How to install an eSIM on iPhone

Q: “Cellular Plans from this Carrier Cannot be Added”

Your iPhone is locked to a carrier, so it refuses eSIMs from anyone else. Ask your carrier to unlock it (see the Carrier Lock check above), or install the eSIM on a different phone. If neither is possible, get in touch with our support team.

Q: I have signal but no internet

Almost always one of three settings: Data Roaming is off for the eSIM line. Turn it on. Cellular Data is still set to your home SIM. Switch it to the eSIM. The phone attached to a network your plan does not cover. Pick one manually using the steps above.

Q: “PDP Authentication Failure”

The network rejected the data session. Work through these in order: Confirm the plan still has data remaining and has not expired. Check the APN matches your plan (see the APN section). Make sure you are on a network your plan supports, not one it happens to see.

Q: Can I move the eSIM to another phone?

No. Each eSIM can be installed on exactly one device. If you switch phones, you will need a new eSIM.

Before you start

An eSIM is a SIM card that lives in your phone’s software instead of a plastic tray. You download it, and from then on it behaves like any other line: it connects to networks, sits next to your regular SIM, and can be switched on and off whenever you like.

The whole process takes about 10 minutes. You will need:

Your SpendCrypto order page — the QR code and activation code are on it, and we also emailed it to you.
A phone that supports eSIM and is not locked to a carrier. The next two sections show how to check both.
A stable internet connection for the download. Wi‑Fi is ideal.

Your eSIM installs once

As soon as the QR code or activation code is used on a device it stops working anywhere else, and a deleted eSIM cannot be downloaded again. Install it on the phone you will actually travel with, and do not remove it until you are done.

Check your iPhone supports eSIM

Every iPhone from the XS, XS Max and XR (2018) onwards has an eSIM, with one important exception: iPhones sold in mainland China do not. Some models sold in Hong Kong and Macao do not either. The quickest way to be sure is to look for the option in Settings.

Cellular, Mobile Service or Mobile Data?

Apple names this menu by region. iPhones sold in the US say Cellular; most others say Mobile Service (iOS 17 and newer) or Mobile Data. The steps below use the US name — the options inside are the same.

Look for the Add eSIM option

Open Settings and tap Cellular.
Look for Add eSIM below your existing line. On older versions of iOS it is called Add Cellular Plan.
If the option is there, your iPhone supports eSIM. If it is missing, go to Settings › General › About and check the Model Name against the list on our eSIM product pages.

Check your iPhone is unlocked

A carrier‑locked iPhone will refuse eSIMs from anyone but that carrier. iOS shows the lock status in Settings, so this takes ten seconds.

Find the Carrier Lock field

Open Settings, tap General, then About.
Scroll down to Carrier Lock.
If it says No SIM restrictions, you are good to go. Anything else means the phone is tied to a carrier — they can usually unlock it for you once the contract is paid off.

Install the eSIM

Your order page gives you the same eSIM in two forms: a QR code and a plain‑text activation code. Which one you use comes down to what is in front of you. If you can open the order page on a laptop, a tablet or someone else’s phone, point your camera at the QR code and follow the prompts. If the phone you are setting up is the only screen available, copy the activation code from the order page and paste it in instead — or, on many newer phones, let the scanner read a screenshot of the QR code. Every route is covered below.

Whichever you choose, install the eSIM before you travel and leave it switched off until you arrive. Downloading it does not start the plan; turning the line on at your destination does.

The eSIM is downloaded over the internet, so stay on Wi‑Fi or another working connection until the install finishes.

Your eSIM installs once

Scan the QR code

Best when you can show the code on another screen

Open Settings and tap Cellular.
Tap Add eSIM (Add Cellular Plan on older iOS).
Choose Use QR Code.
Point the camera at the QR code on your SpendCrypto order page, shown on another device.
When the Activate eSIM screen appears, tap Continue and wait a moment while the profile downloads.
Give the new plan a label you will recognise, such as Travel data. When iOS asks which line to use for Cellular Data, keep your primary line for now — you will switch to the eSIM when you land. Leave calls and messages on your primary line too.
The plan now shows up on the Cellular screen next to your primary line. To keep it silent until you travel, tap it and switch off Turn On This Line.

You can also scan the code with the regular Camera app: point it at the QR and tap the Cellular Plan Detected banner that appears.

Scan it from a photo

iOS 17 and newer — for when this is your only device

Newer versions of iOS can read the QR code straight from your photo library, so you do not need a second screen.

Take a screenshot of the QR code on your order page, or save the image from the email we sent you.
Go to Settings › Cellular › Add eSIM › Use QR Code.
On the scanner screen, tap Open Photos and pick the screenshot.
iOS reads the code and continues with the normal flow: tap Continue, label the plan, and keep your primary line for Cellular Data for now.

Enter the code manually

For when scanning is not an option

Your order page shows the two values iOS asks for under Copy & paste: the SM‑DP+ address and the activation code.

Open Settings, tap Cellular, then Add eSIM.
Choose Use QR Code, then tap Enter Details Manually at the bottom of the scanner.
Paste the SM‑DP+ Address and the Activation Code from your order page. Leave Confirmation Code empty — our eSIMs do not use one.
Tap Next, then Continue on the Activate eSIM screen.
Label the plan and keep your primary line for Cellular Data for now, exactly as with the QR code.

Turn it on when you land

Your plan’s clock starts when you switch the eSIM line on and it connects to a network at your destination — so keep it off until you land, then follow these steps.

How do I know it is working?

Once the line is on, a second signal indicator for it appears in the status bar. Open a web page with Wi‑Fi turned off to confirm data is flowing.

Switch the line on and enable roaming

Open Settings and tap Cellular.
Under your plans, tap the eSIM you installed.
Switch on Turn On This Line.
Switch on Data Roaming. Travel eSIMs work by roaming on local networks — without this you will see signal but get no internet.
Go back to the Cellular screen and make sure Cellular Data is set to your eSIM.

To avoid roaming charges on your home SIM, turn Data Roaming off on that line, or switch the whole line off while you travel. You will still receive calls and texts on it when you turn it back on.

Pick a network manually

Your phone normally picks the strongest local network on its own. If you are stuck with a weak signal or you have bars but no data, choosing the network yourself often fixes it.

Choose the network yourself

Open Settings › Cellular and tap your eSIM line. Make sure Turn On This Line is on.
Tap Network Selection.
Turn off Automatic.
Wait for the list of networks to load, then tap the one you want. The networks your plan supports are listed on its product page.

Check the APN

Our eSIMs configure their APN (Access Point Name) automatically, so you should not need to touch this. If a support agent asks you to check it, this is where it lives.

Only the APN field matters. Leave username, password and every other field empty unless our support team tells you otherwise.

Find the APN settings

Open Settings › Cellular and tap your eSIM line.
Tap Cellular Data Network (Mobile Data Network outside the US).
Under Cellular Data, check the APN field. If it is empty or looks wrong, contact our support team for the right value for your plan.

Remove the eSIM

A removed eSIM cannot be reinstalled, so only delete it once you are sure you are done with it — for example when:

You do not plan to use it again.
The data is used up or the plan has expired.
You are installing a new eSIM for the same destination and your phone is out of eSIM slots.

Travelling again soon?

You do not have to delete anything. Switch the line off instead and the eSIM stays installed, silent, and ready for next time.

Delete the plan

Open Settings and tap Cellular.
Tap the eSIM you want to remove.
Tap Delete eSIM (Remove Cellular Plan on older iOS) and confirm.

Troubleshooting

The errors people run into most often, and what they actually mean.

“Cellular Plans from this Carrier Cannot be Added”

Your iPhone is locked to a carrier, so it refuses eSIMs from anyone else. Ask your carrier to unlock it (see the Carrier Lock check above), or install the eSIM on a different phone.

If neither is possible, get in touch with our support team.

“Unable to Complete Cellular Plan Change”

iOS shows this for a few different reasons. Check each one:

Too many eSIMs stored. iPhones can hold a limited number of profiles. Delete old ones that have expired or have no data left.
The eSIM was already installed. Each eSIM installs once; it cannot be added to a second phone or re‑added after being deleted.
The connection dropped during the download. Move closer to your Wi‑Fi router and try again.
Cellular Data is off. Turn it on in Settings › Cellular and retry.

“This code is no longer valid”

Two things cause this. The first is a failed first attempt: the camera misread the code, or the connection dropped while the eSIM was downloading. Get onto solid Wi‑Fi and scan again, or skip the camera and enter the code manually.

The second is that this eSIM has already been downloaded — on this phone earlier, or on another one. Each eSIM downloads exactly once, so a deleted one cannot come back. Contact our support team and we will sort it out.

I have signal but no internet

“PDP Authentication Failure”

Can I move the eSIM to another phone?