Check your phone in a minute
- Dial
*#06#. If an EID number appears, the phone supports eSIM. - Check that it is unlocked. A phone locked to a carrier cannot use another company’s eSIM. On iPhone, open Settings, General, About: next to Carrier Lock it must say No SIM restrictions. On Android, ask the carrier that sold you the phone.
If both checks pass, the phone can take a BaobabSIM eSIM.
iPhone
- iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and every later model support eSIM.
- Bought in mainland China: only iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max, 17e and iPhone Air support eSIM.
- eSIM-only models have no SIM tray, so a plastic airport SIM card is not an option at all:
- iPhone Air, wherever it was bought;
- iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, 17e and the iPhone 18 Pro models when bought in the United States, the US Virgin Islands, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Guam, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar or Oman;
- iPhone 14, 15 and 16 models, including 16e, when bought in the United States.
Samsung Galaxy
- The Galaxy S20 series and every later S series;
- the foldables, from the first Galaxy Fold and Z Flip onward;
- the S23 FE and later FE models;
- some Galaxy A models in some regions.
Samsung notes that the country where the phone was bought can decide whether eSIM is available, so run the *#06# check as well.
Google Pixel
- Pixel 4 and every later model support eSIM.
- Pixel 3 and 3a support it only in some regional or carrier versions.
Other phones
Many recent phones from other brands take an eSIM too. The *#06# check answers it for any phone.
Your own number stays on
Phones with an eSIM hold two lines at once. On iPhone, both lines can make and receive calls and texts, only one line carries mobile data, and iMessage and FaceTime stay on your usual number. On Pixel you choose which line handles data, calls and texts. So your usual SIM stays in the phone for calls, texts and WhatsApp, and the eSIM carries the data. Calls that reach your usual number abroad may be charged as roaming by your home carrier.