eSIM not working after a software update: what to do, in order
Start with the gentle steps Apple and Google document: Airplane Mode, the line off and on, a full restart. Then look for a carrier settings update or a newer system update, and re-enter your APN if your provider gave you one, because Apple says an iOS update resets APN changes made by hand. Do not delete the eSIM: Apple advises against it unless your carrier tells you to, and a travel eSIM usually cannot be reinstalled.
Check eSIM compatibilityFirst, work out what actually stopped
Open Settings, Cellular (Mobile Data in some regions) on an iPhone, or Settings, Network and internet, SIMs on a Pixel, and look at the eSIM. If it is still listed, the profile survived the update and the problem is the connection, which the steps below deal with. If the line has disappeared, Apple's advice is to contact the carrier, because only the provider can see what happened to the profile on its side.
Also note what exactly fails. No Service on the eSIM, bars without internet and a different line suddenly carrying data are three different problems. A screenshot of the Cellular or SIMs screen, plus the new system version from Settings, General, About on an iPhone, is what a provider will ask for first.
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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.
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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.
Steps one to three: the safe restarts
- Turn on Airplane Mode for at least 15 seconds, then turn it off. It is the first step in Apple's article on No Service.
- Switch the eSIM off and on. On an iPhone, tap the line in Settings, Cellular; if it shows Turn On This Line, tap it. On a Pixel, use the Use SIM switch.
- Restart the phone. On a Pixel, Google recommends powering off, waiting 30 seconds and turning it on, rather than choosing restart.
Check the status bar after each step and stop as soon as the eSIM shows signal and pages load with Wi-Fi off. None of these steps changes or removes the profile, which is why they come first.
Step four: the updates that follow the update
A new system can need new carrier settings. Apple's No Service article lists both: install the latest version of iOS, and check for a carrier settings update. For the second, connect to Wi-Fi, open Settings, General, About, and if an update is available the phone offers it there; the version appears next to Carrier in the eSIM section. Our guide to carrier settings updates explains the OK and Update buttons.
On a Pixel, Google's connectivity checklist includes making sure you have a current Android version, in Settings, System, System update. If the trouble started with an update, keep an eye on that screen: a later update is one of the ways a fix can arrive, and checking it costs nothing, unlike resetting more settings.
Step five: the settings an update can reset
Apple is explicit about one thing: updating iOS resets any changes made to your APN settings, unless they came from a configuration profile. If your eSIM provider asked you to type in an APN when you installed it, that is the first thing to check after an update. On an iPhone it is under Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data Network, or a similar name depending on the carrier. Enter only the values the provider gave you; Apple warns that wrong APN settings can cost you your data connection. More in what an APN is and when to change it.
While you are there, confirm the two switches that matter for a travel eSIM: it is the line selected for mobile data, and Data Roaming is on for it, under that line's Cellular Data Options on an iPhone or in the SIM's settings on a Pixel.
Resets: read the menu before you tap
On an iPhone, Settings, General, Transfer or Reset iPhone, Reset holds two options side by side. Reset Network Settings removes network settings such as saved Wi-Fi networks and VPN settings, and Apple warns it may turn off Data Roaming, so switch that back on afterwards. Delete All eSIMs, in the same list, deletes every eSIM on the phone, and Apple says you then need a new eSIM or a physical SIM to connect. Only the first is a troubleshooting step.
On a Pixel, Google lists Reset mobile network settings, in Settings, System, Reset options, among its fixes, but its page does not say what that reset keeps. With a travel eSIM installed, ask the provider before using it. A full factory reset is not a fix for a connection problem at all; what it does to an eSIM is covered in does a factory reset delete your eSIM.
What not to do, and when to hand it over
Do not delete the eSIM and scan the code again. Apple warns against erasing an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless the carrier tells you to, and the QR code of a single-install eSIM normally does not work a second time. A deleted Snoozim eSIM cannot be reinstalled, as explained in what happens if you delete an eSIM.
If the steps above have not worked, contact the provider of the line, as both Apple and Google advise, with your phone model, the new system version and a screenshot. On iOS 18 or later, the Apple Support app can also run diagnostics. Apple adds that if the carrier finds no problem with the account or network and a hardware fault is suspected, the device may need service.
Should I reinstall the eSIM after an update?
No. If the line is still listed, the profile is there. Work through the restarts, carrier settings and APN instead; deleting it is the one step Apple advises against.
Does Reset Network Settings delete the eSIM on iPhone?
No. Deleting eSIMs is a separate option in the same menu. Reset Network Settings can turn Data Roaming off, so check it afterwards.
Why did my APN settings disappear after updating?
Apple says an iOS update resets APN changes you made by hand, unless they came from a configuration profile. Re-enter the values your provider gave you.
Should I contact Apple or the eSIM provider?
Start with the provider of the line, as Apple's own steps do. If the provider finds no problem on its side, Apple says the device itself may need service.
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Check eSIM compatibility