Manual or automatic network selection: which to use abroad
On automatic, the phone chooses a mobile network by itself and keeps switching as you move. On manual, it stays on the one operator you pick from a list. Abroad, leave it on automatic, use manual only when the phone sits on a network that gives you no data, and switch back as soon as it works.
See the Europe eSIMWhat the phone is choosing between
In most countries several operators broadcast at the same time, and your phone can see all of them. It cannot use all of them. Which networks will accept a given line depends on the agreements behind that SIM or eSIM, which is why a network can show up in the list and still refuse to connect.
Automatic selection handles this for you. The phone tries the networks it is allowed to use, registers on one, and moves to another when the signal fades or you cross into an area where a different one is stronger. Manual selection switches that judgement off: you name the operator, and the phone stays with it whether or not it is the best choice two streets later. That is useful for a moment and a problem for a whole trip.
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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.
How to change it on iPhone
Operator guides for current iOS give the route as Settings, Mobile Service, Network Selection, and then the switch next to Automatic. On some versions and in some countries the first menu is called Mobile Data or Cellular instead. On an iPhone with two lines, open the line you want to change first, for example the travel eSIM, and look for Network Selection inside it.
When you turn Automatic off, the phone searches and shows a list of operators. Tap one and wait. If it connects, you will see its name and data starts working; if it does not, try the next. To go back, return to the same screen and turn Automatic on again. Apple's own first step for connection problems abroad comes before any of this: turn airplane mode on for about 30 seconds, turn it off, and let the iPhone choose the best network automatically.
How to change it on Android
On a Pixel, Google's instructions are Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, choose the SIM, and turn off Automatically select network. Google adds two practical details: it can take up to two minutes for the available networks to appear, and you should try each one until you connect.
On a Samsung Galaxy the setting is in Settings, Connections, Mobile networks, Network operators, where the switch is called Select automatically. Samsung warns that the option may not be supported depending on your carrier, so if you cannot find it, that may be the reason rather than a wrong menu. Other Android brands use similar words; typing network operator into the search box at the top of Settings usually finds it.
When choosing by hand is worth it
- You have signal bars but no data, and a restart and data roaming are already sorted.
- You are near a border and the phone keeps grabbing the neighbouring country's network. A single-country pack works only in its own country, so pinning a local operator keeps it on a network where it has data.
- The phone holds on to a weak network when you know another operator covers the area better.
In each case, manual selection is a fix for where you are standing, not a setting for the whole trip. Once data works, note which operator it was, and plan to switch back to automatic as soon as you move on.
When it works against you
Manual selection does not let go by itself. Operator guides warn that if the network you picked goes out of reach, the phone loses its connection instead of moving to another one. Google's advice is to turn automatic selection back on when you leave your current location or return home.
That matters most on trips that move. On a road trip or a train through several countries with the Europe pack, a network pinned in one country is no use in the next, and you arrive with no service. And the classic one: someone sets manual on holiday, forgets, and comes home to a phone that will not connect to their own operator. If you changed it abroad, switching back to automatic belongs on the list for the flight home. The full order of checks when an eSIM will not connect is in the no-service guide.
Does manual network selection cost more?
Not by itself. What you pay depends on the line and its plan, not on whether the phone chose the network or you did.
Will my phone switch back to automatic on its own?
Do not assume so. If the chosen network goes out of reach the phone loses signal, so turn Automatic back on yourself once you have finished.
Why can I not find the option?
The menu name changes between iOS versions and Android brands, and Samsung notes the option may not be available with every carrier. Search Settings for network selection or network operators.
Which network should I pick from the list?
There is no way to tell from the list alone. Try them one at a time and keep the one that gives you data.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See the Europe eSIM