Moving to a new phone: transferring your eSIM, and why a travel eSIM stays put

Your number, from iPhone to iPhone

If your carrier supports eSIM Quick Transfer, Apple's steps move the number without calling the carrier. Before you start:

1. Both iPhones are signed in to the same Apple Account and run iOS 18.4 or later.
2. The old iPhone is unlocked with its passcode, and both are nearby with Bluetooth on.
3. Transfer during setup when asked, or later in Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM → Transfer From Nearby iPhone. With iOS 26 or later you can move more than one number.
4. When the plan activates on the new iPhone, the SIM on the old one stops working.

Between Android and iPhone

Usually you ask your carrier, who sends a new eSIM or a QR code. With iOS 26, some carriers support moving an eSIM directly between an Android phone running Android 16 or later and an iPhone 11 or later; Apple lists which ones.

A travel eSIM stays on its phone

Each Simvito QR code installs once, and the eSIM then stays on that phone. Deleting it, erasing the phone or moving to a new phone means it can't be installed again.

Getting a new phone before a trip? Move your home number first, then install the travel eSIM on the new phone. If the travel eSIM is already on the old phone, travel with that phone, or contact support before deleting anything.

Buying a used phone

1. Check it has eSIM: look for the EID in Settings → General → About on iPhone, or Settings → About phone on Android.
2. Check the carrier lock. On iPhone, Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock should say “No SIM restrictions”. Only the carrier that locked it can unlock it, and Apple says that can take a few days.
3. Activation Lock is a different thing: it ties an iPhone to the previous owner's Apple Account, and only their account details remove it. Ask the seller to remove it, and their own eSIMs, before you pay.