Is My Phone eSIM Compatible? 3 Checks in Settings That Take a Minute (2026)

Summary

Your phone is eSIM compatible if Settings offers an “Add eSIM” option, or if dialling *#06# shows an EID. For a travel eSIM it must also be carrier-unlocked, which on iPhone shows as “No SIM restrictions” under Settings › General › About.

Every iPhone since the XS and XR and every Pixel since the Pixel 4 passes the first check, except some China-mainland and Hong Kong models. To look up an exact model, search our list of eSIM compatible devices.

Is my phone eSIM compatible? The three checks

Check	Where	Pass looks like	Proves
1. Settings	iPhone: Cellular. Pixel: Network & internet › SIMs. Samsung: Connections › SIM manager	An Add eSIM option	The phone has eSIM
2. Dial *#06#	Phone app keypad	A row labelled EID	The eSIM chip exists
3. Carrier lock	iPhone: General › About › Carrier Lock. Android: ask your carrier	No SIM restrictions	It accepts other companies' eSIMs

Pass check 1 or 2, and check 3, and a travel eSIM will install. Paths from Apple, Google and Samsung support pages, November 2026.

How to check if your phone is eSIM compatible on iPhone

iPhone

Settings › Cellular

Check 1: is this row here?

If you see Add eSIM (older iOS: Add Cellular Plan), the iPhone supports eSIM. In many countries the menu reads Mobile Data instead of Cellular.

The quickest check on iPhone. You do not have to tap it; seeing it is the answer.

Apple supports eSIM on every iPhone from the XS, XS Max and XR onward, and from the iPhone 13 two eSIMs can be active at once. Two regional footnotes from Apple's own pages: in China mainland only a handful of recent models support eSIM, and in Hong Kong and Macao certain models use two physical nano-SIM slots instead. If you bought your iPhone in either place, run the check rather than assuming.

How to check eSIM compatibility on Android

Google Pixel

Settings › Network & internet › SIMs

Pixel: look for Add eSIM

On some Android versions the option reads Download a SIM instead? after tapping Add. Either wording means the phone has an eSIM chip.

Pixel puts SIMs under Network & internet. Google lists every Pixel 4 and later as eSIM-capable.

Samsung Galaxy

Settings › Connections › SIM manager

Samsung: SIM manager

An eSIMs section with Add eSIM means yes. If SIM manager only lists SIM card slots, that Galaxy variant has no eSIM.

Samsung's documented eSIM path. Galaxy models sold in mainland China and Hong Kong typically lack it.

Real Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra SIM manager screen showing SIM 1, eSIM 1 and an Add eSIM option — A real Samsung SIM manager on a Galaxy S23 Ultra, showing the eSIM section and Add eSIM. That section is the pass. Photo: Sinafe / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Other Android brands use their own menu names for the same screen. Type “eSIM” into the search bar at the top of Settings. If nothing comes up, use check 2.

The *#06# trick

Open the phone app, switch to the keypad, and type *#06#. No need to press call. A box pops up with the phone's identifiers. If one of them is labelled EID, the phone has an eSIM chip. If you see only IMEI numbers, it does not. Samsung notes the code works where the carrier supports it, so a blank result means “use Settings”, not “no eSIM”.

Any phone

Phone app › keypad › dial *#06#

Device Info

EID: 8904 XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
IMEI: 35 XXXXXX XXXXXX X
IMEI2: 35 XXXXXX XXXXXX X

A pass: the EID row at the top. The EID is the eSIM chip's own serial number. More on it in what is an EID number. Digits masked.

Check 3: is the phone carrier-unlocked?

iPhone

Settings › General › About

Check 3: unlocked?

Apple: if No SIM restrictions appears next to Carrier Lock, the iPhone is unlocked and will accept a travel eSIM. A carrier name here means it will not.

The check most people skip, and the one behind most “compatible but will not work” cases.

A phone can support eSIM and still refuse yours. Phones sold on contract are often locked to the carrier that sold them, and a locked phone rejects any other company's SIM or eSIM. Android has no universal lock indicator, so ask your carrier, or try a friend's SIM from another network. Carriers typically unlock a phone once it is paid off, but it can take days, so ask before the trip. The lock is tied to the handset, which is why it lives next to the IMEI. The country-by-country rules and the 2026 US carrier policies are in is my phone carrier-locked?

eSIM compatibility by brand and year

The rule of thumb by manufacturer. The full, searchable model list, including tablets and watches, is on eSIM compatible devices.

Brand	eSIM from	Watch out for
Apple iPhone	XS / XR (2018) and later	China mainland models; some Hong Kong and Macao models
Google Pixel	Pixel 4 (2019) and later; Pixel 3a mostly	Pixel 3a bought with Verizon or in Japan
Samsung Galaxy	S20 (2020) and later flagships; Z Fold / Flip from 2021	China mainland and Hong Kong variants; many budget A models
Xiaomi	13 series and later, in some regions	Mainland China variants
OnePlus	11 and later, OnePlus Open	Models before the 11

Apple and Google rows from their own support pages (November 2026). Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus rows from our device list; regional variants differ, so confirm in Settings.

Blue micro SIM and nano SIM cards next to their phone SIM trays — Physical SIM trays. Having one says nothing about eSIM support either way; most eSIM phones keep a tray for a second line. Photo: Tony Webster / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Why a “compatible” phone can still fail

Symptom	Likely cause	What to do
No Add eSIM option at all	Regional variant without eSIM, or old software	Update the OS; check the model on our device list
eSIM installs, then no signal abroad	Data roaming off on the eSIM line	Turn Data Roaming on for the travel eSIM only
Cellular plan cannot be added	Carrier lock	Ask your carrier to unlock
Code no longer valid	Activation code already used	Ask the provider for a new eSIM
Signal but no internet on Android	APN not filled in	Enter the APN shown on your plan page

The roaming row catches most people: the travel eSIM line needs Data Roaming on, your home line needs it off. See data roaming on or off. And if installation is the stuck step, the SM-DP+ address guide covers typing the code by hand.

Nano SIM card and its tray next to a ruler, showing it is about 12 millimetres wide — A nano-SIM is about 12 mm across. An eSIM chip is smaller still, and soldered in, so a phone either has one or it does not. Photo: BwDraco / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

If your phone is not eSIM compatible

Buy a local physical SIM on arrival. Usually cheap, though airport kiosks charge more and many countries require you to register it with your passport.
Use a pocket Wi-Fi. Works with any phone, but it is one more device to charge.
Use your carrier's roaming pass. Simplest, usually the most expensive per gigabyte.

Three SIM card adapters of decreasing size, from mini to micro to nano — SIM adapters: the physical-SIM fallback. With an eSIM phone you skip all of this. Photo: Tiia Monto / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Nano SIM card sitting in its phone tray on a grey speckled surface — A nano-SIM in its tray. If your phone fails all three checks, this is still how you get local data. Photo: Donald Trung Quoc Don / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

FAQ

QHow do I check if my phone is eSIM compatible?

AOpen Settings and look for an option to add an eSIM: Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM on iPhone, Settings > Network & internet > SIMs on Pixel, or Settings > Connections > SIM manager on Samsung. If it is there, the phone supports eSIM. You can also dial *#06#: if an EID appears, the phone has an eSIM chip.

QIs my iPhone eSIM compatible?

AEvery iPhone from the XS and XR (2018) onward supports eSIM, according to Apple. The exception is iPhones sold in mainland China, where Apple lists only a few recent models with eSIM. Some Hong Kong and Macao models use two physical SIM slots instead. For travel it must also show 'No SIM restrictions' next to Carrier Lock in Settings > General > About.

QWhich Google Pixel phones support eSIM?

AGoogle says all Pixel 4 and later phones work with eSIM. The Pixel 3a works unless it was bought with Verizon service or in Japan. Older Pixels are limited: Pixel 3 only in some regions and carriers, Pixel 2 only with Google Fi, and the original Pixel not at all. In the US, the Pixel 10 series has no physical SIM slot.

QMy phone supports eSIM but the travel eSIM will not install. Why?

AThe most common reason is a carrier lock: a phone bought on contract can refuse another company's eSIM. On iPhone check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock. Other causes are no Wi-Fi during the download, an activation code that was already used, or outdated software. Ask your carrier to unlock the phone before you travel.

QDoes dialling *#06# work on every phone?

AIt shows the IMEI on almost every phone, and on iPhones and most recent Android phones it also shows the EID. Samsung notes that the code depends on carrier support, so if nothing appears, use the Settings check instead. No EID on either is the clearest sign the phone has no eSIM chip.

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Originally published on www.yonosim.com/en/blog/is-my-phone-esim-compatible-2026 · YonoSIM — You Only Need One SIM