eSIM iPhone Guide: Which Models Support It and How to Install

An iPhone needs to be an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later to use an eSIM, and the phone must be unlocked and connected to Wi-Fi for setup. You install a travel eSIM by QR code in Settings, then choose it for mobile data while your home SIM stays in the phone for calls and texts.

Which iPhones support eSIM

You need an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later, plus a network or worldwide service provider that supports eSIM. Older models do not have eSIM hardware, so no QR code will install on them.

Apple's list starts at the iPhone XS generation and runs forward from there. Two things decide whether a travel eSIM will work on a particular handset:

• The model must be eSIM capable, which means iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later.
• The phone must be unlocked, so it accepts a plan from another network provider. If you are unsure, run the IMEI check before you buy anything.

Region matters too. In China mainland, Apple says only iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air support eSIM. In Hong Kong and Macao, certain models use two nano-SIM cards instead of an eSIM. If your iPhone was bought in one of those markets, check the model before paying for a plan. The compatibility guide walks through the model list in more detail.

How many eSIMs an iPhone can hold

Apple says an iPhone can manage up to eight or more eSIMs, so a travel eSIM can sit alongside your home SIM or home eSIM without removing anything. You switch between them in Settings rather than swapping plastic.

This is what makes iPhone dual SIM eSIM practical for a trip. Your home line stays in place, whether it is a physical SIM or an eSIM, and the travel plan is added as a second line. You then decide, line by line, which one carries mobile data and which one handles calls and texts.

A few practical points:

• Keep the home line active for bank codes and calls, and turn off data roaming on it so it does not run up charges.
• A travel eSIM QR code can usually be installed only once, so do not delete a Slashtel eSIM that is still in use.
• Travel eSIMs are not moved with eSIM Quick Transfer the way a home carrier line is, so plan to install the travel plan on the phone that will actually travel.

Buying a travel eSIM on iPhone with Apple Pay

Slashtel checkout accepts Apple Pay, so you can pay in one tap with Face ID or Touch ID, and the bank confirms the payment. The QR code then arrives by email within minutes, ready to install before you fly.

You buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. Nothing needs to be collected in a shop and no plastic has to be posted. Two details make the buying step easier on an iPhone:

• Someone else can buy the eSIM and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it. Useful when a parent is paying for a student abroad.
• Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so buying and installing at home before the flight costs you nothing in days.

Slashtel eSIMs are data only: there is no local phone number and no calls or SMS. WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. If you also want to keep a prepaid home line alive while away, Slashtel sells mobile top ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes. Browse coverage on the destinations page before choosing a plan.

Installing the eSIM on iPhone

On iPhone, go to Settings > Mobile Service (Mobile Data or Cellular on some iPhones) > Add eSIM > Use QR Code, and scan the code from your Slashtel email. Apple asks you to connect the iPhone to Wi-Fi or a hotspot to set up an eSIM, so install at home before you fly.

Apple lists several ways to activate an eSIM: eSIM Quick Transfer from a previous iPhone, network provider activation, a QR code, other provider methods, and transfer from an Android phone. A Slashtel eSIM uses the QR code route. In some countries, iPhone models that are eSIM only can activate without Wi-Fi, but do not rely on that when travelling.

The steps in order:

1. Connect the iPhone to Wi-Fi.
2. Open Settings > Mobile Service (or Mobile Data, or Cellular) > Add eSIM > Use QR Code.
3. Scan the QR code from the Slashtel delivery email.
4. Label the line so you can tell it apart from your home line.
5. Leave the eSIM installed and switched on; it will connect when you reach the destination.

The full walkthrough with pictures is in the install guide.

Setting data line, data roaming and APN

After installing, choose the Slashtel eSIM for mobile data and keep your own SIM for calls, texts and bank codes. Turn on Data Roaming for the Slashtel line, which costs nothing extra on a Slashtel eSIM.

Most Slashtel eSIMs connect with no APN set. If the eSIM shows signal bars but nothing loads, set the APN from your Slashtel delivery email. Step by step iPhone pictures and a video are on the APN settings guide.

A short checklist for the first hour abroad:

• Mobile data: set to the Slashtel eSIM.
• Data roaming: on for the Slashtel line, off for your home line.
• Default voice line: your home SIM, so calls and bank codes still arrive.
• Network selection: the network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand, so leave it alone.

If you need more data later, it can be added to the same eSIM with no new QR code.

Using your iPhone abroad with your own number

Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges. The travel eSIM carries the data, so your own number stays reachable without paying for data abroad.

This is the setup most people want: the number friends, family and banks already have keeps working for incoming texts, while maps and messaging run on the travel plan. iPhone dual SIM eSIM makes this possible because both lines sit in the phone at once.

What to expect:

• Incoming SMS, including one time codes from banks, arrives on your home line at no data cost to the eSIM.
• Calls to your home number follow whatever your home provider charges for receiving abroad, so check that with them.
• WhatsApp and other internet calls run over the Slashtel data.
• If a code does not arrive, check that the home line is still switched on and that its data roaming is off rather than the line itself being disabled.

The calls, texts and OTP guide covers the line settings in detail.

Moving to a new iPhone

eSIM Quick Transfer moves a phone number from a previous iPhone without contacting the provider, if the provider supports it. Both iPhones must be signed in to the same Apple Account, the previous iPhone unlocked with its passcode, both nearby with Bluetooth on, and both on iOS 18.4 or later.

With iOS 26 or later you can transfer more than one phone number to a new iPhone. When the plan on the new iPhone activates, the previous SIM is deactivated, so the old phone stops using that line.

Before you start:

• Update both iPhones to at least iOS 18.4, and to iOS 26 or later if you want to move more than one number.
• Have the passcode for the old iPhone ready.
• Keep both phones close together with Bluetooth on.

Remember that a travel eSIM is not moved the same way as a home carrier line, and a QR code can usually be installed only once. If you are changing phones mid trip, message Slashtel support on WhatsApp before deleting anything, so the plan is not lost. The transfer guide has the full sequence.

Questions iPhone users ask

Check three things before you buy: whether the model supports eSIM, whether the phone is unlocked, and which line is set for data. After that, the setup is a short series of Settings taps.

Quick answers to the common ones:

• Which iPhones support eSIM? iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR or later, with regional exceptions in China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao.
• Can I install before I fly? Yes. Connect to Wi-Fi, install the QR code at home, and validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination.
• Will I lose my own number? No. Keep the home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes.
• What if nothing loads? Set the APN from your delivery email.

Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week, if a setting does not behave as described.

More detail is in travel eSIM plans for 190+ countries.

Sources

Checked 25 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.

• https://support.apple.com/en-gb/118669
• https://support.apple.com/en-gb/101569
• https://slashtel.com/llms.txt
• https://slashtel.com/guides/esim-apn-settings