By the end of this guide your travel eSIM will be installed on your Android phone, set as the line that carries data, and your own phone number will still be on the phone exactly as it was. Most people finish in under three minutes. One thing to know up front: Android is not one system. Samsung, Google Pixel and other manufacturers each name these menus differently. The steps below give the Samsung and Pixel paths where they differ, and the general shape everywhere else.
First, the thing everyone worries about: you keep your own number
You are not replacing anything. A travel eSIM is added alongside the SIM you already have.
- Your own phone number does not change.
- Your existing SIM — plastic or eSIM — is not removed, wiped or overwritten.
- Calls and texts to your normal number keep arriving, as long as your home SIM stays switched on.
- WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal stay registered to your own number. You do not re-register anything.
- The travel eSIM carries data only. It is not a new number you have to give people.
Modern Android phones keep two SIMs active at once. Your home line stays on for calls and texts; the travel eSIM does the internet.
Before you buy or install: two quick checks
1. Does your phone support eSIM?
Open the dialler and type *#06#. A panel of codes appears. If one of them is labelled EID, your phone has eSIM hardware.
No EID means no eSIM support, and no setting will change that. On a few models the EID is instead listed under Settings → About phone → SIM status.
2. Is the phone carrier-unlocked?
A phone still locked to the operator that sold it will refuse another carrier's eSIM. If you bought it on a contract or instalment plan, ask that operator to unlock it before you travel.
Install it before you fly
Install while you still have Wi-Fi or your normal mobile data at home — the phone downloads the profile from a server, so it needs an internet connection.
Installing early does not start your plan. Nothing counts down until the eSIM connects to a network at your destination.
Method 1: One-tap install (Android 13 and newer)
Your delivery email contains an install link that opens an install page with a one-tap button.
- Open the eSIM email on the Android phone itself — not on a laptop.
- Tap the install link.
- Tap Install on Android. The button hands a special LPA: link straight to Android's eSIM installer.
- Your phone's own "Download a SIM?" screen appears. Confirm, and wait while the profile downloads.
- Give the line a name you will recognise, such as "Travel data".
Two honest caveats. This route needs Android 13 or newer, and it only works if your phone's manufacturer implemented support for these links. Many have; some have not. If the button does nothing at all, that is why — nothing is broken with your eSIM. Use Method 2 or 3, which work on every eSIM-capable Android phone.
Method 2: Scan the QR code
You need the QR code on a second screen — a laptop, a tablet, or a printout — because the phone has to photograph it.
Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM → Scan QR code from service provider.
Google Pixel: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → + Add SIM (or Add eSIM) → Download a SIM instead?
Other manufacturers: usually Settings → Network & Internet (or Connections) → SIM / SIM manager / Mobile network → Add eSIM or Download eSIM. Wording varies by version and manufacturer, so look for whichever option mentions eSIM or downloading a SIM.
Then point the camera at the QR code, confirm when the phone asks to download the SIM, and wait — activation can take up to a minute, so do not close the screen. Name the line when prompted.
Method 3: Enter the details manually
Use this when you have no second screen and one-tap is not available. Your install page shows two values under Manual entry:
- SM-DP+ address — a server address, something like smdp.example-provider.com
- Activation code — a long code in blocks, something like K2XVM-4TQ81-...
Those are the two halves of the long LPA: string in your email, split at the $ signs. That is exactly what the phone's manual screen asks for.
Start the same way as Method 2, but instead of scanning, look for Enter it manually or Enter activation code on the scanner screen.
Some phones give two separate fields — SM-DP+ address in the first, activation code in the second. Others give a single field: there, paste the whole LPA: string from your email exactly as written, including the LPA: at the front.
Copy and paste rather than retype. These codes are long and one wrong character fails.
Set up your two lines — the part that matters
Installing is only half the job. Now tell the phone which line does what.
Your home line — keep it on, keep roaming off.
Leave the line enabled so calls and texts still reach you, then turn its Data roaming OFF.
*Samsung:* Settings → Connections → Mobile networks → Data roaming.
*Pixel:* Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → your home SIM → Roaming.
This is the important switch: bank codes and two-factor SMS still arrive, but your home carrier cannot sell you expensive roaming data.
Your travel eSIM — make it the data line, roaming on.
Select the travel eSIM and turn Roaming ON for that line. It connects to the local networks available at your destination, which the phone counts as roaming, so this has to be on or you get no data at all.
Then set it as the data line:
*Samsung:* Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Preferred SIM card → Mobile data → travel eSIM.
*Pixel:* Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → travel eSIM → turn on Mobile data / set as preferred for data.
Leave Calls and SMS pointed at your own number.
After you land
Turn Airplane Mode on for ten seconds, then off — this forces a fresh network search. Give it a minute or two; the first connection abroad is slower than usual. Then open a website to confirm data is flowing.
Troubleshooting the things that actually go wrong
No data after landing. Almost always roaming is off on the travel eSIM. Turn Roaming ON for that line, and check the travel eSIM is the preferred SIM for mobile data.
The one-tap button does nothing. Your phone is on Android 12 or older, or your manufacturer did not implement these links, or you opened the email on a computer. Use the QR code or manual entry — the eSIM itself is fine.
"Couldn't download SIM" or the code is rejected. Usually the eSIM has already been installed once — each activation code works a single time. If you deleted the eSIM from the phone, it cannot be reinstalled with the same code, so contact support before deleting anything. It can also mean the phone lost internet mid-download, or is carrier-locked.
Still nothing after several minutes. Pick a network by hand: Settings → Mobile network → Network operators, turn off Select automatically, and choose one from the list. If it fails, try the next.
Calls stopped arriving on your own number. The home line was switched off during setup. Re-enable it in the SIM manager.
FAQ
Will I lose my phone number?
No. The travel eSIM is added next to your existing SIM. Your number stays on the phone, stays active, and stays attached to WhatsApp.
Can I still get my bank's SMS codes?
Yes, as long as your home line stays enabled. SMS arrives over the normal signal, not over data, so keeping data roaming off on that line does not block it.
Can I install the eSIM before I travel?
Yes, and we recommend it. Install at home on Wi-Fi. The plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects at your destination, not when you install it.
My phone is Android 12 — can I still use the eSIM?
Yes. Only the one-tap link needs Android 13 or newer. Scanning the QR code and manual entry work on any eSIM-capable Android phone.
Do Samsung and Pixel work differently?
The eSIM is identical. Only the menu names differ, which is why both paths are given above. Other manufacturers use their own wording again.
Can I move the eSIM to another phone later?
Assume not. An eSIM profile is normally tied to the device it was installed on, and the activation code is single-use. Install it on the phone you are actually travelling with.
