How to check if your phone supports eSIM in under a minute

Why the EID settles the question

The EID is the identifier of the eSIM chip itself, separate from the IMEI that identifies the phone on mobile networks. Google's Pixel help puts it plainly: an eSIM requires an EID, and some carriers ask for it during setup. A phone without an eSIM chip has nothing to show in that field.

That makes the EID a better test than spec sheets or shop listings, which often describe a model family rather than the exact unit you hold. The same model name can be sold in versions with and without eSIM depending on the country, and the EID reads the hardware in your hand.

On an iPhone

• Open Settings.
• Tap General, then About.
• Scroll down past the serial number to the line labelled EID.

These are the steps in Apple's support article on finding the serial number, EID and IMEI. Apple adds that you can touch and hold the number to copy it, which saves typing 32 characters into a form.

If you see an EID, the iPhone takes eSIMs. The main exception to keep in mind is region: iPhones sold in mainland China are mostly built with two physical SIM slots instead. Our compatibility table lists those cases model by model.

On Android: Pixel, Galaxy and the rest

• Google Pixel: Settings, About phone, SIM status, then look for EID.
• Samsung Galaxy: Settings, About phone, Status information, then EID.
• Other brands: type EID into the search box at the top of Settings.

The Pixel route comes from Google's own help page, which also notes that the EID may be printed on the phone's box. The Galaxy route is the one carrier device guides show for recent models; on older Galaxy phones the menu is called Status rather than Status information.

Android makers rename menus between versions, so if your screens do not match, the settings search is the shortcut that works on almost every phone.

No EID on screen: what to rule out before giving up

First, make sure you are looking at the right screen. On dual-SIM Android phones the status page sometimes splits into one entry per SIM slot, and the EID may sit under the second one.

Second, check the exact model number, not just the name. Settings, About phone shows it on Android, and on iPhone tapping the model line under General, About reveals the number Apple uses to tell regional versions apart. Compare that with the maker's list.

If the EID is genuinely missing, the phone has no eSIM chip and no software update will add one. In that case a physical SIM is the only way to add a second line.

The second half of the check: is it unlocked?

An EID proves the chip exists, not that the phone will accept a plan from any provider. Apple says that to use two carriers, your carrier must unlock your iPhone, and Google warns that Pixel phones bought through an operator can be locked for up to two years.

On iPhone the lock shows in the same About screen, in the Carrier Lock row: No SIM restrictions means it is free. On Android, the operator that sold you the phone can confirm it.

Do both checks before installing a travel eSIM. A Snoozim eSIM stays on the phone where it is installed, so the moment to confirm compatibility is before you scan the QR code, not after.