How to install an eSIM on iPhone: QR code, manual entry and one-tap setup

Before you start: three quick checks

• Your iPhone supports eSIM. Every model from the iPhone XS and XR onwards does. If you are unsure, our guide How to check if your phone supports eSIM shows how to confirm it in under a minute.
• Your iPhone is unlocked. Go to Settings → General → About and look for Carrier Lock. It should say “No SIM restrictions”. A locked iPhone may install the eSIM but will not connect with it.
• You are online and up to date. Installation downloads the eSIM profile, so connect to Wi-Fi (your current mobile data also works). A recent iOS version avoids problems with newer installation methods.

Timing matters too. The best moment to install is a day or two before departure, at home and on a stable connection. Installing does not use up your plan with most providers, because the validity usually starts with the first connection in the destination. Check your provider's terms if you are not sure.

Three ways to install a travel eSIM on iPhone

After you buy a plan, the provider gives you one or more of these options:

All three install the same eSIM; only the way the details reach the phone differs. With one-tap install, the provider's app or link hands the details to iOS, which then opens the eSIM setup screens directly. Follow them as described in the setup section below. If a button does not appear or fails, fall back to the QR code or manual entry, which work on every eSIM-capable iPhone.

Install with a QR code

1. Open Settings → Cellular (Mobile Service or Mobile Data in some countries).
2. Tap Add eSIM (Add Cellular Plan on older iOS versions), then Use QR Code.
3. Point the camera at the QR code on your laptop, tablet or printout. iOS reads it automatically.
4. Confirm with Continue or Add Cellular Plan and wait until the eSIM is activated. This can take a minute; keep the iPhone online.
5. Go through the setup screens that follow (labels, default line, data); see the setup section below.

The QR code arrived on the same iPhone? Recent iOS versions let you pick the code from your photos on the scanner screen: take a screenshot of the code, then choose it there. On older versions, open the e-mail on another device and scan it from that screen, or use manual entry instead.

Install manually with the SM-DP+ address and activation code

Every QR code contains two pieces of information that you can also type in by hand: the SM-DP+ address (the server that holds your eSIM) and the activation code. Providers usually list them under the QR code or in their app, often labelled “manual installation” or “iOS details”.

1. Open Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Use QR Code.
2. Tap Enter Details Manually at the bottom of the scanner screen.
3. Type or paste the SM-DP+ address and the activation code. Leave the confirmation code empty unless the provider gave you one.
4. Tap Next and follow the setup screens.

Some providers give a single line that starts with LPA:1$. It contains both values separated by dollar signs: the part after the first $ is the SM-DP+ address, the part after the second $ is the activation code. Copy each part without the dollar signs and without spaces.

The setup screens: labels, default line and mobile data

After the download, iOS asks a few questions. The choices below keep your home number working and stop the travel eSIM from starting too early:

• Label: give the new line a clear name such as “Travel” and your home line “Home”. You will pick these names in several menus later.
• Default line: choose your home line for calls and SMS, so people can still reach you on your usual number.
• iMessage and FaceTime: keep your home number.
• Cellular data: keep your home line for now and switch to the travel eSIM when you arrive. Also turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching, which can otherwise move data between lines on its own.

Until you travel, you can switch the new eSIM off completely: Settings → Cellular → your travel line → Turn On This Line off. It stays installed and ready.

WhatsApp and similar apps are linked to your phone number, not to the line that carries the data, so they keep working with your usual number. Our guide eSIM vs roaming vs local SIM explains which calls and texts to your home number your carrier may still charge for abroad.

When you land: switch on the eSIM

1. Open Settings → Cellular → your travel line and turn on Turn On This Line.
2. In the same screen, turn on Data Roaming. A travel eSIM connects through partner networks, so it needs roaming enabled; this costs nothing extra.
3. Go back and set Cellular Data to the travel line.
4. Open your home line and make sure Data Roaming is off there, so your own carrier cannot charge for data.
5. Wait a minute or two for the first connection. If your provider gave you an APN, enter it under your travel line → Cellular Data Network.

No signal or no internet after a few minutes? Toggle airplane mode, restart the iPhone and try choosing a network manually. Our checklist eSIM not working abroad? 10 fixes goes through every setting in order. And if you have not chosen a plan yet, our eSIM comparison by destination lists the plans for every country, and the guide How much data do I need for travel? helps with the size.

After the trip: turn off, keep or delete?

When you are back home, set Cellular Data to your home line and switch the travel line off with Turn On This Line. Whether to delete it depends on your plans:

• Keep it if you might travel to the same country or region again. With many providers you can buy a top-up for an installed eSIM instead of installing a new one. An iPhone can store several eSIMs, so an unused one does no harm.
• Delete it only when you are sure you no longer need it: Settings → Cellular → your travel line → Delete eSIM (Remove Cellular Plan on older versions). Deleting is final; most travel eSIMs cannot be reinstalled from the same QR code.

Getting a new iPhone? iOS can move eSIMs to a new iPhone during setup, but not every travel eSIM provider supports this. If your plan still has data or validity left, ask the provider before you erase the old phone.

Before your next trip, it is worth checking our current promo codes for the provider you plan to use.

Common installation errors and how to fix them

A tip that saves stress: install at home, not at the airport. If something goes wrong, you still have time and a good connection to sort it out with the provider before you fly.