eSims are gradually taking their place and dominating physical sim cards and even their Nano forms which seemed to be the climax in cellular Sim technology. With an eSim, you do not need to worry about the limitations of a physical Sim card anymore such as not having a cellular plan when you travel out of the country as your carrier can easily switch you to a working data plan in that area or still, you can switch to another carrier with your eSim. It’s as simple as that with an eSim.
However, some persons have complained that they’re unable to use their eSim again for no reason they can identify. If you’re one of these persons, this guide will help you get back on track with your eSim
Why eSim Is Not Working On iPhone 13
On your iPhone 13 and its other variations, eSim can be used for both Sim slots or one physical Sim and one eSim, however you choose.
Your embedded Sim may not be working on your iPhone 13 for a couple of reasons, (by the way, the ‘e’ means embedded and not electronic, many do not know). Below, I’ve elaborated on these problems individually to help solve your problem.
1. Service Outage
Your carrier not yet supporting eSim services in your area or region may be the reason eSim is not activating on your iPhone 13.The idea of an eSim usually connotes that they’ll work in every place. Well, that’s not the case. Some Carriers only have their eSim service supported in just one city and some have fast-tracked to supporting eSims on their network in a handful of cities in the US.
I believe eSims gradually will become the norm in time to come, but we are just not there yet. Service providers are expanding on eSims probably not as fast as you may want it but gradually.
To be sure, you can contact your carrier and verify if their eSim service is supported in your area.
2. Billing-Related Block
If you once had eSim capability fully installed and activated on your iPhone 13 but it just stopped, this is for you. Using an eSim is not free. You pay for a cellular plan that may include talk time, and a data plan as the case may be.
Your carrier usually will use some part of the money you pay for maintenance and other nitty-gritty of their business. The point is this, once your plan is due without renewal, your profile is immediately disconnected until a fresh plan is activated.
Usually, you’ll be notified prior to your plans due date for renewal, but to prevent your profile from being disconnected, you can set it up for automatic renewal.
3. iPhone is Locked
If your iPhone 13 is locked to your current physical Sim carrier, you may not be able to use your eSim. Just in case the eSim carrier you’re trying to use is different from the carrier of your physical Sim, then you’ll need to request from your current carrier to unlock your iPhone as they’re the only people authorized to do so. This is not a difficult thing to do, but it may take a while before your unblock request is granted.
To contact your carrier, you can simply visit their website to retrieve their support email address and mail them or call the support line which also can be found on their website. You may need to contact them severally after making your request to know the status of your unlock request. If your request is granted, activate your eSim profile again on your iPhone.
4. Poor WIFI Connection
A poor internet connection may make futile your eSim activation. As many carriers will suggest, eSim activation should be established over a strong WIFI and internet connection.
If your eSim fails to activate severally on your iPhone, you may need to switch to a different WIFI connection or check your router to confirm everything is alright at that end.
5. eSim Capability Is Unsupported In Your Region
As announced by Apple, eSim capability will not work in China mainland, Hong Kong, and Macao. Apple has disabled the feature for iPhones made for those regions and it’s most definitely for reasons related to government regulations. Therefore, if you purchased your iPhone 13 with a vendor in these regions, bear in mind that you’ll not be able to use eSim.
However, a user in Turkey recently contacted Apple as a result of a disabled eSim and Apple responded that eSim was also disabled for that location (Turkey), but the country wasn’t originally restricted. Probably Apple is expanding with their eSim restriction. You may need to contact Apple support to verify that your region hasn’t been included.
6. eSim Not Supported By Carrier
Some carriers up until now are still dragging their feet towards enabling eSim for their network. Many of them do not just buy the idea while some are still setting up their services to suit the eSim technology.
I believe the major reason is the former. Most carriers have considered how easy it can be for their current users to migrate to another carrier as soon as they make the option available. They’re simply afraid they’ll lose customers. Well, I think it’s only a matter of time until they change their mind.
7. Outdated Carrier Settings
You need to make a carrier update when released to continue to use eSim. Configurations are necessary for your iPhone 13 to use an eSim are pushed to your phone over the network and must be downloaded otherwise your eSim may not work. To ensure you’re running on the latest carrier update, do the following;
- Connect your device to an internet connection
- Open iPhone settings
- Tap on About
- If a carrier setting is available, it’ll appear as a pop-up prompting you to download and install it.
- You can restart your iPhone for the update to take effect.
Does iPhone 13 Have An eSIM?
Yes. With your iPhone 13, you do not need a physical Sim. Your iPhone 13 has two Sim slots, so you can choose to use two eSim functionalities or a physical Sim card and one in. It can work however you deem fit.
How Do I Activate eSIM On My iPhone 13?
In only a few easy taps, you already will have your eSim fully activated for your iPhone 13. Follow the below steps to complete the setup.
- Ensure you’re connected to a WIFI network with a working internet connection
- Open iPhone settings
- Tap on mobile data
- Scroll down, tap on Add data plan
- Scan the QR code you received from your carrier with your phone carrier by placing it under the camera
- Tap on Add data plan on the next page
- You have successfully activated your eSim. Follow the on-screen prompt to set the default Sim for Voice calls, iMessage texting, face time, and mobile data.
Video Guide
How to activate an eSIM on your iPhone | Apple Support
“If you’ve purchased a wireless carrier plan that supports eSIM, learn how to activate it on your iPhone XS or later.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXUJ0o007tg
Why My eSIM Data Is Not Working?
It’s not strange for your eSim data to stop working but it can as well be easily fixed. I have identified the two categories from which the problem may spring and have elaborated on them below;
1. Configuration Issue
When its a configuration issue, something along the line of activation of the eSim might have gone wrong. To quickly resolve it do the following;
- Turn on and off Airplane mode. This can help to settle disputes between your iPhone 13 and the eSim. To turn on Airplane mode, open the control center, tap the airplane icon, allow a few seconds, and tap it again to turn it off. If that doesn’t solve the issue, further with the next.
- Restart your iPhone. Like the Airplane mode troubleshooting, restarting your iPhone does almost the same thing but on a deeper level as everything is allowed the opportunity to start afresh.
2. Carrier-end Error
If any of those don’t resolve the problem, then you have to activate your eSim profile again. To do this contact your carrier to supply you with another QR code. Follow the activation steps above to complete the re-installation. This should resolve the problem.
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Is eSIM Available On iPhone 13?
Yes, Apple redefined the use of eSims with iPhone the 13. You have the ability to forgo the use of physical Sim cards and run only with dual eSim functionality. You can as well set up choose which eSims serves as default as well as set up one or more cellular plans.
Video Guide
How to Activate, Deactivate eSIM & Insert SIM in iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Mini, 13 Pro Max , iPhone 12
How to Activate and Deactivate eSIM on iPhone 13, 13 Pro, 13 Mini, 13 Pro Max, and, older iPhones like iPhone 12 , 12 pro , 12 mini , 12 Pro Max , iPhone 11 series and iPhone XS series.
Conclusion
With eSims, the future is here already and will even get better. The current limitation is not being able rely on it with international travel and that’s where I believe the eSim technology should improve on. However, this expansion will depend on carriers to come true and we’ll say bye to plastic Sim cards finally.
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