How to rename the lines on a dual SIM phone
On an iPhone, open Settings, Mobile Data, tap the line and choose Mobile Plan Label. On a Pixel, go to Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, tap the line and use the edit button. On a Samsung, it is Settings, Connections, SIM manager, the line, then Name. A label changes nothing in how the line works; it just stops you from picking the wrong one when it matters.
Check if your phone takes an eSIMWhy a name saves you a roaming bill
With a travel eSIM installed, the phone has two lines and you make several choices between them: which one carries mobile data, which one has data roaming on, which one rings. If both are called something like the operator's name and a generic second label, it is easy to switch on roaming for the wrong one, which is exactly the bill a travel eSIM is meant to avoid.
Apple uses the labels everywhere. It says they appear in Phone, Messages and Contacts, and that you use them to choose which number calls and messages go out from. Control Center also shows each line's signal next to its label and operator name. A clear name turns all of those screens from a puzzle into a glance.
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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.
On an iPhone
- Open Settings › Mobile Data. On some versions the menu is called Cellular.
- Tap the line you want to rename.
- Tap Mobile Plan Label, also called Cellular Plan Label in some regions.
- Pick one of the suggested labels or type your own.
Apple suggests doing this right after you activate a second plan, with Business and Personal as its example, and you can change it again at any time. The same screen for each line also holds settings you will want on a trip, such as Wi-Fi Calling if your operator offers it, so it is worth a look while you are there.
On Android
- Google Pixel: Settings › Network & internet › SIMs › tap the line › Edit. Type a name, choose a colour and tap Save.
- Samsung Galaxy: Settings › Connections › SIM manager › tap the line › Name. Icon, in the same place, lets you give the line its own symbol.
- Other brands: look in the SIM settings for a name or edit option, or search for SIM in Settings.
On a Pixel the colour is not decoration: apps use it to tell the lines apart, so a strong colour for the travel line helps when the phone asks which SIM to use. Operator instructions for the Pixel note that the option only shows when both lines are active, so switch the eSIM on before you look for it.
Names that work on a trip
Name each line after its job, not after the company. For the SIM that keeps your number, something like Calls and SMS or Home number. For the travel eSIM, Data plus the destination, for example Data Italy or Data Europe. When you are tired at an airport, the word Data is what tells you which line to pick in the mobile data setting.
The destination in the name pays off later. An installed eSIM stays on the phone after the trip, and after a few journeys you can end up with several. A Snoozim country pack only works in its own country, while the Europe pack covers 33 countries, so a label with the place on it tells you which line to switch on next time. The guide to using two eSIMs explains how many can be active at once.
What a label does not do
Renaming is purely cosmetic. It does not make a line the data line, it does not turn roaming on or off and it does not move your number. Those are separate settings, and on a trip the important ones are: mobile data set to the travel eSIM, data off on your usual SIM, and your usual SIM kept as the default line for calls. A data-only eSIM has no number, so it cannot be the line that makes ordinary calls.
The full setup, with the trap of automatic data switching, is in the dual SIM travel guide. And if a line from an old trip is in the way, switch it off rather than deleting it: the reasons are in what happens if you delete an eSIM.
Does renaming a line change anything about the service?
No. The label is only what the phone shows. Data, roaming and calls depend on other settings.
Can I rename the travel eSIM before the trip?
Yes. Once it is installed, the line appears in your settings and you can rename it at any time.
Where will I see the label?
On iPhone, Apple says it appears in Phone, Messages and Contacts, and Control Center shows it next to each line's signal and operator name.
Can I give a line a colour or an icon?
On a Pixel you choose a colour when you edit the name. On a Samsung you can pick an icon for each line in SIM manager.
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