How to install an eSIM on iPhone comes down to three routes. The easiest is the provider’s own app, which hands the eSIM to your iPhone in a few taps. The second is a QR code: go to Settings, tap Cellular, tap Add eSIM, then Use QR Code and scan it. The third is manual: on that same screen tap Enter Details Manually and type the SM-DP+ address and activation code. Whichever route you take, do it on Wi-Fi, then label the new line and choose it for cellular data.
Last updated 30 October 2026.
Before you start: three checks
Installing takes a few minutes. Failing because of a check you skipped can eat an afternoon, so don’t skip these. When you’ve ticked them off, the rest is mostly tapping Continue.
Your iPhone supports eSIM and isn’t locked. Apple’s article on using eSIM while traveling gives the quickest test: open Settings, tap General, then About. If “No SIM Restrictions” appears next to Carrier Lock, the phone is unlocked. Anything else needs a carrier call. Our guide on whether your phone is eSIM compatible covers the model list in more detail.
You’re on Wi-Fi. Apple’s travel article says your iPhone “must be connected to a Wi-Fi network or hotspot” to set up. Saily’s iOS install guide says the same: “A stable Wi-Fi connection is required for the installation process.” Airalo’s iOS guide asks for “a stable connection, preferably WiFi.”
You have room for a second line. Apple’s Dual SIM guide lists which models can run two eSIMs at once: iPhone SE (3rd generation), iPhone 13 and later. Older dual-SIM models pair one physical SIM with one eSIM. Both setups work fine.
Honestly, most people miss the carrier-lock check, and it’s the one no amount of retrying fixes. If you’ve bought your iPhone through a contract, ask the carrier before you buy a plan.
Route 1: install through the provider’s app
This is the route most travel eSIM companies push, and honestly it’s the one with the fewest places to go wrong. The app already knows your eSIM’s details, so you never see a code. Nothing to type.
Saily’s steps (from its iOS guide, read today):
- Open the Saily app and tap “Install eSIM”.
- Select the device you’ll use it on and tap “Continue”.
- Tap “Start eSIM install”.
- Tap “Activate”, wait a few moments, and press “Continue”.
- Choose where you’ll use the eSIM, Home or Abroad, and tap “Continue”.
- Select “Data Only” and tap “Continue”.
- Tap “Done” and go back to the app, which walks you through turning on the eSIM line and choosing it for mobile data.
Saily’s help article on what Saily is sums the method up: “No QR codes or manual activation codes required.”
Airalo’s steps (from its iOS guide): in the app, open My eSIMs, choose your eSIM and tap View details. Under “Ready to use your eSIM?” select Install or share, then Start installation. Tap Continue until activation starts, wait, and tap Done. That’s it. If you haven’t reached your destination yet, Airalo says to tap Connect Later.
Don’t let the word “Activate” in these screens worry you. It’s part of the install, not a starting gun for your package. Airalo’s guide notes that “most eSIM validity periods start only when the eSIM connects to a mobile network in its coverage area,” though in rare cases a package starts at installation, so read the package details.
Route 2: install with a QR code
A QR code packs the same details an app would pass along into a printable square. Apple’s eSIM setup article describes two ways to use it.
From Settings (the method Airalo’s guide uses):
- Open Settings and tap Cellular (or Mobile Data).
- Tap Add eSIM.
- Tap Use QR Code and scan the code.
- Enter a confirmation code if you’re asked for one.
- Tap Continue, wait for activation, then tap Done.
From the Camera app: Apple says you can scan the code with Camera and tap the “Cellular Plan Detected” notification, then tap Continue and Add Cellular Plan.
The QR code is on the same phone. Now what?
This is the snag most people miss. The QR code sits in an email or in the provider’s app, on the very iPhone that needs to scan it. Apple has an answer: with iOS 17.4 or later, when the code arrives in an email or a browser, touch and hold it, then tap “Add eSIM”. No second screen needed, no printer, no borrowed tablet propped against a coffee mug while you aim the camera at it.
Otherwise, show the code on a laptop or a second phone, or print it. Airalo’s iOS steps also let you select a saved QR code from your Photos. Screenshots count.
How to get the QR code for your eSIM
Where the code lives depends on the provider and how you bought the plan.
- Airalo: inside the app, in your eSIM’s details. Open My eSIMs, pick the eSIM, tap View details, then Install or share. The same screen offers the manual details.
- Saily: the app installs directly, so you usually don’t need one. Its gifting guide says that when an eSIM is ready, you “find its QR code in the app” and can send it as a screenshot.
- A phone carrier: Apple says carriers may send it by email or set up the eSIM through their own app instead.
Treat the code like a house key, and don’t forward it around. Saily’s gifting guide is blunt: “A QR code can’t be reused once it’s installed,” and each eSIM goes on one device only. Airalo’s help center warns that exceeding the number of installs for the same eSIM on iOS triggers an error such as “Mobile Plan Cannot be Added” or “The code is no longer valid.” Scan it once. Keep it private.
Route 3: enter the details manually
When a QR code won’t scan, or support sends you the raw details, type them in. Slowly. Apple’s article gives the path: open Settings, tap Cellular or Mobile Data, tap Add eSIM (Apple also calls it Add Cellular Plan), then tap Enter Details Manually at the bottom of the screen.
You’ll need two strings. Copy both exactly:
- SM-DP+ Address: the server that hands over your eSIM. Saily’s iOS guide gives its own: “wbg.prod.ondemandconnectivity.com”.
- Activation Code: unique to your eSIM. Paste it, tap Next, and follow the prompts.
Airalo shows both strings in the app’s manual option, plus a confirmation code when one applies. Turns out copy-and-paste beats typing here; one wrong character and the install fails. When you’re copying from a laptop, AirDrop or a notes app synced through iCloud saves squinting at tiny letters.
Label the line, then pick your data line
Once the eSIM installs, iOS asks how to use your lines. These choices decide whether the travel eSIM actually carries your data, so slow down. In practice, a sloppy answer here looks exactly like a broken eSIM later.
Labels. Apple’s Dual SIM article says: “After you activate your second plan, label your plans.” Its example is Business and Personal; you can also type a custom label. Something like “Travel” or “Japan data” works well. Keep it short. The Dual SIM guide explains why it matters: the label appears in Phone, Messages and Contacts. To change it later, open Settings, tap Cellular, tap the number, then Cellular Plan Label.
Default line. Keep your home number as the default for calls and texts. Bank codes keep arriving. Saily’s manual steps say exactly that: “Select your main SIM for the Default Line and the Saily eSIM for Mobile Data.”
Cellular data. Apple’s rule is simple: “One number at a time can use cellular data.” Go to Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data, and choose the travel eSIM when you want it to carry your data.
Allow Cellular Data Switching. Airalo’s guide says to turn this off, under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data. Left on, your iPhone can fall back to your home line and its roaming charges. Switch it off.
Data Roaming. Turn it on for the travel eSIM when you land, as your provider’s app instructs. Leave it off for your home line. Always.
iOS 26 and later. Apple’s travel article says a newer iPhone may show its own prompt for a travel eSIM: tap “Turn On Travel eSIM”, then choose “Travel eSIM Only” or “Travel eSIM and Current eSIM.” Apple warns you “might still incur roaming fees from your home eSIM” if you keep both on, so check your home line’s roaming setting either way.
A worked example: a work trip to Tokyo
Here’s how this plays out on one real trip. A consultant flies to Tokyo on a Monday for five working days, with an iPhone 14 that’s already unlocked.
Saturday, at home on Wi-Fi. They buy a Japan package from Airalo. Their estimate: about 1 GB a day for maps, messaging, email and two short video calls home, so five working days plus two travel days comes to roughly 7 GB. They pick a package with a few gigabytes of headroom above that. They open the app, tap Install or share, then Start installation. It finishes in a couple of minutes, and they tap Connect Later because they’re still at home.
Still Saturday. iOS asks for labels. They name the new line “Japan data” and keep their home line as “Personal”. Default Line stays on Personal. Cellular Data stays on Personal for now. Allow Cellular Data Switching goes off. Done.
Monday, landing at Haneda. In Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data, they switch to “Japan data”. They turn Data Roaming on for that line and off for the home line. Maps loads quickly.
A plan B, just in case. Had the app failed on Saturday, the same eSIM’s QR code and manual details sat in the app’s install screen. They could have shown the QR code on a laptop and scanned it from Settings, or used the touch-and-hold trick on the iPhone itself.
The key move happened on Saturday, not Monday. When you plan it this way, landing becomes a two-switch chore rather than a scramble. Our guide on when to install a travel eSIM explains why the airport is the worst place to start.
Common mistakes, and what to do if it fails
Installing at the gate. Airport Wi-Fi is often slow, captive sign-in pages interrupt downloads, and a boarding call won’t wait while a progress wheel spins on a half-installed profile. Skip the risk and install at home.
Scanning twice. If you’ve already scanned once, look under Settings, Cellular before trying again; the line may be sitting there.
Forgetting the data line. Installation succeeds, yet traffic still flows through your usual SIM. Check Cellular Data first.
Leaving Data Roaming off on the travel line. In practice, it’s the first thing both providers’ guides ask you to check. One toggle.
Deleting and starting over. Don’t forget that Airalo’s help center says its eSIMs typically can’t be reinstalled. Saily lets you reinstall with the same email, but neither needs you to delete anything to troubleshoot.
If the install stalls, restart the phone, rejoin Wi-Fi, and try once more. Then stop. If you see an error, contact the provider before trying again. Our eSIM not working abroad guide covers the fixes for after you land.
FAQ: installing an eSIM on iPhone
Do I need a QR code to install an eSIM on iPhone?
No. When you use a provider’s app, it hands the profile over directly, and Saily says its app needs neither a QR code nor an activation code. Codes and manual entry are backups for when the app route fails.
How do I scan an eSIM QR code on the same iPhone?
With iOS 17.4 or later, Apple says you can touch and hold the QR code in an email or browser and tap “Add eSIM.” Otherwise, display it on a laptop, tablet or printout and scan from Settings.
Can I use the same QR code twice?
Usually not. Saily says a QR code can’t be reused once it’s installed, and Airalo warns that exceeding the install limit on iOS brings a “code is no longer valid” error. Treat each code as a single-use key.
What should I label my travel eSIM?
Anything you’ll recognise at a glance in Phone and Messages. Apple’s examples are Business and Personal, and custom names are allowed, so “Travel” or a city name is fine. Honestly, short beats clever here.
The short version
- Three routes: provider app (easiest), scanning a code, or typing details by hand.
- Do it at home over Wi-Fi; pressing “Activate” mid-install rarely starts the package clock.
- On iOS 17.4 or newer, press and hold a code inside an email to add it without a second screen.
- Name the new line, keep your own number as Default Line, and pick the travel eSIM for data on arrival.
- Roaming goes on for the travel line, off for your home one.