Can you use two eSIMs at once? Stored, active and data lines
Yes, on many recent phones, but three numbers get mixed up. Apple says an iPhone can store eight or more eSIMs; it can keep two lines active at the same time; and it uses only one of them for mobile data at any moment. Android phones follow the same pattern, with limits that depend on the model and the carrier.
Check your phoneThree limits that are often confused
Stored means installed: the eSIM profile is on the phone and appears in the settings, whether you use it or not. Active means the line is switched on and connected to its network, so it can receive calls, SMS or data. The data line is the single active line that the phone uses for mobile internet.
Apple's own wording separates them clearly. An iPhone can manage eight or more eSIMs, Dual SIM lets two numbers make and receive calls, and the iPhone can use one cellular data network at a time. Most questions about two eSIMs are really about the second limit: can both lines be on at once?
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Several countries on one trip? Same eSIM, same data, no swapping lines at the border.
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
iPhone, model by model
- iPhone XS, XS Max, XR and later: one nano-SIM plus one eSIM active together.
- iPhone 13 and later: also two eSIMs active together, with no physical SIM involved.
- Any of these: eight or more eSIMs stored, one line carrying data.
Apple calls the technology Dual SIM Dual Standby: both lines stay reachable for calls, and the phone picks one for data. To use plans from two different carriers, Apple adds, the iPhone must be unlocked, or both plans must come from the same carrier. If you have an iPhone from the XS to the 12 and want a second eSIM active, one of the two lines has to be the physical card.
Android: it depends on the phone and the operator
Google's Pixel help is the clearest official reference. From the Pixel 3a, a Pixel can run one physical SIM and one eSIM together, also with Dual SIM Dual Standby. Two eSIM profiles at once need a Pixel 7 or later, and the carrier has to allow it. Google also notes that only one SIM can be the default for data.
Other Android makers set their own limits, and the same model can differ by region. The reliable check is the maker's support page for your exact model. To pause a line on a Pixel without removing it, Google's path is Settings, Network and internet, Mobile network, then switch off Use this SIM.
How two active lines behave abroad
The usual travel setup uses both: your home line stays on for calls and SMS, and the travel eSIM carries the data. The data line is set by hand. On iPhone it is under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data; on Pixel under Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, Data.
Two details from Apple's notes are worth knowing before you go. If data roaming is on for the line that carries data, the voice-only line loses Visual Voicemail and MMS. And the automatic switch of data to your other line during a call does not work while you are using data roaming. Neither is a fault; it is how Dual SIM is designed. The two-line guide shows the full setup.
Need a third line? Switch one off, do not delete it
People with a work eSIM and a personal line sometimes hit the limit when they add a travel eSIM. Since the phone can store more than it can keep active, the answer is to turn one line off for the trip, not to delete it. A switched-off eSIM stays installed and comes back with one tap.
Deleting is a different matter. Apple says that after erasing an eSIM you need to get a new one from the carrier, and a deleted Snoozim eSIM cannot be reinstalled, with any remaining data lost. Check how many lines your model keeps active on the compatibility page before you install.
How many eSIMs can an iPhone hold?
Apple says an iPhone can manage eight or more eSIMs. Only two lines can be active at the same time.
Can my iPhone 12 use two eSIMs at once?
No. Apple supports two active eSIMs from the iPhone 13. Earlier models from the XS combine one physical SIM and one eSIM.
Can both lines use mobile data at the same time?
No. The phone uses one line for data at a time, and you choose which one in the mobile data settings.
Does an iPad work the same way?
Apple says an iPad can store more than one eSIM but use only one at a time.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
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