How to install an eSIM on iPhone and Android — and the five fixes when it will not connect

Installing an eSIM takes a minute. Getting it to connect on arrival takes two settings that most guides mention only in passing, and those two settings account for almost every "landed, no internet" message our support chat receives. This guide gives the exact menu paths for iPhone and the three big Android families, what to set before you fly, and the five fixes in the order that resolves the most cases fastest.

It is written around an AirZippy QR delivered on WhatsApp and email, but the steps are the same for any data-only travel eSIM.

Before you start: does the phone support eSIM?

Dial *#06#. If the list that appears includes an EID (a 32-digit number), the phone has eSIM hardware. As a rule: iPhone XS, XR and every later model sold in India; Samsung Galaxy S20, Note 20, Z Flip/Fold and later flagships, plus recent A-series; Google Pixel 3 and later; OnePlus, Motorola and Nothing models from 2022 onward. A carrier-locked phone (common for handsets bought abroad on contract) will show an EID but refuse a foreign eSIM — ask the original carrier to unlock it.

Install on Wi-Fi, at home, before departure. An AirZippy plan does not start until the eSIM first connects to a network at the destination, so there is no cost to installing early — and there is every advantage, because the QR message is easiest to scan from a second screen while you are calm.

Installing on iPhone (iOS 17 and later)

1. Open the WhatsApp or email message with the QR on another screen — a laptop, a tablet, a family member's phone. If you only have the one phone, use the manual option in step 3.
2. Settings → Mobile Service (older iOS: Cellular) → Add eSIM → Use QR Code. Point the camera at the QR.
3. No second screen? Tap Enter Details Manually and paste the SM-DP+ address and activation code from the message; both are in the delivery text under the QR.
4. When asked, label the new line "Travel" or the country name.
5. Default line: keep your Indian SIM. iMessage and FaceTime: your Indian number. Mobile Data: choose the travel eSIM — you can change this later.
6. Open Settings → Mobile Service → the travel line and switch Data Roaming on. Check Low Data Mode is off.

That is the whole installation. Until you land, the travel line will show "No Service", which is normal — there is no network for it to join in India.

Installing on Android

Menus differ slightly by maker; the sequence is the same.

Samsung (One UI): Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM → Scan QR code. After it installs, in SIM manager set Mobile data to the new eSIM and keep Calls and Messages on the Indian SIM. Then Settings → Connections → Mobile networks → Data roaming on (with the eSIM selected as the data SIM).

Google Pixel: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add SIM → Download a SIM instead → scan the QR. Then tap the new SIM → Mobile data on and Roaming on; keep the Indian SIM for calls.

OnePlus, Motorola, Nothing, Xiaomi (Android 13 or later): Settings → Mobile network (or Connections) → Add eSIM / SIM management → scan the QR. Set the eSIM as the data SIM and enable data roaming for it.

If the scan option is missing, the phone may need the manual entry: choose "Enter code manually" and paste the activation code from the message.

The two settings that matter on landing

Every travel eSIM is, technically, roaming: it is a foreign profile connecting through a partner network. So on landing there are exactly two things to confirm, and they are the same on every phone:

1. Data Roaming is on for the travel line.
2. The travel line is the mobile-data line. The Indian SIM must not still be selected for data.

Turn Wi-Fi off for a minute and watch the travel line's signal bars appear. Once it has connected once, the plan's validity clock starts, and the phone will reconnect automatically after every flight.

The five fixes, in the order that works

1. Data Roaming. iPhone: Settings → Mobile Service → the travel line → Data Roaming. Android: Settings → Connections (or Network & internet) → Mobile networks → Data roaming. Off is the single most common cause.

2. The data line. iPhone: Settings → Mobile Service → Mobile Data → the travel line. Android: SIM manager → Mobile data → the eSIM. Some Android phones quietly switch data back to SIM 1 after a restart.

3. Wi-Fi. Airport and hotel Wi-Fi portals hold the phone on a network with no internet. Turn Wi-Fi off, wait a minute, and check that the travel line shows bars and an LTE/5G label.

4. APN. The access point name usually applies automatically; on a handful of Android models it has to be typed in. The value is in your delivery message. iPhone: Settings → Mobile Service → the travel line → Mobile Data Network. Android: Mobile networks → Access Point Names → add, enter the APN, save, select it.

5. VPN, Low Data Mode, Private Relay. A VPN app left on from home can block a fresh line until it reconnects; Low Data Mode (iPhone) and Data Saver (Android) can stall WhatsApp media; iCloud Private Relay occasionally interferes on a new network. Switch each off, retry, switch back on once connected.

If none of those work, reply on the WhatsApp chat the QR came from. A person can see whether the eSIM has ever registered on a network. If it has not, the fault is not on your side, and an AirZippy order that never connected is refunded.

After the trip

Leave the eSIM installed if you will return — a top-up on the same line is cheaper than a new plan and needs no scan. Otherwise: iPhone → Settings → Mobile Service → the travel line → Delete eSIM; Android → SIM manager → the eSIM → Remove. Switch mobile data back to the Indian SIM and turn its Data Roaming off.

FAQ

Can I install the eSIM before I fly?

Yes, and you should. AirZippy plans start on first connection at the destination, so installing at home costs nothing.

Do I remove my Indian SIM?

No. Keep it in and enabled for calls and verification SMS; only move mobile data to the travel eSIM.

Why does the travel line say "No Service" in India?

Because there is no network for it to join here. It connects when you land.

Can I move the eSIM to another phone?

Most eSIMs install once. If a phone is lost or replaced mid-trip, message the WhatsApp chat; a replacement is arranged.

Does WhatsApp need anything?

No. It stays tied to your Indian number and uses the eSIM's data automatically.

Menu paths reflect iOS 17–19 and Android 13–16 as of September 2026; makers rename items occasionally, and the sequence above holds across versions.