{"id":491364,"date":"2022-09-09T00:20:31","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T21:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/"},"modified":"2022-09-09T00:20:31","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T21:20:31","slug":"what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is eSIM and Does My Carrier Support It? \u2013 Review Geek"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a20ecb84d764\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a20ecb84d764\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/#%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_eSIM_and_Does_My_Carrier_Support_It_%E2%80%93_Review_Geek%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What Is eSIM and Does My Carrier Support It? \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/#What_Is_eSIM\" >What Is eSIM?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/#What_Are_the_Benefits_of_eSIM\" >What Are the Benefits of eSIM?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/#Unfortunately_eSIM_Has_Some_Downsides\" >Unfortunately, eSIM Has Some Downsides<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-esim-and-does-my-carrier-support-it-review-geek\/#Which_Carriers_Support_eSIM\" >Which Carriers Support eSIM?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_eSIM_and_Does_My_Carrier_Support_It_%E2%80%93_Review_Geek%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What Is eSIM and Does My Carrier Support It? \u2013 Review Geek&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div id=\"article-content-area\">\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-128949\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/09\/e782e9d9.png?width=1200\" alt=\"An illustration of a phone with eSIM support.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-vector\/esim-card-chip-sign-embedded-sim-2006235830\">Panuwatccn \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>We\u2019re finally witnessing the death of physical SIM cards. The new iPhone 14 requires eSIM for mobile networking, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before other smartphones follow suit. Unfortunately, your carrier may not support eSIM yet.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_eSIM\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_0\">What Is eSIM?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Almost every mobile phone made in the last 25 years relies on a SIM card for cellular service. This tiny piece of plastic is a \u201csubscriber identity module.\u201d It contains your phone number, but more importantly, it verifies that you are a carrier\u2019s paying customer. Without a SIM card, you can\u2019t make calls or connect to mobile networks.<\/p>\n<p>The SIM standard has managed to survive over two decades, and for good reason\u2014it\u2019s dead simple. Anyone can take the SIM card out of their phone, stick it in a new device, and immediately transfer their cellular service. (Of course, many people never touch their SIM card and simply let their carrier\u2019s salespeople do the work.)<\/p>\n<p>But physical SIM cards are\u00a0<em>technically<\/em> outdated. We don\u2019t need to stick pieces of plastic into our phones anymore, and for better or worse, we\u2019ve reached a point where the idea of a physical SIM card confuses or intimidates many smartphone users.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128955 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/09\/2fc30b83.png\" alt=\"Someone replacing the SIM card in their phone.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/sim-card-replacement-phone-1448128766\" data-credittext=\"Mikhail Artamonov \/ Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">An example of a physical SIM card. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/sim-card-replacement-phone-1448128766\">Mikhail Artamonov \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The relatively new eSIM standard is a modern take on the \u201csubscriber identity module.\u201d Basically, phones with eSIM support can manage up to five \u201cvirtual SIM cards\u201d simultaneously. All you need to do is activate one of these \u201cvirtual SIM cards\u201d by installing an eSIM Profile from your carrier.<\/p>\n<p>There isn\u2019t a standardized process for installing these eSIM Profiles. But in most cases, you\u2019ll download an app, scan a QR code, or visit your carrier\u2019s website to get things set up. You may need to contact your carrier to complete this process, though some carriers support \u201ceSIM Quick Transfer,\u201d which lets you do everything yourself.<\/p>\n<p>In theory, the eSIM standard should simplify things for both customers and carriers. Signing up for a new cellular provider will take just a few minutes, as you don\u2019t need to go into a store or wait for a SIM card to arrive in the mail. And if you use multiple providers, you can switch between their networks without touching a physical SIM card.<\/p>\n<p>But one of eSIM\u2019s biggest hurdles, at least for early adopters, will be carrier support. Several carriers, especially those outside of the United States, simply haven\u2019t implemented eSIM. Support for the eSIM Quick Transfer protocol is even more rare, as only five U.S. companies offer Quick Transfer services.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Are_the_Benefits_of_eSIM\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_1\">What Are the Benefits of eSIM?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128951 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/09\/e1a735c5.png\" alt=\"An illustration of a phone with eSIM support.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/close-man-using-phone-esim-technology-1408763201\" data-credittext=\"Fit Ztudio \/ Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/close-man-using-phone-esim-technology-1408763201\">Fit Ztudio \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>For the average person, eSIM is a silent quality of life upgrade. You can buy a phone from anywhere and connect it to your carrier\u2019s network through an app, QR code, or website. There\u2019s no need to transplant a SIM card from your old phone or visit a carrier in person. (Though you may need to contact your carrier to complete this process, as only a handful of carriers currently support eSIM Quick Transfer.)<\/p>\n<p>Plus, eSIM can reduce the time it takes to switch carriers. You don\u2019t need to visit a physical store or wait for a SIM card to arrive in the mail\u2014just follow your carrier\u2019s instructions to set up eSIM at home.<\/p>\n<p>International travelers can also benefit from eSIM, as it supports up to five virtual SIM cards at a time. If you\u2019re visiting Germany, for example, you can join a local carrier\u2019s network on your phone without tucking a delicate little SIM card in your luggage.<\/p>\n<p>There are several other small-but-significant perks to eSIM. Phone manufacturers can stick larger batteries or other components in their phones by eliminating the physical SIM tray, for example. And you don\u2019t need to worry about a faulty SIM card if you\u2019re using eSIM.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Unfortunately_eSIM_Has_Some_Downsides\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_2\">Unfortunately, eSIM Has Some Downsides<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-114469 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/04\/2484a7df.png\" alt=\"An iPhone with broken back glass.\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/rostovondon-russia-november-2020-iphone-12-1938034441\" data-credittext=\"Sergey Eremin \/ Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/rostovondon-russia-november-2020-iphone-12-1938034441\">Sergey Eremin \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite its many benefits,\u00a0the switch to eSIM is frustrating for some people, especially power users. And in certain situations, average people will experience problems because of eSIM.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest downside to eSIM is that it can (ironically) make switching devices harder. If you own multiple phones without physical SIM trays, you need to go through your carrier\u2019s eSIM setup process to switch from one phone to another. This is especially frustrating for reviewers like myself, who regularly pop their personal SIM card into new devices. (A niche complaint, obviously.)<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, ordinary people may encounter this problem when their smartphone breaks. In my experience, most people become familiar with SIM cards when they temporarily switch to an old or borrowed phone. The eSIM process complicates things a bit, as you can\u2019t just transplant the SIM card out of your broken phone\u2014you need to go through an online process that may require on-screen input from your busted device.<\/p>\n<p>Carriers\u2019 eSIM transfer services could also become overloaded when a popular new phone comes out. This may force you to wait a few hours when setting up a brand new device, though of course, we have no evidence that eSIM transfer services will actually crash.<\/p>\n<p>And while eSIM will eventually make international travel easier, it could make things difficult for early adopters. Very few carriers outside the United States actually support eSIM. Until the eSIM standard becomes ubiquitous, international travelers with eSIM-only phones may be forced to use expensive roaming data in certain regions.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Which_Carriers_Support_eSIM\"><\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" name=\"autotoc_anchor_3\">Which Carriers Support eSIM?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1920px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-128950\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/09\/9231dbee.png\" alt=\"A group of people using smartphones\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/group-people-using-smart-phones-1542728096\">metamorworks \/ Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Most major U.S. carriers support the eSIM standard. But if you aren\u2019t with the \u201cbig three,\u201d there\u2019s a small chance that you need a physical SIM card to use mobile data or make calls. And that may mean waiting to buy the new iPhone 14.<\/p>\n<p>Here\u2019s the list of U.S. carriers who currently support eSIM, according <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/support.apple.com\/en-us\/HT209096\">to Apple<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>AT&amp;T (Supports Quick Transfer)<\/li>\n<li>Boost Mobile<\/li>\n<li>Cellcom<\/li>\n<li>Credo Mobile<\/li>\n<li>C Spire\u00a0(Supports Quick Transfer)<\/li>\n<li>FirstNet<\/li>\n<li>H2O Wireless<\/li>\n<li>Spectrum Mobile<\/li>\n<li>Straight Talk<\/li>\n<li>Strata<\/li>\n<li>T-Mobile\u00a0(Supports Quick Transfer)<\/li>\n<li>Tracfone<\/li>\n<li>US Cellular\u00a0(Supports Quick Transfer)<\/li>\n<li>Verizon Wireless (Supports Quick Transfer)<\/li>\n<li>Xfinity Mobile<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Note that only five of these carriers currently support the Quick Transfer protocol. Without Quick Transfer, you need to contact your carrier to set up eSIM on a smartphone.<\/p>\n<p>We expect all U.S. carriers to support eSIM by the end of 2023. But at the time of writing, zero carriers have announced a concrete plan to implement eSIM. Consumer Cellular, for example, simply says that it\u2019ll support eSIM <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Consumer_Cell\/status\/1567626165954781197\">once it starts selling<\/a> the iPhone 14 (which will take several months, as is usually the case with Consumer Cellular and other affordable carriers).\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\nsetTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n  fbq('init', '1137093656460433');\n  fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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The new iPhone 14 requires eSIM for mobile networking, and it\u2019s only a matter of time before other smartphones follow suit. Unfortunately, your carrier may not support eSIM yet. What Is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":491365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/p\/uploads\/2022\/09\/e782e9d9.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-491364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=491364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/491364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/491365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=491364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=491364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=491364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}