How to Install an eSIM on iPhone or Android (2026 Guide)

Install the eSIM at home while you are on Wi-Fi, leave it alone until you land, then select it for cellular data and switch Data Roaming on. Skip that last part and you will have signal but no internet.

Step by step

1. Buy before you fly, and install while you still have Wi-Fi

Install the eSIM at home, on the phone you will actually be carrying. You need a working internet connection to install one, which is exactly what you will not have when you land. Installing early costs nothing: the plan does not start until the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.

2. Add the eSIM to your phone

iPhone: tap the install link in your order (iOS 17.4 and later does it in one tap), or go to Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM > Use QR Code and scan the code. Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add eSIM, then scan the same code. Give the new line a recognisable name such as “Travel” so you can tell it apart from your normal SIM.

3. Leave it switched off until you arrive

Before you land the new line looks dead — no signal, no data. That is normal and nothing is being consumed. Do not delete it and do not re-scan the QR code; a QR code can only be installed once.

4. On arrival, do both of these — this is the step most people miss

First choose the line: iPhone Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data > select the travel eSIM (Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > select the eSIM > Mobile data on). Then open that line and turn Data Roaming ON. A travel eSIM is a roaming profile, so with roaming off it will show bars but carry no data. Doing only one of the two steps is the single most common reason people think their eSIM is broken.

5. If there is still no data after five minutes

Toggle Airplane mode on and off, then restart the phone — that fixes most cases, because the phone has to re-register on a local network. Check that the travel eSIM (not your home SIM) is selected for Cellular Data, and that Data Roaming is on for that line. If it still will not connect, email support@landedesim.com and you get a replacement eSIM or a full refund.

Where the settings live

What you want

Where it is

Add an eSIM

iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM
Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add eSIM

Pick which line uses data

iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data
Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Mobile data

Data Roaming

iPhone: Settings > Cellular > [the eSIM] > Data Roaming
Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > [the eSIM] > Roaming

Check remaining data

The pickup page from your order email shows usage; iPhone Settings > Cellular also counts it

Remove it after the trip

Settings > Cellular > [the eSIM] > Delete eSIM. Only when the trip is over — it cannot be re-installed.

Troubleshooting

The QR code will not scan or says “invalid”

Almost always the eSIM was already installed once. A QR code is single-use. Check Settings > Cellular for an extra line before trying again.

“Cellular plan cannot be added”

The phone is locked to a carrier, or it is a model sold without eSIM support. Ask your home carrier to unlock it — an eSIM cannot be installed on a locked phone.

Full signal bars but nothing loads

Data Roaming is off, or your home SIM is still the one selected for cellular data. Both live in Settings > Cellular.

Data ran out sooner than expected

Background app refresh, photo backup and app updates are usually the cause. Turn off iCloud/Google Photos upload over cellular while you travel.

I lost the email with my QR code

Check the spam or junk folder first — it is the most common place a first email from a new sender lands. The pickup page link in that email stays valid, so bookmark it once you find it.

Do I keep my own phone number?

Yes. A travel eSIM is data-only and sits alongside your existing SIM, so calls, SMS, WhatsApp and iMessage on your normal number keep working. Keep your home line's Data Roaming OFF to avoid carrier roaming charges.

How to install an eSIM