How to Install a Travel eSIM on iPhone and Samsung (2026)

The simplest plan is: install the eSIM at home, switch it on when you land. Installing takes a few minutes on Wi-Fi in Pakistan. Switching on abroad is three settings. In our experience, most connection problems come from missing one of those settings, so this guide covers both halves.

Our eSIMs are data only, with no phone number. Your Jazz, Zong or Ufone SIM stays in the phone for calls and SMS. That includes former Telenor SIMs: Telenor merged into Ufone's company on 1 July 2026 (Dawn). The steps were checked on 2 November 2026 against Apple's eSIM setup and travel pages (published 22 October 2026, for iOS 26), Samsung's UK and Pakistan eSIM pages (Samsung doesn't name a One UI version, and menu names vary between versions) and Google's Pixel Help (which doesn't name an Android version; some steps need Android 11 or later).

When should I install my travel eSIM?

Install it before you leave Pakistan, on reliable Wi-Fi, ideally a day or two before your flight. Installing needs an internet connection, and our plans' validity only starts when the eSIM first connects to a network in your destination, so installing early doesn't use up any days. Switch the line on after you land.

The phone downloads the eSIM profile from the provider's server using the activation code in your QR (Android Open Source Project). That is why you can't install it on the plane. Apple's own steps assume you are on Wi-Fi or a hotspot (Apple).

Before you start, check:

1. Your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked. Our eSIM compatible phones guide shows the one-minute check. JV and other carrier-locked iPhones usually can't add another network's eSIM.
2. You have the QR code. We send it on WhatsApp and by email within 6 hours of your payment being confirmed.
3. You have a second screen, such as a laptop or a family member's phone, to show the QR on. If not, see the same-phone section below.
4. Your Pakistani SIM stays in. Don't remove it.

How do I install an eSIM on iPhone?

Show the QR code on another screen. Scan it with the Camera app, tap the "Cellular Plan Detected" notification, then tap Continue and Add Cellular Plan. Enter a confirmation code only if one was given. These are Apple's current steps, checked on its October 2026 page for iOS 26. Then label the new line "Travel".

Step by step (Apple):

1. Connect the iPhone to Wi-Fi.
2. Open the Camera app and scan the QR code.
3. Tap the Cellular Plan Detected notification.
4. Tap Continue, then Add Cellular Plan.
5. If asked for a confirmation code, enter the one from your provider.
6. Label the lines. You can change a label later in Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > tap the number > Cellular Plan Label (Apple). "Travel" and "Jazz" work well.

With iOS 26 or later, you may be asked whether you'll use the new eSIM at home or while travelling (Apple). Choose travelling. Keep your Pakistani line as the data line until you land.

How do I install an eSIM on Samsung Galaxy?

Go to Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM > Scan QR code, then scan the code shown on another screen. If you can't scan it, tap Enter activation code and type the code, which we can send on WhatsApp if you ask. Samsung names no One UI version, and some phones call the menu SIM Card Manager.

Step by step (Samsung UK):

1. Connect to Wi-Fi.
2. Open Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
3. Tap Add eSIM, then Scan QR code.
4. Scan the QR. The eSIM downloads and activates.
5. Can't scan? On the scan screen, tap Enter activation code and type the code (ask us on WhatsApp for the activation code).

Samsung Pakistan gives the same path (Samsung Pakistan). Samsung's Gulf page uses the labels "SIM Card Manager" and "Add Mobile Plan" instead (Samsung Gulf). Look for whichever your phone shows.

How do I install an eSIM on Google Pixel?

Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM > Set up an eSIM, then follow the on-screen steps to scan the QR code. Google's Pixel Help doesn't name an Android version for these steps. Google says every Pixel from the Pixel 4 onwards works with eSIM, and some Pixel 3 and 3a versions do too.

The setup path is from Google's Pixel Help (Google), and the model list from its SIM page (Google). Google doesn't describe each scanning screen, so follow what your phone shows.

What about Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo and other Android phones?

Menus differ by brand. Look in Settings for the SIM card or mobile network menu and an option to add or download an eSIM, then scan the QR. If there is no such option, the phone probably has no eSIM, so check before buying.

How do I scan the QR code if it's on the same phone?

The easiest way is to show the QR on another screen, such as a laptop or a family member's phone, and scan it. On an iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later, you can instead open our email in your default email app, touch and hold the QR code and tap Add eSIM. Otherwise, enter the details by hand.

Our QR code arrives on WhatsApp, often on the very phone you want to install it on. You can't point a phone's camera at its own screen, so use one of these:

1. Another screen. Open WhatsApp Web or the email on a laptop, or forward the QR to a family member's phone, and scan it from there.
2. Email on iPhone (iOS 17.4+). Open the email copy of your QR on the iPhone in Mail (or whichever app is set as your default email app) or in Safari. Touch and hold the QR code, then tap Add eSIM (Apple). Apple describes this for a default email app or browser, so it may not work inside other apps.
3. Manual entry on iPhone. Settings > Cellular (or Mobile Data) > Add Cellular Plan > Enter Details Manually at the bottom of the screen (Apple).
4. Manual entry on Samsung. SIM manager > Add eSIM > Scan QR code > Enter activation code (Samsung UK).

Our WhatsApp and email message contains the QR code. If you need the manual activation code (SM-DP+ address and code), message us on WhatsApp. The SM-DP+ address is the provider's server that the eSIM downloads from.

What should I switch on when I land?

Switch on the travel eSIM line, turn on Data Roaming for that line, and choose it for mobile data. On iPhone, also turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching so data doesn't fall back to your Pakistani SIM. Leave data roaming off on your Pakistani line. Give the phone a few minutes to find a local network.

Data Roaming must be on because the phone treats the travel eSIM's partner network abroad as roaming. N26 says its travel eSIM needs Data Roaming on, and Airalo says some eSIMs do (N26, Airalo). Roaming on your Pakistani line is a different matter: your operator may charge for it (Apple).

iPhone

1. If a Turn On Travel eSIM notification appears (iOS 26 and later), Apple's page lists two choices: "Travel eSIM Only", or the travel eSIM together with your current line. Keeping both on means you still get calls and SMS on your Pakistani number, but you "might still incur roaming fees" from it (Apple).
2. Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data: tap the travel line (Apple).
3. On the same screen, turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching (Apple).
4. Settings > Cellular > tap the travel line > Cellular Data Options > turn on Data Roaming (Apple).

When you come home, iOS 26 can switch your Pakistani line back on by itself in some regions. If it doesn't, go to Settings > Cellular and make sure "Turn On this Line" is on for it (Apple).

Samsung Galaxy

1. In SIM manager, make sure the eSIM is on and set it as the preferred SIM for mobile data. Samsung describes auto data switching, which moves data to the other SIM if the preferred one fails (Samsung Gulf). We suggest turning it off so data doesn't fall back to your Pakistani SIM and roam.
2. Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > turn on Data roaming. If it's greyed out, turn on Mobile data first under Settings > Connections > Data usage (Samsung UK).

On some Android phones, the Data roaming switch applies to both SIMs (Airalo). If you don't want your Pakistani SIM to use data abroad, make sure it is not your mobile-data SIM. Calls and SMS you receive on your Pakistani line abroad can still be charged by your operator, so check its roaming rates.

Google Pixel

1. Settings > Network & internet > SIMs: under "Your primary SIMs", choose the travel eSIM for Mobile data (Google).
2. In the same SIM settings, tap the travel eSIM and turn on Roaming (Google).
3. Pixel also has an Automatic data switching setting under Settings > Network & internet > SIMs (Google). We suggest turning it off so data stays on the travel eSIM.

Can I reinstall a travel eSIM if I delete it?

Usually not. Apple says that if you erase an eSIM you need to contact the provider for a new one, and not to erase it as a troubleshooting step. Our refund policy also says deleted eSIMs cannot be re-downloaded or recovered. If you want to stop using it, turn the line off instead of deleting it.

Apple's guidance is on its erase page (Apple), and ours is in the refund policy. On iPhone, turning a line off uses the "Turn On this Line" switch for that line (Apple). Once your trip is over and the data has run out, deleting it is fine.

Why does my eSIM say "No Service" after I land?

Usually one setting is off: the eSIM line itself, Data Roaming on that line, or the choice of mobile-data line. Check those three first. Then turn Airplane Mode on and off, or restart the phone. If it still shows No Service, message our WhatsApp support with screenshots of your mobile-data settings. Don't delete the eSIM.

A short checklist:

1. Is the travel line on? iPhone: Settings > Cellular > tap the line > Turn On this Line. Samsung: SIM manager.
2. Is Data Roaming on for the travel line? This is the setting people most often miss.
3. Is the travel eSIM your mobile-data line? And on iPhone, is Allow Cellular Data Switching off?
4. Turn Airplane Mode on for about 30 seconds, then off (Apple). Or restart the phone.
5. Check the APN. It is usually set automatically. If you have signal but no data, use the APN shown in our setup guide. Apple says to change the APN only when your provider tells you to (Apple).
6. Still nothing? Contact us on WhatsApp with your order number and screenshots.

If the eSIM doesn't activate on a carrier-unlocked, eSIM-capable phone, you get a full refund under our refund policy. The setup guide has step-by-step instructions for iPhone and Android, and you can pick a pack for your next trip on our plans page.