How to install a travel eSIM on iPhone before you fly

Setting up a travel eSIM takes about two minutes at home and one minute when you land. Check your iPhone is unlocked, install the eSIM on Wi-Fi a day or two before you fly, and keep your usual line for data until you land. When you arrive, switch mobile data to the travel line and turn on data roaming for that line only. The one mistake to avoid is leaving the first part until you're in the arrivals hall with no Wi-Fi.

Here's the whole process, including the settings iOS asks about during setup and what to do when something doesn't work.

Before you buy: check your iPhone

1. It supports eSIM. Every iPhone from the XR and XS onwards does.
2. It isn't locked to your carrier. Go to Settings › General › About and find Carrier Lock. "No SIM restrictions" means you're fine. If it shows a carrier's name, the phone is locked to that carrier, and it won't accept an eSIM from anyone else. Only your carrier can unlock it, not Apple, and it can take a few days, so ask well before you travel.
3. Your iOS version. Tapping an install link to add an eSIM needs iOS 17.4 or later. On older versions you can still install by QR code or by typing the details in, which is covered below. It's worth updating before a trip anyway.

You can store several eSIMs on an iPhone. Apple says eight or more. Two lines can be active at once, which is how your usual line and a travel eSIM run side by side.

At home: install the eSIM

Do this on Wi-Fi, a day or two before you leave. Installing needs an internet connection to download the eSIM, but it doesn't use any data from the plan.

Buy the plan in Cabin Mode, open the eSIM, and choose one of the three install methods the app offers.

Option 1: one tap (iOS 17.4 and later)

Tap Add eSIM to this iPhone. The app hands the details to iOS through Apple's own eSIM setup link. iOS shows an Activate New eSIM prompt. Tap Allow, then Continue, and follow the setup screens described below. This is the quickest method, and there's nothing to copy by hand.

Option 2: QR code

The Scan QR tab shows a standard eSIM QR code. You can't point your iPhone's camera at its own screen, so this method is for when the code is on another device: open Cabin Mode on an iPad or show the code on a laptop, then scan it with the iPhone's Camera app. On iOS 17.4 and later you can also press and hold a QR code image on your iPhone and tap Add eSIM.

Option 3: enter the details manually

The fallback that always works. The Manually tab shows two values, each with a copy button:

• SM-DP+ address, the server your iPhone downloads the eSIM from.
• Activation code, the one-time key for your specific eSIM.

Then, on the iPhone:

1. Go to Settings › Cellular (Mobile Data or Mobile Service in some regions).
2. Tap Add eSIM, then Use QR Code.
3. Tap Enter Details Manually at the bottom of the screen.
4. Paste the SM-DP+ address and the activation code into their fields. Leave the confirmation code blank unless you've been given one.

Some providers give you one long string instead, starting LPA:1$. The SM-DP+ address is the part between the first and second $, and the activation code is everything after the second $. Cabin Mode shows the two parts already split out.

The setup screens iOS shows you

Whichever method you use, iOS asks a few questions before it finishes. Here's what to choose.

Label the line. iOS suggests labels like Primary, Secondary or Travel, and you can type your own. Call the eSIM something obvious, such as "Travel" or "Japan trip". You'll be picking it out of a list at the airport, so "Secondary" won't help.

Default line. This is the number your iPhone uses to make calls and send texts. Keep your usual line. The travel eSIM is data only and has no number to call from.

iMessage and FaceTime. Keep your usual line, so people reach you on the number they already have.

Cellular Data. Keep your usual line for now. You'll switch when you land. The travel eSIM doesn't work in your home country, so if you switch now you'll lose mobile data until you fly.

Allow Cellular Data Switching: leave this off. When it's on, your iPhone can use mobile data from either line depending on coverage. It also moves data onto the line you're calling from during a phone call. Abroad, that means your home line can end up carrying data, which is exactly the roaming bill you're trying to avoid. Apple warns about this in its own Dual SIM guide. If you already turned it on at some point, you'll find it at Settings › Cellular › Cellular Data.

When setup finishes, the eSIM sits alongside your usual SIM. It will say No Service at home, which is normal, because the plan is for another country.

When does the plan start?

Most Cabin Mode plans start on their first network connection at your destination. A few start when you install them. For example, the smallest Japan plan (100 MB for 7 days) starts at install. The plan screen tells you which applies before you buy. Once a plan starts, its validity counts down continuously, whether or not you use it. If you're installing well ahead of a trip, check this first.

When you land: two settings

Take the phone out of Airplane Mode, then open Settings › Cellular:

1. Cellular Data → Travel. This makes the eSIM your data line.
2. Tap the Travel line and turn Data Roaming on. A travel eSIM connects through partner networks in the country you're visiting. From the phone's point of view that is roaming, so without this switch it won't connect.

Then check your usual line. Tap it and make sure Data Roaming is off. That stops your home carrier charging you for data. Your usual number can still receive calls and texts, including bank verification codes. Some carriers charge for answering calls abroad, so check their rates.

If there's no signal after a minute or two, toggle Airplane Mode on and off. That makes the phone search for a network again.

Personal Hotspot uses whichever line is set as Cellular Data, so once you've switched, a laptop on your hotspot uses the travel plan.

Low Data Mode is also set per line. If you want it on the travel eSIM, tap the Travel line and turn it on there.

If the install fails

Most failed installs have one of a handful of causes.

• No internet during install. The eSIM downloads from a server, so the phone needs Wi-Fi or mobile data at that moment. Weak hotel Wi-Fi can make it time out partway through.
• The phone is carrier-locked. Check Settings › General › About › Carrier Lock again. A locked phone refuses another provider's eSIM, and the error message doesn't always say why.
• The eSIM was already downloaded. An eSIM downloads once. If it installed earlier and was then deleted, that code has been used, and scanning it again won't work.
• A half-finished attempt. Restart the iPhone and try again once, using the same method or the manual one. Don't keep retrying on a bad connection.

If none of that works, contact Cabin Mode support from the app. Don't delete anything to "start fresh". Deleting an installed eSIM spends it.

If it installed but won't connect abroad

Work through this list in order:

1. Settings › Cellular › Cellular Data is set to the travel line.
2. Data Roaming is on for the travel line.
3. The travel line itself is switched on. Tap it and check Turn On This Line.
4. Toggle Airplane Mode off and on, or restart the phone.
5. Still nothing: tap the travel line, open Network Selection, turn off Automatic and choose a different network from the list. Give it a minute before trying another.

Coming home

Switch Cellular Data back to your usual line, and turn data roaming back off for the travel line if you like. You can leave the eSIM installed. If it still has data and validity left, it will work next time you're in a country it covers, and top-ups add data to the same eSIM.

Once the plan has expired and you don't plan to top it up, delete it: tap the line in Settings › Cellular and choose Delete eSIM. Only do this when you're sure. An eSIM can't be downloaded a second time.

Not sure how much data to buy? See how much data you need for a trip. Or browse plans by destination.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if my iPhone is unlocked for an eSIM?

Go to Settings › General › About and look at Carrier Lock. "No SIM restrictions" means it's unlocked. If it shows a carrier's name, the phone is locked to that carrier. Only the carrier can unlock it, and that can take a few days.

Can I install an eSIM without Wi-Fi?

You need an internet connection to download the eSIM. That can be Wi-Fi, or mobile data from your usual line. This is why installing at home before you fly is easiest.

Will installing the eSIM start my plan?

For most plans, no. They start when they first connect to a network at your destination. A few start at install, and the plan screen in the app says which before you buy.

Should I turn on Allow Cellular Data Switching when travelling?

Usually not. With it on, your iPhone can use mobile data from either line, including your home line, which can mean roaming charges. Leave it off, and set Cellular Data to your travel eSIM.

Do I keep my phone number with a travel eSIM?

Yes. The travel eSIM is a second, data-only line. Your usual SIM stays in the phone and keeps receiving calls and texts.

Why does my eSIM say No Service after landing?

Usually data roaming is off for the eSIM line, or the phone hasn't searched for a network yet. Turn Data Roaming on for the travel line, then toggle Airplane Mode off and on. If that doesn't work, try choosing a network by hand under Network Selection.

Can I delete the eSIM and reinstall it later?

No. An eSIM can be downloaded once, so deleting it spends it. Leave it installed until the plan has expired.