗.

Do this at home on Wi-Fi, because the phone has to download the eSIM profile. After installing, give the line a clear name, such as Japan travel, and leave it switched off until you land. Our eSIM QR code guide explains what to do if the camera will not read the code or the code arrived on the same phone.

One model is different. In the US, the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro XL have no physical SIM slot, according to Google, so your home line on those phones is already an eSIM. That makes it more important to check whether the phone can keep two eSIM profiles active, so your home number stays reachable while the travel eSIM carries data.

How to install a travel eSIM on a Samsung Galaxy

On a Samsung Galaxy, open Settings, then Connections, then SIM manager, and tap Add eSIM. Choose Scan QR code from service provider, or Enter activation code if your provider gave you the details as text, as described on Samsung's eSIM support page↗. Some menus say SIM card manager instead of SIM manager, depending on the model and software version.

Samsung asks a few questions after installation. Set your home SIM for calls and texts if you want to keep your number, and set the travel eSIM as the SIM for mobile data once you arrive. If you are asked for your phone's EID by a provider, you will find it under Settings, About phone, Status information.

Other Android phones: Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola and Oppo

On other Android phones, the eSIM option usually sits in the same place: open Settings, then the section called Mobile network, SIM cards or Connections, and look for Add eSIM, Download a SIM or a similar option. The exact wording changes between brands and software versions, but every route ends at the same choice: scan a QR code or enter the details manually.

Support varies most on these brands. The same model can have eSIM in one country and not in another, so check with *#06# before you buy a plan. If there is no eSIM option at all, the phone either lacks the hardware or has it disabled for that market, and a travel eSIM will not install.

The four Android settings to change when you travel

An eSIM for Android works abroad once four settings are right, and getting them wrong is the main reason travelers see signal but no internet, or come home to roaming charges. Set the travel eSIM as your mobile data line, turn data roaming on for the eSIM, turn data roaming off for your home SIM, and turn off any setting that lets the phone switch data automatically between SIMs.

Travel eSIMs always roam as far as the phone is concerned, even though the provider includes the data, so roaming must be on for that line. The automatic switching setting has different names: on Pixel phones it is usually called switch mobile data automatically, and on Samsung phones it appears as data switching. Left on, it can quietly move your data to the home SIM when the eSIM signal dips.

How to save mobile data on Android abroad

Android gives you more control over data use than most travelers realise, and a few changes before you fly can halve what you use. Turn on Data Saver in your network settings, which stops most apps using data in the background. Set Google Photos and any other cloud backup to back up over Wi-Fi only, and set the Play Store to update apps over Wi-Fi only.

Download offline maps in Google Maps for each city you will visit, so navigation keeps working with little data and through signal gaps. Streaming apps such as YouTube and Spotify let you lower the quality on mobile data or download content in advance. Finally, open your Android data usage screen after the first day abroad, which shows how much each app used, and adjust before the plan runs short.

Checklist before you fly

A ten minute check at home saves most problems at the airport. Confirm the phone supports eSIM and is not carrier locked, install the eSIM on Wi-Fi, name it clearly and leave it switched off. Make sure your home SIM will stay active for bank codes, and take a screenshot of the plan details and the provider's support contact in case you need them offline.

When you land, switch the eSIM on, set it as the mobile data SIM, turn on roaming for it, and turn roaming off for your home SIM. Give it a minute or two to find a network. If nothing happens after five minutes, toggle airplane mode on and off before trying anything else. Avoid deleting the eSIM at the airport, however frustrating the wait.

Can Android use two eSIMs at the same time?

Some Android phones can. Google says the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and later phones can use two eSIM profiles at once if the carrier allows it, and from the Pixel 3a onward every Pixel can run one physical SIM and one eSIM together. Many Samsung Galaxy phones can store several eSIMs but keep only one eSIM active at a time, alongside a physical SIM.

For travel, the usual setup is the same on both: your home SIM stays active for calls and bank codes, and the travel eSIM carries data. If your home line is itself an eSIM and your phone allows only one active eSIM, check before you fly whether you can keep both lines on. The same dual SIM setup works whether your home line is a physical SIM or an eSIM.

Common problems and how to fix them

Most problems come from four causes: the phone does not support eSIM or is carrier locked, the installation had no internet, data roaming is off for the eSIM, or the phone is still using the home SIM for data. The table below matches the symptoms people see to the fix. Do not delete the eSIM to fix a problem, because most travel eSIMs cannot be installed a second time.

If none of these fixes work, restart the phone, toggle airplane mode on and off, and check that the plan's validity has started. Our eSIM not working fix list goes through every step in order.

WhatsApp and calls with a travel eSIM

WhatsApp keeps working on a travel eSIM without any changes. Your WhatsApp account is tied to your home phone number, not to the SIM that carries the data, so messages and WhatsApp calls run over the travel eSIM's data while your number stays the same.

For normal calls and texts, set your home SIM as the default for calls and SMS in the SIM settings, and keep it switched on with data roaming off. Incoming calls and bank codes still reach you, though your home carrier may charge for calls you answer abroad, so check its rates before you go. Most travel eSIMs are data only and have no number of their own, so outgoing calls are best made over WhatsApp or another calling app.

Moving an eSIM to a new Android phone

Travel eSIMs usually cannot be moved to a new phone. Most install once from a QR code, so if you change handsets you need to ask the provider for a new code, which some issue for free. Some home carriers support transferring their own eSIM between Android phones during setup, but this rarely applies to travel eSIMs from international providers.

If you plan to upgrade your phone, do it before you buy your travel eSIM, or install the eSIM on the phone you will actually carry. Keep the purchase email, because it holds the order number support will ask for.

Android vs iPhone for a travel eSIM

Android and iPhone handle travel eSIMs in much the same way: both scan a QR code or install from an app, both need roaming turned on for the eSIM, and both can keep your home number active alongside it. The differences are in the menus and in how many eSIMs stay active at once, which depends more on the model than on the platform.

The one practical difference is choice. Android eSIM support varies by brand, model and country, while every iPhone since the XS and XR supports eSIM, so Android users should check their exact phone before buying. Our eSIM for iPhone guide covers the iPhone side, and once your phone is ready, our Japan eSIM plans are a good example of how to compare plans for a trip.