How to Install an eSIM on Samsung Galaxy (2026 Guide)

Samsung has renamed its SIM menus more than once, so guides written for older Galaxy phones send you looking for "SIM Card Manager" and "Add Mobile Plan". This guide follows Samsung's own user guides for the Galaxy S and A series (the Android 17 guides of September 2026, written for One UI 9, and the Android 16 guide of September 2025) and Samsung's support pages, all checked on 3 November 2026. Labels can still differ by model and region.

Our eSIMs are data only: no phone number, calls or SMS. Your Jazz, Zong or Ufone SIM stays in the phone for calls, SMS and bank codes. When to install (at home, before you fly) and the iPhone and Pixel steps are in how to install a travel eSIM; this guide is the Samsung detail.

How do I install an eSIM on a Samsung Galaxy?

Connect to Wi-Fi, open Settings > Connections > SIM manager, tap Add eSIM, then Scan QR code, and scan the code shown on another screen. Follow the prompts, then restart the phone, which Samsung says applies the eSIM profile. Finally, check that the eSIM's switch is on in SIM manager.

Step by step:

1. Connect the phone to Wi-Fi.
2. Open Settings > Connections > SIM manager.
3. Tap Add eSIM, then Scan QR code (Samsung user guide, Android 17).
4. Scan the QR code on a laptop or another phone, and follow the on-screen prompts. Samsung UK says the eSIM then downloads and activates (Samsung UK).
5. Restart the phone. Samsung's US page says this applies the eSIM profile (Samsung US).
6. Back in SIM manager, check that the eSIM's switch is on. Samsung US says each SIM and eSIM has its own switch there.

The path is the same in Samsung's Android 16 guide for the S24 and S25 (Samsung user guide, Android 16) and its Android 17 guide for the A series (Samsung A series guide). If your menus look different, your phone probably uses Samsung's older labels:

The older labels come from Samsung UK's 2025 eSIM page (Samsung UK) and Samsung Gulf's page (Samsung Gulf).

Does my Samsung Galaxy support eSIM?

Open Settings > Connections > SIM manager: if Add eSIM is there, the phone can download one. Then check the model under Settings > About phone. Samsung lists the S20 to S26 series and several A models, but says a listed model may still lack eSIM depending on the country it was made for.

The SIM manager check is our reading of Samsung's steps, not a Samsung statement. Samsung Gulf shows where the model name is: Settings > About phone (Samsung Gulf). The models people ask about most, against Samsung's lists:

Sources: Samsung UK (updated 16 September 2026) and Samsung Pakistan (updated 15 October 2026). Samsung UK warns that eSIM may not be supported depending on the country of origin, even on a listed model. Samsung Pakistan's list is shorter than the UK one and leaves out some newer models, such as the A57 and A37.

Is it network-locked? Samsung's US page lists Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network unlock, which shows the lock status; the options vary by carrier (Samsung US). Our eSIM needs a carrier-unlocked phone. The full model list is in our eSIM compatible phones guide. If your phone is non-PTA, read our non-PTA and JV phones guide first: a travel eSIM is used abroad and doesn't change a phone's status on Pakistani networks.

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

A phone's camera can't scan its own screen. Open the QR code on another screen, such as WhatsApp Web on a laptop or a family member's phone, and scan it from there. Or tap Scan QR code > Enter activation code and type the code instead; ask us on WhatsApp and we'll send it.

Our QR code arrives on WhatsApp, often on the very phone you want to install it on. Your options:

1. Another screen. Open WhatsApp Web or our email on a laptop, or forward the QR to someone else's phone, and scan it with SIM manager > Add eSIM > Scan QR code.
2. Activation code. On the Scan QR code screen, tap Enter activation code (Samsung UK) and type the code we send you.

Can I choose the QR code from my Gallery?

Samsung's QR help shows reading a QR code from a saved image in Gallery with Bixby Vision (Samsung UK), and Samsung Canada describes pressing and holding the QR in Gallery (Samsung Canada). Neither page mentions eSIM. Samsung doesn't document an image button on the Scan QR code screen either. If your phone shows one, you can try selecting a screenshot of the QR; if not, use another screen or the activation code.

What do the options in SIM manager do?

SIM manager holds every SIM setting on a Galaxy. Samsung's 2026 guides list SIM cards, eSIMs, Preferred SIMs, Data switching, More SIM settings and Privacy. Preferred SIMs chooses which SIM handles features such as voice calls; Data switching lets the phone use the other SIM for data when the preferred one can't connect.

What each item does, from Samsung's Android 17 guide (Samsung user guide):

• SIM cards: your physical SIM, such as your Jazz or Zong SIM.
• eSIMs: download or activate an eSIM.
• Preferred SIMs: choose which SIM to use for features such as voice calls when two are active.
• Data switching: use another SIM for data if the preferred SIM can't connect. Samsung warns you may incur additional charges.
• More SIM settings and Privacy: further options, which Samsung says vary by model.

How do I name the eSIM and choose which SIM handles calls, texts and data?

In SIM manager, tap the eSIM, then Name, and call it something clear like "Travel data"; you can pick an icon too. Then keep your Jazz or Zong SIM for Calls and Text messages, and set the eSIM for Mobile data once you land. Samsung's US page calls the default SIM "Primary SIM".

Samsung UK's dual-SIM steps, which use the label "SIM card manager" (Samsung UK):

1. In SIM manager, tap the eSIM and make sure it's switched on.
2. Tap Name, type "Travel data", then Done. Tap Icon to pick one, then OK.
3. Back in SIM manager, tap Calls and Text Messages and choose your Pakistani SIM.
4. Tap Mobile data and choose the eSIM when you arrive. Until then, leave it on your Pakistani SIM.

You can also switch the SIM for calls, texts or data from the quick panel: swipe down from the top of the screen and tap Calls, Text Messages or Mobile data (Samsung US calls the default "Primary SIM").

Should I turn off Data switching when I travel?

We suggest you do. Samsung says Data switching uses another SIM for data when the preferred SIM can't connect, and warns that it may cost extra. Abroad, the other SIM is your Pakistani SIM, so a weak eSIM signal could quietly move your data onto Pakistani roaming and its charges.

Open SIM manager, tap Data switching and turn it off (Samsung user guide). Samsung's Gulf page describes the same feature as "auto data switching" (Samsung Gulf).

How do I turn on data roaming for the eSIM on a Samsung?

Go to Settings > Connections > Mobile networks and turn on Data roaming. If it's greyed out, turn on Mobile data first under Settings > Connections > Data usage. Samsung shows a single Data roaming switch, so make sure the eSIM, not your Pakistani SIM, is the mobile-data SIM before you turn it on.

The steps are from Samsung UK, which also warns that your provider may charge extra for data roaming (Samsung UK). Turn Data roaming on for a travel eSIM: the phone treats its partner network abroad as roaming, and Airalo, another eSIM seller, says some eSIMs require it. Airalo also says that on Android the roaming switch can apply to every SIM (Airalo), which is why the mobile-data choice matters.

APN. The APN is under Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Access Point Names, and Samsung says the operator normally sends it automatically (Samsung UK). If you have signal but no data, use the APN shown in our setup guide.

Can a Galaxy use two eSIMs, or an eSIM with my Jazz or Zong SIM?

An eSIM alongside a physical Jazz, Zong or Ufone SIM is the standard dual-SIM set-up Samsung describes. Two eSIMs depend on the model: Samsung's 2026 guides offer a second eSIM on the S24, S25 and S26 series, while its Gulf help page says most Galaxy phones run one eSIM at a time.

• SIM plus eSIM: Samsung Gulf names nano-SIM plus eSIM support for the S22 to S25 series, the Z Fold and Z Flip, and select A models (Samsung Gulf).
• Two eSIMs: Samsung's Android 17 guide says the S24, S25 and S26 series can "download another eSIM" for a second number, while the S23 can only add a nano-SIM (Samsung user guide). The A-series guide says the same for the European A35 to A37 and A54 to A57 models (Samsung A series guide).
• Speed: Samsung notes that a nano-SIM with an eSIM, or two eSIMs, may mean slower data in some areas.
• Calls: Samsung Saudi Arabia says that while one SIM is on a call, the other SIM can't receive calls (Samsung Saudi Arabia).

Keeping WhatsApp on your Pakistani number while the eSIM supplies the data is covered in keep your WhatsApp number abroad.

Why isn't my Samsung eSIM working abroad?

Usually one setting is off. Check that the eSIM's switch is on in SIM manager, that Mobile data is set to the eSIM, that Data roaming is on and that Data switching is off. Then restart the phone. If you have signal but no data, check the APN. Don't remove the eSIM while you troubleshoot.

1. Is the eSIM on? SIM manager, the eSIM's switch.
2. Is it the Mobile data SIM? SIM manager > Mobile data.
3. Is Data roaming on? Settings > Connections > Mobile networks.
4. Is Data switching off? Otherwise data may be running on your Pakistani SIM.
5. Restart the phone (Samsung US).
6. Check the APN against our setup guide.
7. Still nothing? Message our WhatsApp support with your order number and screenshots of SIM manager.

If Add eSIM never appeared, the phone has no eSIM or is a regional version without it (Samsung UK); check the network lock separately, as above. If the eSIM doesn't activate on a carrier-unlocked, eSIM-capable phone, you get a full refund under our refund policy.

What happens if I remove the eSIM, and can I move it to a new Galaxy?

Removing deletes the eSIM from the phone; turning it off keeps it for later. A removed travel eSIM from us can't be downloaded again, so switch it off instead. Samsung lists the carriers that may allow eSIM transfer between phones, and none is Pakistani or a travel-eSIM seller, so ask us before changing phones mid-trip.

• Turn off, don't remove. Samsung UK's 2025 page shows removing as: select the eSIM, switch it off, then Remove (Samsung UK). Stop at switching it off. Our refund policy says deleted eSIMs can't be re-downloaded or recovered.
• Transfer. On the new phone, SIM manager > Add eSIM > Transfer SIM from Galaxy/Android phone, then confirm on the old phone with a code. Samsung says the new phone must be unlocked (Samsung UK). The carriers Samsung lists as ones that may allow transfer include no Pakistani networks and no travel-eSIM sellers (Samsung Gulf), so don't expect a travel eSIM to move this way.

Once your trip is over and the data has run out, removing the eSIM is fine.