How to transfer an eSIM to a new phone
Short answer: Two different things get called "transferring an eSIM". Moving your normal phone line between handsets is a supported, built-in feature on both iPhone and Android. Moving a travel eSIM usually is not possible at all — the activation code normally works exactly once. Sort it out before you wipe the old phone, not after.
This is the question people ask after they have already reset the old handset, which is the worst possible order to do it in. The good news is that one half of the problem has a clean, official answer. The other half mostly does not, and knowing which half you are in takes about ten seconds.
Which kind of eSIM are you moving?
Open your phone's mobile data settings and look at the profiles installed. You will usually have one of two things, sometimes both:
- Your carrier line — the eSIM from your home network, the one your phone number lives on. This is designed to be moved between devices and both Apple and Google build tools for it.
- A travel data eSIM — a prepaid data plan for a trip, with no phone number attached. This is a single-use profile. It is generally not transferable, by anyone.
Everything below depends on which of those you mean, so it is worth being sure before you start deleting things.
Moving your carrier line to a new phone
iPhone to iPhone
Put both phones near each other, connected to Wi-Fi and signed into the same Apple ID. On the new iPhone, go to Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM and choose Transfer From Nearby iPhone. Confirm the transfer on the old phone, then tap Activate on the new one. During setup of a brand-new iPhone the same option appears as part of the guided flow.
Android to Android
Connect the new phone to Wi-Fi and look for Set up eSIM or Transfer SIM from another device during setup, or under network settings afterwards. The exact wording varies between Samsung, Pixel and other manufacturers, and the feature depends on your carrier supporting it.
Android to iPhone
On the iPhone, go to Settings → Cellular → Add eSIM and tap Transfer from Android. The iPhone displays a QR code; scan it with the Android phone's camera, choose the line you want to move, and confirm. Both devices need reasonably recent OS versions.
iPhone to Android
This is the least automated direction. In many cases you will need to ask your mobile provider for fresh eSIM activation details — a new QR code or activation code — and then add it on the Android phone under Settings → Network & internet → Add eSIM. Apple has added transfer tooling in this direction on recent iOS versions, but carrier support is the deciding factor, so check with your network first.
Moving a travel eSIM: the honest answer
You usually cannot, and this is not a restriction we have invented. The QR code and activation code normally work only once. Most networks disable them the moment the profile is installed, so removing the eSIM from your old phone will not let you reinstall it on a new one with the same code.
That is true across the industry, because of how the GSMA provisioning standard works rather than because of any individual seller's policy. A profile is downloaded from a server to one device, and the matching ID is spent in the process.
So if you are changing phones with an active travel plan still running:
- Contact the provider first, before wiping anything. Some can reissue a profile; whether they can depends on the underlying network, not on how nicely you ask. Have your order reference ready.
- Check what is actually left. If the plan has two days and 300 MB remaining, a replacement plan on the new phone is often cheaper and faster than the back-and-forth.
- Keep the old phone usable until you land, if you can. A phone with a working data plan is a perfectly good hotspot for the new one.
If you bought from us, our support page has the direct route and your order details stay in your account under My eSIMs.
Upgrading your phone before a trip
If a new handset and a holiday are both coming up, the order that saves the most grief is: move the carrier line first, confirm it works, then buy the travel eSIM and install it on the new phone. Buying the travel plan before the handset arrives is how people end up with a single-use code burned on a device they are about to trade in.
Before you install anything on the new phone, confirm it can take an eSIM at all and is not carrier-locked. Dial *#06# and look for an EID beside the IMEI — no EID means no eSIM hardware, whatever the model name says. The device compatibility guide covers the models in detail.
If the old phone is already gone
For a carrier line this is routine: your network can reissue the eSIM, usually the same day, and that is a normal support request rather than an awkward favour.
For a travel eSIM, the code has in all likelihood been consumed. Contact whoever sold it to you with your order reference before buying a replacement — there is no harm in asking, and the answer arrives faster than a second purchase would be refunded.
Related guides
Installing fresh on a new handset: iPhone or Android. If the profile installs but will not connect, this works through every cause in order. And if you are weighing a travel eSIM against roaming for the trip itself, that comparison is here.
Frequently asked questions
Buy on the website or in the app
Need a plan for the new phone? Buy it here and the QR code and activation details appear on screen within minutes and stay saved in your account, or use the eSIM Ventures app for iPhone or Android, which keeps your eSIMs and remaining data under My eSIMs.
