What is an eSIM and how do they work?

An eSIM card, also known as an embedded SIM, is a SIM card built into your smartphone that can be electronically assigned to whichever carrier you’ve signed up with. Meaning, you can switch providers without having to fuss around with fiddly physical SIM cards.

Swapping physical SIM cards in a phone can be tricky for anyone with hands larger than an infant’s. First you have to take that tiny little metal opening tool (if you haven’t lost it), then try to manoeuvre it into a hole the size of a pin head.

From there, you need to delicately remove the SIM card tray – being careful not to drop it under the couch – remove and replace the SIM card, then somehow manoeuvre it back in the way it came.

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This can be frustrating for older people with poor eyesight or trembling hands. It’s a serious barrier to many people changing carriers and getting the best deal on their calls and data.

But you don’t have to do any of that with an eSIM. eSIMS are permanent SIM cards built-in to your phone’s hardware and therefore never leave your phone.

When you sign up with a provider on an eSIM plan, you’ll then be able to download an ‘eSIM profile’ that will copy to the internal SIM. If you ever want to switch providers, all you need to do is download the new eSIM profile from your new carrier.

It’s important to note that while most newer phones should have eSIM capabilities, the technology didn’t appear until around 2012, so some older phones may not be compatible.

Many phones offer both an eSIM and a physical SIM card slot, allowing the option of either. But many of the very newest phones, like Motorola’s Razr series or the latest Apple iPhone 16, have done away with physical SIMs entirely, offering only eSIM.

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Do you find changing physical SIM cards difficult? Do you have an eSIM-compatible phone? Let us know in the comments section below.

Also read: Best large screen phones for seniors