When your eSIM is not working abroad, the cause is almost always a setting, not a broken eSIM. Check, in this order: data roaming is on for the eSIM line, the eSIM is chosen for mobile data, the APN is right, the right network is selected, and then restart the phone. If it still won’t connect, contact the provider’s support over Wi-Fi. This guide gives the exact menu paths for iPhone and Android, plus the rules Saily and Airalo publish.
Last updated 30 October 2026.
First, rule out the two non-problems
Before touching any settings, check two things that look like faults but aren’t. Both are quick.
Are you inside the coverage area? Airalo’s troubleshooting article says “your eSIM can only work in its coverage area.” A Japan plan won’t connect during a layover in Doha. If you’ve bought a single-country plan for a multi-stop trip, that alone explains the silence.
Has the plan actually started? Saily plans activate when you reach your destination, or 180 days after purchase, according to our Saily review. Saily’s iOS troubleshooting article opens with “Ensure your plan is active.” Airalo’s packages differ, so read the activation line on yours.
In practice, also switch off Wi-Fi while you test. Saily’s guides list “Disconnect from Wi-Fi” as an early step, because a phone on hotel Wi-Fi can hide whether mobile data works at all.
Step 1: turn on data roaming for the eSIM line
This is the fix for most people, and most people miss it. A travel eSIM is a foreign SIM as far as your phone is concerned, so it roams by design, even though the plan is meant for that country.
iPhone (iOS 26 menus): Settings > Mobile Service (or Cellular) > tap the travel eSIM > switch Data Roaming on. That path comes straight from Saily’s iOS article.
Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > switch Data roaming on. Saily’s Android article uses those exact names.
Don’t forget the other half. Airalo says to keep data roaming off for your primary SIM, so your home carrier can’t bill you for background traffic.
Step 2: make sure the eSIM is on and chosen for mobile data
A dual-SIM phone can have two lines switched on but only one carrying data. Easy to overlook. Google’s Pixel dual SIM page is blunt: “Only one SIM can be the default for data.”
iPhone: Settings > Mobile Service > tap the eSIM and check Turn On This Line is enabled. Go back, tap Mobile Data (Cellular Data), and choose the travel eSIM. Apple’s travel eSIM article gives the same route: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, then “Select which line you want to use.”
Samsung: Settings > Connections > SIM manager. Toggle the eSIM on, tap Mobile data, and select it.
Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, then under “Your primary SIMs” tap Mobile data and pick the eSIM (Android 11 and later, per Google).
On iOS 26, Apple adds a shortcut: when you land with a travel eSIM, you may see a prompt to tap Turn On Travel eSIM and pick Travel eSIM Only or Travel eSIM and Current eSIM. If you tapped “Not Now” in a hurry, the manual steps above do the same job.
Step 3: check the airplane mode trick and the APN
Toggle airplane mode on, wait about 15 seconds, then off. Apple’s eSIM setup troubleshooting page lists this first, and Saily’s guides use the same 15-second wait. It forces the phone to search for networks again.
Next, the APN (access point name). It tells the phone how to reach the provider’s data network. Most eSIMs set it automatically, but not all. When you see bars but pages won’t load, the APN is a prime suspect. Airalo says to enter the APN from your installation instructions if it isn’t set.
For Saily, the value is published. On iPhone: Settings > Mobile Service > the Saily eSIM > Mobile Data Network, then type wbdata in the APN fields for both Mobile Data and LTE Setup, and “Leave other fields blank.” On Samsung: Connections > Mobile networks > Access Point Names > +, enter wbdata as both name and APN, save, then select it.
Honestly, if you’re using Airalo, check the installation screen in the app rather than guessing. Every package can carry its own APN.
Step 4: pick the network by hand, and try 4G
Phones usually pick a partner network automatically. Sometimes they choose badly.
iPhone: Settings > Mobile Service > the eSIM > Network Selection, turn off Automatic, then choose a listed network. Samsung: Connections > Mobile networks > Network operators, then select one.
Which one? Airalo says to pick one of the networks listed in your installation instructions. Saily says that “if you are unsure which one it is,” contact its support. Skip the guesswork here; a wrong pick just moves the problem.
Then try a slower network type. Airalo’s advice: if you’re on 5G, “try connecting with 4G/LTE or 3G.” On iPhone that lives under the eSIM’s Voice & Data menu; on Samsung, under Mobile networks > the eSIM > preferred network type, where Saily says to unselect 5G and choose 4G or 3G. It turns out a 5G setting the local partner doesn’t support can look exactly like a dead eSIM.
Step 5: restart, then reset network settings as a last resort
A plain restart refreshes the connection. Apple, Saily and Airalo all list it. Don’t skip it because it sounds too simple.
If nothing above helped, Saily suggests resetting network settings. On iPhone: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. On Samsung: search Settings for “reset” and choose Reset Wi-Fi, mobile, and Bluetooth (or “Reset network settings”).
Read the warning first. Saily notes that after a reset, all network-related settings return to factory defaults, and it names data roaming and the APN among them. So when you finish, go back and repeat steps 1 to 4. Don’t confuse this reset with the Delete eSIM button, which removes the eSIM itself. Apple’s erase eSIM page warns: “Don’t erase an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless directed to by your carrier.” Our guide on what to do if you’ve accidentally deleted an eSIM explains why.
If it says “Unable to Activate eSIM”
That’s a different problem: the eSIM didn’t finish installing. Airalo’s article on this iPhone error starts with a reassuring line: “Even if the error appears, your eSIM may have already been installed in the device.” Open Settings > Cellular and look for the line before you try again.
If you’ve checked and it isn’t there, Airalo and Saily list the same fixes: a stable internet connection, a restart, the latest iOS, and no VPN running. Airalo adds checking for “No SIM restrictions” under Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock, since a locked phone may block another provider’s eSIM. Saily’s installation article suggests ending any active call and trying a QR code or manual setup if the app route fails. One more rule from Saily: “Avoid installing the same eSIM multiple times on one or more devices.” If you’re unsure your phone qualifies at all, see is my phone eSIM compatible.
A worked example: landing in Istanbul with no signal
Say you fly to Istanbul for a ten-day family visit with a 10 GB Turkey plan, planning on roughly 0.8 GB a day for maps, messaging and evening video calls. You land, switch off airplane mode, and the eSIM line shows “No Service.”
Minute 1. You turn off Wi-Fi, which the airport had already joined. Still nothing. Most people miss what comes next.
Minute 2. In Settings > Mobile Service > the travel eSIM, Data Roaming is off. You switch it on. On most phones, this is where the bars appear.
Minute 4. Bars, but no internet. You open Mobile Data and see it’s still on your home SIM. You switch it to the eSIM and turn roaming off on the home line.
Minute 6. Pages load. Ten days at 0.8 GB is 8 GB, so the 10 GB plan has a 2 GB cushion.
If minute 6 had still been a blank page, the next moves would be the APN, then manual network selection, then a restart. One extra note for this trip: Saily’s Turkey page warns that “access to the Saily app may be limited in Turkey,” so set up anything you need in the app before you fly.
When to contact support
If every step above fails, don’t keep toggling switches for an hour. Get on Wi-Fi and contact the provider, with screenshots of your cellular settings ready. Saily’s help centre says its live chat runs in the Saily app on your phone, with an email form as the alternative. Airalo says its support is available 24/7, and our Airalo review notes it also answers on WhatsApp, which helps when the app itself won’t load. Airalo’s last word on the subject is honest: weak local coverage can stop any eSIM from connecting.
FAQ: eSIM not working abroad questions
Why is my eSIM not working when I land?
Usually data roaming is off for the eSIM line, or mobile data is still set to your home SIM. Turn on roaming for the eSIM and choose it for mobile data. Then toggle airplane mode.
Do I need data roaming on for a travel eSIM?
Yes, for most travel eSIMs. Saily’s guides tell you to switch Data Roaming on for the Saily line, and Airalo says to turn it on if your eSIM requires it. Keep roaming off on your home SIM.
What does “Unable to Activate eSIM” mean?
The eSIM didn’t finish installing, or iPhone thinks it didn’t. Airalo says it may already be installed, so check Settings > Cellular first. If it isn’t there, connect to stable Wi-Fi, restart and update iOS before you retry.
Why is my Saily eSIM not working?
Saily’s own checklist: confirm the plan is active, switch off Wi-Fi, turn on Data Roaming, make the Saily eSIM your mobile data line, try 4G instead of 5G, and set the APN to wbdata. If that fails, restart, then reset network settings and contact Saily’s live chat.
The short version
- Check you’re inside the plan’s coverage area and the plan has started.
- Turn on data roaming for the eSIM line and choose it for mobile data.
- Then airplane mode, APN, manual network selection and 4G, in that order.
- Restart; reset network settings only as a last resort, and never delete the eSIM to troubleshoot.
- Still stuck: contact the provider’s support over Wi-Fi.