Although they may not be used in physical form for much longer, SIM cards have existed physically since the invention of the mobile phone. eSIMs are steadily but gradually taking the role of SIM cards. The list of US carriers that support eSIM on Android handsets is available here.
WHO MAKES ESIM? In a nutshell, eSIM is the advancement in mobile carriers. Android smartphones have the ability to download SIM profiles, which are merely a virtual version of a SIM card, thus they can be used in place of a physical SIM card. The customer gains a variety of advantages from this.
The ease with which a SIM can be obtained is a major plus. You can download one from the carrier directly and have a new phone plan up and running in a matter of minutes rather than having to wait for one to be mailed and then spend the time inserting and activating one.
Unfortunately, eSIM is somewhat difficult to obtain in its current state. Carriers are able to implement the new standard, however some have trouble making them available due to compatibility difficulties. Getting one, in my personal experience with Visible, is challenging and can lead to a few other potential problems.
That’s the joy of putting in a new standard, of course. There are a few issues along the way, but as they are fixed, maybe it will become the norm in the future.
CARRIERS WHO PROVIDE ESIM TO ANDROID USERS Even while some carriers are embracing eSIM, it’s still a little confusing. The majority of carriers that do accept the new standard only make iOS devices compatible with it. If they do support Android devices, you might find that it’s only available for Google’s Pixel or Samsung’s Galaxy models.
Here is a list of all US carriers who accept eSIM cards for use with Android devices:
Visible You must visit that carrier and probably run an IMEI check to see whether your device is compatible. The website will then inform you if your Android device is suitable after you have done that. Most of these support Samsung devices, as was already noted.
CAN I CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT CARRIER USING ESIM? Recall how we claimed that the majority of carriers’ Android eSIM setup was a little confusing? That might have been an understatement, though. The truth is that eSIM is still a major mess. If you’re using an eSIM on your service, most carriers won’t let you switch with your current number and will demand that you activate a new one. Although it’s really annoying and can keep people like myself unable to change plans at the moment, we’re not fully clear why this is the protocol for some carriers.
The ideal situation is if you intend to move carriers while maintaining a physical SIM from one plan to another. Theoretically, you should be able to keep your current phone number and download your new eSIM profile into your device if you remove the physical and activate an eSIM with the new carrier in such situation.
Even though some carriers do offer eSIM functionality, it isn’t as common as we’d like. We’ll probably see more carriers increase support for Android devices as a result of the growing desire for the new standard to be correctly implemented. Additionally, it would be fortunate if the problems with the present eSIM protocol were resolved.
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