How to move an eSIM to a new iPhone depends on who issued it. For your home carrier’s eSIM, Apple’s eSIM Quick Transfer moves the line during setup, or later in Settings > Cellular, as long as both iPhones run iOS 18.4 or later, sit next to each other with Bluetooth on, and use the same Apple Account. When the new line activates, the old handset’s SIM stops working. Travel eSIMs are different: Saily lets you move yours with the same login, while Airalo says its eSIMs stay on the first device.
Last updated 30 October 2026.
Before you start: what Apple asks for
Apple’s support article Set up eSIM on iPhone lists four conditions for eSIM Quick Transfer. Check them first.
- You’re signed in to both iPhones with your Apple Account.
- Your previous iPhone is unlocked with its passcode.
- Both devices are nearby with Bluetooth turned on.
- Both run iOS 18.4 or later.
A fifth condition hides in the opening line of Apple’s section, which begins “If your carrier supports eSIM Quick Transfer,” and that small “if” matters, because plenty of operators around the world still haven’t switched the feature on, and you only discover it when the option simply never appears. When yours doesn’t support it, Apple points you to other routes: carrier activation, a QR code, a carrier link or the carrier’s own app. In practice, that means a quick chat with your operator before the move. Not after.
Honestly, the step most people miss is the dullest one. Update the old phone first. A handset two versions behind can’t take part, and installing a big update halfway through setting up its replacement is the slow, frustrating way round.
Move your carrier eSIM during setup
This is the easiest moment. While you set up the new phone, iOS asks whether you want to transfer your number.
- Keep the old iPhone unlocked and close by.
- When setup offers to transfer your number, follow the prompts.
- Confirm on the old handset when it asks.
- Wait for activation.
Apple notes that with iOS 26 or later you can bring across more than one number at once. Handy for people who carry a personal line and a work line together.
Move it after setup: Settings > Cellular
If you’ve skipped that prompt, or it stalled, you can do it later. These steps come from Apple’s article, written for iOS 18.4 and later.
- Open Settings on the new iPhone.
- Tap Cellular.
- Tap Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM.
- Choose the plan to transfer. If you don’t see a list of numbers, tap Transfer From Nearby iPhone.
- Follow the instructions on the previous phone. Tap Transfer, or type the verification code shown on the new screen.
- Wait for the plan to activate.
Sometimes a banner appears saying Finish Setting Up Your Carrier’s Cellular Plan. Tap it. Apple says you’ll land on your carrier’s webpage to complete things there. Outside the US, the menu may read Mobile Service or Mobile Data instead of Cellular. Same place.
What happens to the old iPhone’s eSIM
Apple puts it plainly: “The cellular plan on your new iPhone deactivates your previous SIM when it activates.” One number never stays live on two phones. The old device loses service the moment its successor gets it.
That has two practical effects. First, don’t forget to finish any pending sign-ins that rely on text codes before you begin, since those messages will arrive on the replacement from then on, and a bank login halfway through verification is an annoying thing to restart. Second, when you hand the old phone to a relative or trade it in, erase it as usual; the line has already left.
What if the process fails halfway? Usually your number simply stays put. Restart both, check they share the same Wi-Fi, and retry from Settings > Cellular. Still stuck? Your operator can push a fresh profile directly through carrier activation or a QR code.
Travel eSIMs follow different rules
Turns out Quick Transfer is built for carrier lines. A travel eSIM bought from a provider like Saily or Airalo follows that company’s own policy, and the two biggest names give opposite answers.
Saily: yes, with the same email
Saily’s help article Can I reinstall an eSIM? says you can reinstall your eSIM “and even use it on a different device” as long as you log in to the app with the same email address. Its separate guide, How to transfer Saily eSIM from iOS to another device, gives these steps:
- On the old iPhone, open Settings and tap Mobile Service (or Cellular).
- Tap your Saily eSIM, then tap Delete eSIM.
- Open the Saily app and tap Install eSIM.
- Tap Share eSIM to other person.
- Scan the QR code with the new iPhone and follow the on-screen instructions.
Saily adds a warning: if you’ve changed the eSIM’s default settings, you may need your PIN or PUK. The reinstall article describes a simpler path for your own upgrade. Sign in to the Saily app on the replacement with that same email, open eSIMs, and select Install eSIM. If installation fails, Saily suggests reinstalling the app itself. Our Saily review explains how its one-eSIM-for-every-trip design works.
Airalo: no, it stays on the first phone
Airalo’s article Can I transfer my eSIM to a new device? answers bluntly: no. It says the eSIM “can only be installed on one device” and, once installed, can’t be transferred. Its reinstall article adds that eSIMs typically can’t be reinstalled, and asks customers not to remove any profile they still intend to use.
Leftover gigabytes? Airalo offers two options. Keep using them on the old handset, or switch on Personal Hotspot there and connect the newcomer to it. Our guide to using an eSIM as a hotspot covers that part. If the original phone is broken, Airalo says the eSIM and its remaining data can’t be recovered, and recommends buying a new one for the new device. More detail sits in our Airalo review.
A worked example: new iPhone two days before Istanbul
Rules make more sense on a real calendar.
Monday. Your new iPhone arrives. You’re flying to Istanbul on Wednesday for a family visit, and the old phone holds two lines: your home carrier’s eSIM plus a Saily eSIM installed last week, carrying a 5 GB Turkey plan that hasn’t started yet.
Monday evening, on home Wi-Fi. You update the old phone so both run iOS 18.4 or later. Same Apple Account? Yes. Bluetooth on? Yes.
During setup. The new iPhone offers to transfer your number. You accept, confirm on the old one, and wait. Once the plan activates, your home line is live on the replacement and gone from its predecessor.
The Saily line. Quick Transfer handled the carrier line, not the travel eSIM, so you deal with that separately: delete it on the old phone under Settings > Cellular, then sign in to the Saily app on the new phone with the same email, open eSIMs and tap Install eSIM. Saily ties the eSIM to your login rather than to the old handset, which is why this works.
Tuesday. Settings > Cellular on the new phone now lists both lines. You leave the travel eSIM’s data off until landing, the same routine you would follow for any travel eSIM installed before a flight.
Now replay that week with an Airalo eSIM. If it was already installed on the old phone, it stays there, so you’d either carry two devices and run one as a hotspot, draining both batteries through a long day of maps and messaging, or buy a fresh Airalo eSIM for the new iPhone. If you’ve not installed it anywhere yet, put it straight onto the new phone and skip the problem entirely.
Common mistakes
Wiping the old iPhone first. Erase it before the transfer and there’s nothing left to transfer from. Move lines, then wipe.
Deleting a travel eSIM you can’t get back. With Airalo, removal is usually final. If you’ve already done it, our guide to an accidentally deleted eSIM covers what Airalo’s app may offer.
Skipping the update. Both phones need iOS 18.4 or later.
Assuming Quick Transfer moves everything. It moves carrier lines. Travel eSIMs follow each provider’s rules.
Doing it at the airport. Setup wants a stable connection and some patience, neither of which a departure lounge reliably provides, so move your lines at home a day or two early.
If the transfer fails
Start simple. Restart both phones, keep them close, and confirm Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are on. Check each version under Settings > General > About. Then try again via Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM.
When your carrier doesn’t support Quick Transfer, contact them. Apple lists carrier activation, which shows a Carrier Cellular Plan Ready to Be Installed notification, and a QR code as the usual fallbacks. For a travel eSIM, ask the provider: Saily’s support runs through live chat inside its app, while Airalo answers by chat in its app or on its website.
Coming from Android? Apple says that with iOS 26 or later, some carriers and manufacturers support moving an eSIM from Android to iPhone. Otherwise, your operator transfers the number by carrier activation or QR code.
FAQ: moving an eSIM to a new iPhone
Does the eSIM stop working on my old iPhone?
Yes. Apple says the new iPhone’s plan deactivates the previous SIM when it activates. You won’t have one number live on both phones.
Do I need Wi-Fi to transfer an eSIM?
Apple’s Quick Transfer checklist asks for Bluetooth, the same Apple Account and iOS 18.4 or later on both phones. A stable Wi-Fi connection still helps the new phone finish activating, so do it at home.
Can I move a travel eSIM to a new iPhone?
It depends on the provider. Saily lets you reinstall on a different device if you log in with the same email. Airalo says its eSIMs can only be installed on one device and can’t be transferred.
What if my carrier doesn’t support eSIM Quick Transfer?
Contact the carrier. Apple lists carrier activation, a QR code, a carrier link or the carrier’s app as other ways to set up the eSIM on your new iPhone.
The short version
- Carrier eSIMs move with eSIM Quick Transfer: during setup, or Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM > Transfer From Nearby iPhone.
- Both iPhones need iOS 18.4 or later, Bluetooth on, the same Apple Account, and the old one unlocked.
- The old iPhone’s line switches off when the new one activates.
- Saily eSIMs move to a new phone with the same login; Airalo eSIMs stay on the first device.
- Move your lines before you wipe the old phone, and never at the gate.