How to switch SIM cards and use eSIM on iPhone

The short answer

There are two ways to change SIMs on an iPhone. The old way is swapping the plastic card in the tray. The newer way is Dual SIM: both lines stay on the phone, and you decide which one carries data and which one makes calls.

For travel, Dual SIM is the useful one. Your own SIM stays where it is, a travel eSIM sits alongside it, and the switch takes a few taps in Settings › Cellular (Mobile Data or Mobile Service in some regions). Nothing gets lost in a hotel room.

This guide covers using the lines once they’re there. To add the eSIM in the first place, follow the install guide.

Swapping a physical SIM card

1. Find the SIM tray on the side of the iPhone.
2. Push a SIM tool or a straightened paperclip into the small hole until the tray pops out.
3. Take out the old card, put the new one in (it only fits one way, notch to notch), and push the tray back until it’s flush.
4. Wait for the carrier name to appear. If the new SIM has a PIN, enter it when asked.

If the iPhone says the SIM isn’t supported, the phone is probably locked to its original carrier. See how to tell if your iPhone is unlocked.

No tray at all? iPhone 14 and later sold in the US, and some newer models in other countries, are eSIM-only. Every line on those is an eSIM.

Dual SIM: two lines on one iPhone

A Dual SIM iPhone keeps two lines active at once: a physical SIM and an eSIM, or two eSIMs on iPhone 13 and later. Each line has its own number or data plan, its own signal, and its own settings.

What you choose is how they share the work:

• One line for cellular data, at any one time.
• One default line for calls and texts, though you can pick the other for any single call or conversation.
• Either line can receive calls and texts, as long as it’s switched on.

You can store more eSIMs than you can use. Apple says eight or more, depending on the model, with two active at once. Old travel eSIMs can stay installed and switched off until you delete them.

Label your lines

Two lines called “Primary” and “Secondary” are easy to mix up. Give them names you’ll recognise in a hurry:

1. Open Settings › Cellular and tap the line.
2. Tap Cellular Plan Label.
3. Choose Personal, Business, Travelor another preset, or type your own, such as “Home” and “Japan data”.

The labels appear in the dialler, in Messages and in Control Center, so you can always see which line is doing what.

Choose the line for cellular data

This is the setting that matters most abroad.

1. Open Settings › Cellular › Cellular Data.
2. Tick the travel eSIM.
3. Turn Allow Cellular Data Switching off.

That last toggle lets the iPhone fall back to your other line for data when the selected one has weak signal. At home that’s handy. Abroad, the fallback is your home line roaming at your carrier’s rates, often a daily fee. Our roaming charges guide shows what that can cost.

Choose the default voice line

Open Settings › Cellular › Default Voice Line and pick your own SIM. New calls and texts go out on your usual number, so the people you contact recognise it.

Travel eSIMs are usually data-only, so they couldn’t take over calls anyway. If a plan does include minutes or texts, the plan page says so, and you can choose that line for an individual call: tap the line label at the top of the dialler or in a conversation before sending.

The iPhone also remembers which line you last used with each contact and uses it again next time. You can change that on the contact’s card.

Keep your number while travelling

The usual travel set-up keeps everything working on your own number:

With that in place, iMessage, FaceTime and WhatsApp keep working on your number over the eSIM’s data, and ordinary calls and SMS still reach your own line, including two-factor codes from your bank.

One thing to check: your carrier may charge roaming rates for calls you receive and texts you send abroad, even with data roaming off. If you only want data and internet messaging, you can switch your home line off completely while you’re away.

Turning a line on or off

Open Settings › Cellular, tap the line and toggle Turn On This Line. A line that’s off stays installed, so switching it back on is instant.

This is how you hand over at the start and end of a trip. Install the travel eSIM at home and leave it off. Switch it on when you land. When you get home, set cellular data back to your own line and turn the travel line off. Most travel plans start counting down on first data use, so an installed line that’s off isn’t using anything.

To remove an eSIM for good, tap the line and choose Delete eSIM(worded slightly differently on some iOS versions). A deleted eSIM can’t be reinstalled from the same QR code, so check for remaining data first.

Which iPhones support eSIM and dual eSIM

iPhones sold in mainland China use two physical SIMs instead of an eSIM. The eSIM compatibility guide has the details, and the quick EID check that settles it for your phone.

Ready to add a travel line? Live prices for popular trips:

• eSIM for United States — from €1.83
• eSIM for United Kingdom — from €1.24
• eSIM for France — from €1.05
• eSIM for Spain — from €1.24
• eSIM for Italy — from €1.24
• eSIM for Portugal — from €1.24
• eSIM for Japan — from €1.11
• eSIM for United Arab Emirates — from €3.75