eSIM compatible phones: check yours in 2 minutes

To check if your phone supports eSIM, dial *#06# in the Phone app or open Settings and look for an EID, a 32-digit number: on an iPhone it is under Settings > General > About, on a Google Pixel under Settings > About phone > SIM status, and on a Samsung Galaxy under Settings > About phone > Status information. If an EID is there, the phone has an eSIM chip. Then check the two things an EID cannot tell you: whether your regional version can use eSIM (some phones sold in China, Hong Kong or India take two physical SIM cards instead), and whether the phone is locked to a carrier.

Every menu path on this page comes from Apple, Samsung, Google or Xiaomi support pages, read on 28 October 2026. This is the quick yes-or-no check plus the traps that make a "compatible" phone fail. For the full EID walkthrough on every brand, see our guide to finding your EID number.

Is my phone eSIM compatible? The 2-minute check

You need nothing but the phone. Do these checks in order and stop as soon as one gives a clear answer.

1. Dial *#06# in the Phone app. Use the phone's own dialler, not a messaging app. A screen with your IMEI number or numbers appears. If it also shows a line labelled EID with 32 digits, your phone has an eSIM chip. The eSIM provider Mobal says the code shows the EID "on the vast majority of handsets", but no phone maker documents it, so a missing EID on this screen is not proof of anything.
2. Look for the EID in Settings. iPhone: Settings > General > About, then scroll down (Apple Support). Google Pixel: Settings > About phone > SIM status (Pixel Help). Samsung Galaxy: Settings > About phone > Status information (Samsung). Other Android brands: type EID in the search bar at the top of Settings.
3. Look for the button that adds an eSIM. iPhone: Settings > Cellular, then Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM. Samsung: Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM. Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM > Set up an eSIM. Seeing the button is enough; you do not have to start the setup.
4. Note your model number and look it up on our list of eSIM compatible phones, paying attention to regional notes such as "not Indian models". The section on model numbers below shows where to find it.

If steps 1 to 3 all come back empty, the phone almost certainly has no eSIM chip, and no software update can add one. If you see an EID but no way to add an eSIM, the cause is usually a carrier lock, a work policy or a hidden menu: our guide to the missing "Add eSIM" option walks through each one.

How to check if your iPhone supports eSIM (iOS 26)

Apple's Dual SIM with eSIM page, published 22 October 2026, gives the requirement as "an iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, or later", with exceptions for China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao covered below. To confirm on your own iPhone running iOS 26:

1. Open Settings > General > About and scroll down. An EID line means the eSIM chip is there. Apple notes you can touch and hold the number to copy it.
2. Go back to Settings > Cellular. Apple's pages call this menu "either Cellular or Mobile Data" depending on the region. According to Apple's iOS 26 user guide, you add an eSIM by tapping Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM, then Use QR Code (you may need to tap Other Options first). If those buttons are there, the iPhone accepts eSIMs. Apple's iOS 27 guide gives the same path.
3. Still in Settings > General > About, check the Carrier Lock line. Apple says that if it reads "No SIM restrictions", your iPhone is unlocked. On UK iPhones Apple calls the line Network Provider Lock.
4. Tap the part number next to Model Number: it changes to the model number, which starts with an A. Apple also prints it inside the SIM tray slot, or inside the USB-C or Lightning connector on iPhones without a tray.

If your iPhone has no SIM tray at all, the question is already answered: it works only with eSIM. Apple's iOS 26 guide warns that "On iPhone 14 and later, some models only use eSIM", and its model identification page says the iPhone 14, 15 and 16 have no SIM tray in the United States, and the iPhone 17 has none in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico and several Gulf countries.

For the year-by-year list, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone Duo and iPhone 17e, see our iPhone eSIM model list and the iPhone device page.

How to check if your Android phone supports eSIM: Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi

Android menus differ by brand. These are the paths each maker publishes, checked on 28 October 2026.

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's UK page lists which Galaxy models support eSIM and adds: "Depending on the country of origin, eSIM may not be supported even if your device is listed above." Samsung does not say which One UI version its path applies to; it is the path its September 2026 pages give for current Galaxy software. Older Samsung pages still say "SIM card manager" and "Add mobile plan". Samsung also notes that the EID is printed on the box the phone came in.

Google Pixel

Google says any Pixel 3a or later can use a physical SIM and an eSIM together, a Pixel 7 or later can run two eSIM profiles at once if the carrier allows it, and in the US the Pixel 10 and later, except the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, use eSIM only. The exception is the Pixel 3a bought in Japan, which Google says "can't have two SIMs". Pixels that take both kinds of SIM show two IMEI numbers.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO

The Manage eSIM entry only appears after you turn on "Use eSIM", which Xiaomi says disables SIM 2. If there is no "Use eSIM" switch, your model or version probably lacks the chip: Xiaomi states that the REDMI 15 5G, for example, "does not support eSIM".

Android has offered standard eSIM functions since Android 9, but the Android Open Source Project explains that the app which downloads eSIM profiles (the LPA) has to be built into the phone by its maker. Your Android version therefore tells you nothing on its own. For more Android-only methods, see how to check eSIM support without installing an app.

What an EID proves, and what it doesn't

The EID identifies the eSIM chip itself, not your plan or your number. Google's Pixel Help puts it in one line: "To use an eSIM, a phone also needs an EID." A 32-digit EID on screen is the strongest proof you can get without opening the phone.

An EID does not prove the following:

• That your carrier offers eSIM. Apple: "Use of an eSIM requires a carrier that supports eSIM and a wireless service plan" (Apple's carrier list). Google: "DSDS and eSIM work with some mobile carriers."
• That the phone is unlocked. A locked phone has a working chip but may only accept its own carrier's eSIMs (see the carrier-lock section).
• That two lines will run side by side. On iPhone, two eSIMs at once need an iPhone 13 or later, according to Apple; on Pixel, a Pixel 7 or later and carrier support.
• That a work policy won't block it. Company-managed phones can block eSIM downloads.

Carriers may ask for the EID before sending you an eSIM. If you need to copy it, use Settings rather than retyping 32 digits; our EID guide has the path for every brand.

Regional versions: China, Hong Kong, India and US exceptions

One phone name can cover versions with and without eSIM. This is the most common reason a phone listed as "eSIM compatible" shows no EID.

iPhones from China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao

Apple's Dual SIM with eSIM page (22 October 2026) says: "In China mainland, only iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone Duo, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air support eSIM." Its two nano-SIM page, published the same day, lists the models that take two physical nano-SIM cards when bought in China mainland, Hong Kong or Macao: the iPhone XR and XS Max, the iPhone 11 to iPhone 16 families (the 12 mini and 13 mini are not on the list), and, for China mainland only, the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, and the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max. Apple adds that in China mainland the 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max can be activated with either an eSIM or a nano-SIM, while the iPhone Duo and iPhone Air use eSIM only.

For Hong Kong and Macao, Apple sends owners of the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, Duo, 17e, 17, Air, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, 16e, 13 mini, 12 mini, SE and XS to its eSIM instructions, and owners of the other models to its two nano-SIM instructions. If you have an iPhone from these markets, or buy one from an importer, check for an EID before you pay for an eSIM plan. The model number tells you which version you have: Apple's model list gives A3288 as the iPhone 16 for China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, and A3521 as the China mainland iPhone 17.

Samsung Galaxy A by region

Samsung's UK eSIM page (16 September 2026) lists the A57, A56 and A55 without restriction, but the A36 and A35 "Only Europe, North America, Korea", the A54 "Only Europe, North America, Korea, Japan", the A27, A26, A17 5G and A16 5G "Only North America", and the A25 5G and A23 5G "Only Japan". Our Galaxy A eSIM guide and Samsung Galaxy page go model by model.

vivo, Xiaomi and other Asian versions

vivo shows how far versions can differ. The vivo X300's global spec page lists "SIM1 + SIM2 / SIM1 + eSIM1 / eSIM1 + eSIM2", its Indian page lists "2 nano SIMs (SIM1 + SIM2)", and its Chinese page lists two nano-SIM cards with no eSIM. The vivo V29 has eSIM on the European page ("Single Nano SIM + eSIM") but "2 nano SIMs" on the Indian page. Xiaomi's global specs for the Xiaomi 17 list eSIM with the footnote "Dual SIM may vary based on region availability". See our vivo and Xiaomi pages, the guides to vivo models, POCO and Redmi and other brands, and our explainer on why regional variants lack eSIM.

US models: the opposite problem

In the US, many phones have no SIM slot at all: iPhone 14 and later models sold there have no tray, and Google says the Pixel 10 and later, except the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, use eSIM only in the US. These phones are certainly eSIM compatible, but if you travel with one you cannot fall back on a local physical SIM card.

How to read your model number

The marketing name ("iPhone 16", "Galaxy A36") is not enough to know your version. The model number is.

iPhone: the A-number

Open Settings > General > About and tap the part number next to Model Number to show the A-number, then look it up on Apple's Identify your iPhone model page, which gives the market for each number. Two examples from that page:

Apple, 28 October 2026. "Other countries and regions" is Apple's wording; Apple does not name each one.

Samsung: the SM- code

Samsung says Settings > About phone (or About device) shows the model number, IMEI and serial number. The code starts with SM-, and Samsung explains that it varies with "the year the product was released, its colour, the carrier, and some other factors", so two phones with the same name can carry different codes. Samsung's own example is SM-G950U for certain Galaxy S8 models. Compare your code with our Samsung page and the regional notes on Samsung's list.

Pixel, Xiaomi, vivo and other brands

On a Pixel, the model is in Settings > About phone, the same screen as the IMEI and EID; Google's only regional exceptions are the Japanese Pixel 3a and US-only eSIM on the Pixel 10 and later. For Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, OnePlus or Honor, find the model name in the About section of Settings (type "model" in the Settings search if needed), then open the maker's spec page for the country where the phone was sold, not the global page, and read the SIM line.

Carrier-locked phones and carrier support

A phone bought from a carrier or on a contract, for example from AT&T, Verizon or T-Mobile in the US, or EE, O2, Vodafone or Three in the UK, may be locked to that carrier. The eSIM chip still works, but it may refuse eSIMs from anyone else, including travel eSIMs.

• Android: the Android documentation says Google's eSIM downloader checks the carrier lock status "so that it can allow eSIM download or transfer only for the allowed carrier".
• iPhone: Apple says that "to use two carriers, your carrier must unlock your iPhone, or both plans must be from the same carrier". Check Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock: "No SIM restrictions" means unlocked.
• Samsung: for eSIM transfers, Samsung states that "your new device must be unlocked for the transfer to be successful".

On Android there is no lock-status screen that every brand documents, so ask the carrier that sold the phone whether it is locked, and ask it to unlock the phone if it is. Only that carrier can do it. Before buying a travel eSIM, read do you need an unlocked phone for a travel eSIM?, and if your phone is compatible but your carrier refuses to activate an eSIM, see why carriers sometimes won't activate eSIM.

Check your exact model on our list of eSIM compatible phones

Once you have the model name and number, look it up on our full list of eSIM compatible devices. Entries carry the regional notes from the makers' own pages, such as "North America only" or "not Indian models". Then open the page for your brand:

• Apple iPhone: every iPhone from the XS and XR, with the China, Hong Kong and Macao exceptions.
• Samsung Galaxy: S, Z Fold and Flip, A and XCover models, with regional limits.
• Google Pixel: Pixel 3a and later, US eSIM-only models.
• Xiaomi, vivo, OPPO, OnePlus and Motorola: the brands where regional versions differ most.

If your phone passes every check and you want to move your current number from a plastic SIM card, our guide to converting a physical SIM to eSIM covers each carrier's method.

How we checked

We read every source on 28 October 2026: Apple's iOS 26 iPhone User Guide page on setting up cellular service, and Apple Support articles on finding the EID, the model number, identifying iPhone models, Dual SIM with eSIM, Dual SIM with two nano-SIM cards, carrier unlocking and eSIM carriers; Samsung's eSIM pages for the UK and Hong Kong and its page on finding the model number; Google's Pixel Help pages on dual SIM and phone ID numbers; the Android Open Source Project's eSIM overview; Xiaomi's eSIM support article and specification pages; vivo's spec pages for the X300 and V29 in several countries; and Mobal's EID help article. Search phrasing comes from our own Search Console data.

Samsung's pages do not name the One UI version their menu path applies to, and we found no official EID path for Xiaomi or a regional-version page for Pixel model numbers. Menu names change with updates: if yours differ, search Settings for "eSIM" or "EID". If you spot a change, tell us and we will update this page.

Next step: look up your exact model on our eSIM compatible phones list.