How to Install and Activate an eSIM on Android (2026)

The QR code usually arrives by email, and every Android maker gives the SIM menus its own names. Below are the steps on Samsung, Google Pixel and Xiaomi and the settings to turn on for the trip. If the eSIM doesn't work, you'll also find fixes that don't delete it.

Still choosing a plan? Find a cheap eSIM for your destination, and let the eSIM data calculator work out how much data your habits need.

In this article

• Before you start: does your Android phone support eSIM?
  • Is your phone carrier-locked?
• How to install an eSIM on Android: QR code, app or manual code
  • Scan the QR code
  • Install from the provider's app
  • Enter the SM-DP+ address and activation code
• Step by step on Samsung, Google Pixel and Xiaomi
  • Samsung Galaxy: Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM
  • Google Pixel: Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM
  • Xiaomi: Mobile networks > Turn on eSIM > Add eSIM
• After installing: use the eSIM for data and turn on data roaming
  • How to activate an eSIM on Android: when does the plan start?
• eSIM not working on Android? Fixes that don't delete your eSIM
• Can you delete an eSIM on Android and install it again?

Before you start: does your Android phone support eSIM?

Yes, you can add an eSIM to an Android phone that has an EID, an ID number that Google says every phone needs to use an eSIM. On a Pixel it's under About phone > SIM status; on other phones, search Settings for "EID".

Some Galaxy A phones have eSIM only in certain markets, and Samsung warns that, depending on the country of origin, eSIM may not work even on a listed model.

Look for your model:

Before you install, have a stable connection, preferably Wi-Fi, as Airalo advises, and the QR code or codes from your provider.

If eSIMs are new to you, what an eSIM is covers the basics.

Is your phone carrier-locked?

A phone locked to your home carrier may stop you from adding an eSIM from another network. Nomad ties the "Can't add eSIM" error to this lock; its test uses Samsung's menu names:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Connections > Mobile networks > Network operators.
3. Turn off Select automatically.
4. Wait 30 seconds for the list of carriers.

If only your carrier's name shows up, the phone is locked. After the test, turn Select automatically back on. Your carrier is the one to confirm the lock and unlock the phone.

How to install an eSIM on Android: QR code, app or manual code

Here's how to install an eSIM on Android three ways: by QR code, from the provider's app or by typing in the codes. Ubigi, for example, emails the codes with your eSIM profile.

Scan the QR code

Add eSIM opens the camera. At Nomad the QR code is single-use. Scan it once, on the phone you travel with.

The QR code often sits in an email on the same phone you need to scan it with, so Nomad's tip is to open it on a computer or a tablet and scan it from there. Xiaomi's setup screen can also read the code from Gallery once you save it as an image.

Install from the provider's app

Some Android models install straight from the Airalo app, with no QR code:

1. Open the Airalo app.
2. Go to My eSIMs and select your eSIM.
3. Tap View Details.
4. Scroll down to Ready to use your eSIM.
5. Tap Install or share.
6. Tap Start installation.

If the install fails, tap View options: depending on the case, Airalo offers a replacement, a refund or its support team. My Airalo eSIM review covers the brand beyond the install.

Nomad's app has a QR Code option and a Manual tab with the codes; my Nomad eSIM review has my verdict on that brand.

Enter the SM-DP+ address and activation code

Manual entry is the way to activate an eSIM when the camera won't scan. Copy the SM-DP+ address and the activation code from the provider's app, plus the confirmation code if you got one. The manual option sits near the scanner:

• Samsung: Scan QR code > Enter activation code
• Pixel: Need help? > Enter it manually
• Xiaomi: Add manually instead, below the scanner

Step by step on Samsung, Google Pixel and Xiaomi

Google notes that small steps can differ by carrier, not only by maker. On OnePlus, Oppo, Motorola and other Android phones, type "eSIM" or "SIM" into the Settings search to find the right screen.

Menus checked on October 10, 2026.

Samsung Galaxy: Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM

To activate an eSIM on Samsung, start in Connections:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Connections.
3. Tap SIM manager.
4. Tap Add eSIM.
5. Tap Scan QR code (on some phones: Scan QR code from service provider).
6. Scan the QR code from your provider.
7. Restart the phone to apply the eSIM profile.
8. Back in SIM manager, tap Primary SIM.
9. Pick the eSIM for data.
10. Go to Connections > Mobile networks.
11. Turn on the switch next to Data Roaming Access.

Google Pixel: Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM

Google Pixel phones from the 3a on support eSIM, though Google's dual SIM help says it works with some mobile carriers only. The button to add one is Add SIM:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Network & internet.
3. Tap SIMs.
4. Tap Add SIM.
5. Tap Set up an eSIM.
6. Follow the instructions on the screen.

Some Android versions word the same screen differently: tap the + next to SIMs, then Download a SIM instead?. A brand-new Pixel can also take the eSIM during setup, under Download SIM > Set up.

Then pick the eSIM for data and turn on its roaming:

1. Under Your primary SIMs, tap Mobile data.
2. Pick the eSIM.
3. Open the eSIM's tab at the top of SIMs.
4. Turn on Roaming.

In the US, the Pixel 10 and later, except the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, work with an eSIM only, so the eSIM vs physical SIM choice is already made on those phones.

Xiaomi: Mobile networks > Turn on eSIM > Add eSIM

Xiaomi supports eSIM on models such as the Xiaomi 15, 15 Ultra, 14T and 14T Pro. Availability may vary by region, Xiaomi notes. For the 14T Pro, Xiaomi's help page gives these steps:

1. Open Settings.
2. Go to Mobile networks.
3. Tap Turn on eSIM.
4. Select OK in the pop-up.
5. Tap Add eSIM.
6. Scan the QR code.

Other Xiaomi phones turn on Use eSIM first, then go to Manage eSIM > Add eSIM (or Discover eSIMs). On older software, Xiaomi names the menu SIM card and mobile networks and the button Add mobile plan.

Once the eSIM is on, Xiaomi keeps data and roaming in Mobile networks:

1. Select Data SIM 1 or Data SIM 2, whichever holds the eSIM.
2. Turn on Mobile data.
3. Tap Data roaming > International roaming.
4. Choose Always over For exceptions only or Never.

On the same roaming screen, a daily cap takes three more taps:

1. Turn on Set daily data limit while roaming.
2. Pick a Size.
3. Choose Show warning or Warn and turn off mobile.

iPhone owners can follow how to install an eSIM on iPhone instead.

After installing: use the eSIM for data and turn on data roaming

To use an eSIM on Android, these settings matter for the trip:

1. Keep the eSIM's line on.
2. Set the eSIM as the SIM for mobile data.
3. Turn on data roaming for the eSIM.
4. Keep Data roaming off on your home SIM.
5. On a Pixel, turn off Automatic data switching under Network & internet > SIMs.

On a trip to Peru, the JamboSim eSIM on my Xiaomi 14T Pro had no mobile data at first. Turning on data roaming fixed it, and everything worked after that.

Your home SIM can stay on for calls and texts while the eSIM carries the data. Keep it on only if you need its texts on the trip: your carrier may charge extra for roaming, as Samsung warns. At AT&T, one call is enough. Its daily International Day Pass charge starts the first time you make or receive a call abroad.

How to activate an eSIM on Android: when does the plan start?

Activating an eSIM on Android is usually automatic. Most Airalo eSIMs start their validity when they first connect to a mobile network in their coverage area, and only in rare cases at installation. Some Nomad plans need a tap on Start Your Plan Now on the Manage page of the Nomad app.

My recommendation is to install early, on Wi-Fi, because with Airalo that usually won't cost you plan days. Nomad advises turning the eSIM on when you arrive.

eSIM not working on Android? Fixes that don't delete your eSIM

If your eSIM is not working on Android, start with these fixes. None of them deletes the eSIM.

• No Add eSIM option, or a "Can't add eSIM" error. The phone or its region version has no eSIM, or the phone is carrier-locked.
• "Your eSIM isn't ready yet" or "SIM card busy" while installing. Nomad's fixes: turn off Airplane mode, join a strong Wi-Fi network, update Android or use the manual codes.
• The QR code was already used. The eSIM may already sit on another phone. Nomad says such an eSIM can't be installed again and needs a new purchase; other providers set their own rules.
• Installed, but no data. Recheck the data SIM and the roaming switch. Add an APN (access point name) only if your provider gives one.

When the eSIM is installed and the phone still won't connect, Samsung and Nomad add these steps:

1. Turn off Wi-Fi.
2. In Connections > Mobile networks > Network operators, make sure Select automatically is on (Samsung).
3. Restart the phone.

Ubigi's advice for any eSIM profile issue: contact customer service instead of deleting it.

Can you delete an eSIM on Android and install it again?

You can delete an eSIM on Android in Settings at any time, but whether it goes back on depends on the provider. Need the plan later? Turn the line off instead.

The plan you paid for can go with a deleted eSIM, and each provider sets its own rule:

• Airalo: eSIMs typically can't be reinstalled. If one can, its Additional Info says so, and under My eSIMs the app may show Deleted your eSIM? to check whether a reinstall is possible.
• Ubigi: after a deletion you can reinstall up to 5 times from the app, under Settings > Re-install my Ubigi eSIM.
• Nomad: the single-use QR code doesn't rule out a reinstall, but it may take extra steps. The rule changes with the network behind your plan: some allow up to 3 installs, some none, and a few packages can't go back once removed.

Check your provider's help page before deleting. My Ubigi eSIM review covers that brand in full.

To remove an eSIM:

• Pixel: Network & internet > Mobile network > select the eSIM > Erase eSIM
• Samsung: tap the eSIM in SIM manager and choose the delete or remove option
• Xiaomi: Manage eSIM > the arrow next to the eSIM > Disable eSIM > Delete eSIM