Invalid SIM or No SIM after adding an eSIM: the checks that apply
Apple's checklist for Invalid SIM or No SIM is short: an active plan, a phone that is not locked to an operator, a restart and a carrier settings update. For an eSIM, Apple's last step is to contact whoever issued it, because there is no card to take out and put back. Most of the advice you find online is about physical cards; the steps below are the ones that apply to an eSIM.
Check if my phone is compatibleWork out which line the alert is about
On a phone with two lines, the alert can belong to either of them. Open Settings, then Cellular (Mobile Data in some regions) on an iPhone, or Settings, Network and internet, SIMs on a Pixel, and see which line shows the problem and which one is fine.
If it is your usual physical SIM that disappeared right after you added the eSIM, the card itself is the first suspect: Apple's advice for a physical SIM is to take it out, put it back, make sure the tray closes fully and, if the alert stays, try another card. If it is the new eSIM, none of that applies and the rest of this page does. Clear labels help a lot here; our guide to renaming SIM lines takes a minute.
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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.
Apple's checks, in Apple's order
- Make sure there is an active plan behind the line.
- Check the carrier lock: Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock. No SIM restrictions means the iPhone is unlocked.
- Restart the iPhone.
- Look for a carrier settings update in Settings, General, About, and choose OK or Update if one appears.
- If the line is an eSIM, contact the provider that issued it.
The carrier lock is the step that catches travellers. Apple states that an iPhone locked to a carrier can only be used with that carrier, and a travel eSIM always comes from a different one. If Carrier Lock shows anything other than No SIM restrictions, our guide on checking whether a phone is unlocked explains what to ask your operator.
On Android: check that the line is switched on
Google's connectivity checklist for Pixel phones starts with the line itself. Go to Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, tap the eSIM and make sure Use SIM is on; a line that was switched off looks very similar to a missing one. On a Samsung Galaxy, each line has its own switch in Settings, Connections, SIM manager.
Google then suggests powering the phone off, waiting 30 seconds and turning it back on, rather than using restart. Google also lists Reset mobile network settings, under Settings, System, Reset options, but its page does not say what that reset keeps, so on a phone with a travel eSIM ask the provider before using it. And if the phone shows an error message about the SIM, Google's advice is the same as Apple's for an eSIM: contact the provider of that line.
The one thing not to do: delete it and start again
With a physical card, taking it out and putting it back is harmless. The tempting eSIM equivalent, deleting the line and scanning the QR code again, is not. The QR code stands for a single download, so after a deletion the same code is normally refused, and a Snoozim eSIM that has been deleted cannot be reinstalled. What happens next is in what happens if you delete an eSIM.
The safe version of take it out and put it back is switching the line off and on again. Apple lists it in its troubleshooting for eSIM setup: if the line appears in Cellular, turn it off and back on. On Android it is the Use SIM switch, or the line's switch in Samsung's SIM manager. Combine it with a full restart, and you have done everything an eSIM allows from your side.
When to write to the provider, and what to include
Once the checks above are done and the alert is still on the eSIM line, the problem is between the profile and the provider's systems, which only they can see. That is what Apple means by contacting the carrier for an eSIM. Apple adds that if a SIM alert persists after its steps, the device itself may need service. Keep that in mind if every line shows the alert, not only the new one.
Send the provider your order email, phone model, system version, which line shows the alert and a screenshot. The EID, explained in EID, ICCID and IMEI, helps them find the profile. With that, Snoozim checks the eSIM on its side and, if the fault is in the service, fixes it or replaces the eSIM.
Can I remove and reinsert an eSIM like a SIM card?
No. The closest equivalent is switching the line off and on in Settings. Deleting it is not the same: the QR code usually will not install it a second time.
Does Invalid SIM mean my phone does not support eSIM?
No. A phone without eSIM support would not have let you add the line in the first place. Check the carrier lock and the line's switch first.
Can a carrier settings update fix Invalid SIM?
It can, which is why Apple includes it in the checklist. Look in Settings, General, About: if an update is available, the phone offers it there.
Should I contact Apple or the eSIM provider?
For an eSIM line, Apple's own advice is to contact the provider that issued it. Apple service is the next step when the alert persists on every line.
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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