eSIM transfer failed or missing: the cause behind each symptom on iPhone, Samsung and Pixel

When an eSIM transfer is not working, the cause is usually one of four things: the carrier does not support phone-to-phone transfer, the software is too old, the phones are not connected the way the feature expects, or the eSIM is a travel eSIM that cannot move. Below, each symptom on iPhone, Samsung and Pixel is matched to its cause and next step.

What should you do first when an eSIM transfer fails?

Leave the old phone and its eSIM alone, check four basics, and try once more before contacting your carrier. Deleting the eSIM from the old phone too early is the one move that can turn a failed transfer into a lost line, as our guide to recovering a deleted eSIM explains.

1. Both phones on, unlocked and side by side, with Bluetooth on. Apple, EE and Verizon all list this.
2. Both on Wi-Fi. Apple asks you to "Connect your new iPhone to a Wi-Fi network or hotspot"; EE asks for Wi-Fi on Android too.
3. A screen lock on both phones. Google requires one for Android transfer; Apple asks you to unlock the old iPhone with its passcode.
4. Latest software on both phones. The minimum versions are in the table below.

Google gives the same advice for Android: "If you encounter an issue when you transfer an eSIM, try again. For persistent issues, contact your carrier." Its help page also reassures: "Your existing device or eSIM can still work even if your eSIM transfer isn't successful."

Minimum versions for each kind of transfer

When one phone is below the minimum, the transfer may not be offered or may not complete. These are the official numbers, checked on 16 October 2026.

Update the phone that is behind first, then retry. On Android, Google and Verizon both name a minimum Google Play services version as well as an Android version, so update both before you try again.

iPhone: "Transfer From Nearby iPhone" does not appear

Apple's eSIM set-up page, published on 17 September 2026, gives the path on the new iPhone: Settings › Cellular › Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM, then choose a plan to transfer, or "If you don't see a list of numbers, tap Transfer From Nearby iPhone". If neither the list nor that option shows up, check these causes in order:

• iOS below 18.4 on either iPhone. Apple lists "Both devices are on iOS 18.4 or later". Update the older iPhone first.
• Different Apple Accounts. Apple requires that you are "signed in to both devices with your Apple Account", the same one on both.
• Bluetooth off or phones apart. Apple: "Both devices are nearby with Bluetooth turned on".
• Carrier without Quick Transfer. If the carrier does not support it, ask the carrier for a QR code or carrier activation. Apple says to contact the carrier "if you need help".
• Old iPhone from China mainland. Apple says that there, "only iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 17e, and iPhone Air support eSIM". Other models from that market have no eSIM to transfer; see our guide to the "eSIM not supported" message.

The full step-by-step for a working transfer is in our guide to transferring an eSIM between two iPhones.

iPhone: "Finish Setting Up Your Carrier's Cellular Plan"

This banner is not an error. Apple's page says: "If a banner appears on your new iPhone that says Finish Setting Up Your Carrier's Cellular Plan, tap it. You will be redirected to your carrier's webpage to transfer your eSIM." Your carrier finishes the move on its own site. If the web page fails, Apple's next step is: "If you need help, contact your carrier."

Also check the old iPhone after the move. Apple says the new plan "deactivates your previous SIM when it activates". If the old iPhone still has service and the new one has none, the transfer has probably not completed on the carrier side yet.

iPhone: the eSIM moved but there is no service

Work through Apple's own three-step check, then update the carrier settings, then call the carrier with the exact message on screen. Apple's page "If you can't set up an eSIM on your iPhone" lists, after each step, a check for the carrier name in Control Center:

1. Turn Airplane Mode on and off.
2. Open Settings › Cellular, find the number and turn the line off and back on.
3. Restart the iPhone.
4. Settings › General › About: in the eSIM section, tap the version number next to Carrier and accept any update.
5. Contact the carrier with the error message on screen, your phone number, your account password or PIN, and the IMEI or EID from Settings › General › About.

O2 adds a timing note on its eSIM help page: "Most activations complete within a few minutes, although some can take up to 24 hours." If the line shows "Activating" for a long time, our guide on the carrier that won't activate an eSIM covers the causes.

Samsung: the transfer option is missing or the transfer is refused

On a Galaxy, the most common reasons are a carrier that is not on Samsung's list and a new phone that is still locked to a carrier. The Samsung UK eSIM page says "Your new device must be unlocked for the transfer to be successful", and lists the carriers that "may allow eSIM Instant Transfer". If yours is not on that list, the carrier is the one to ask: Samsung adds "If you need assistance, please contact your network carrier."

The carriers Samsung lists for Galaxy-to-Galaxy transfer include O2, Spusu UK and EE in the UK; Free Mobile, SFR and Orange in France; Telekom, Vodafone, 1&1 and O2 in Germany; and MasOrange and Movistar in Spain. Our Android to Android transfer guide has the full table and the path: Settings › Connections › SIM manager › Add eSIM › Transfer SIM from Galaxy/Android phone.

Other Galaxy causes:

• Older Galaxy as the source. Verizon lists old phones from the Galaxy S21, Z Fold 3, Z Flip 3 and XCover6 Pro upward, and the Galaxy A54 5G, on One UI 6.1, with a Galaxy S24 or later as the new phone.
• Tablets. Verizon says "Only Android tablet to tablet eSIM transfer is allowed": on Verizon, you cannot move a phone line to a Galaxy Tab this way.
• Wrong code. The old phone must type the 6-digit verification code shown on the new phone, not a code from a carrier text or email.

Our Samsung Galaxy eSIM page lists which models have an eSIM, by region.

Pixel: nothing appears on the old phone

Check the screen lock on the old phone first: it is the first item on Verizon's list when the transfer request does not appear. The Verizon Business transfer page says to confirm "that the screen lock option is active on the previous device", that Bluetooth is on with both phones nearby, and that both meet the requirements.

Verizon's page shows that notification for the case where the old device is a Pixel; it does not describe what a Samsung, Motorola or other old phone shows. Whatever the brand, keep both screens in view and follow the prompts on each. The Pixel path is Settings › Network & internet › SIMs › Add SIM › Transfer SIM from another device, according to Google Pixel Help.

If the Pixel never detects a transferable SIM, Google's instruction is direct: "If your device didn't automatically detect eSIM transfer, contact your carrier to activate your eSIM." Our Google Pixel eSIM page lists every Pixel with an eSIM.

Between iPhone and Android: why the transfer is refused

Moving an eSIM across platforms has stricter limits than within one brand. Apple's Android to iPhone page requires an iPhone 11 or later on iOS 26 or later and "A compatible Android smartphone with Android 16 or later", with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both. It names a short list of carriers, for example:

• United States: AT&T, Cricket, FirstNet, T-Mobile, Verizon, Xfinity Mobile.
• United Kingdom: EE only.
• France: Free Mobile, Orange, SFR. Germany: Telekom, 1&1.
• Spain: no carrier listed on that page.

For moves between a Pixel and an iPhone on its network, Verizon adds device floors: an iPhone 12 or later on iOS 26 in both directions, and a Pixel 9 or later as the receiving phone when moving from an iPhone. If your carrier or phone is outside these lists, Apple's answer is to "contact your carrier to activate your eSIM". The full flow is in our guide to transferring an eSIM between iPhone and Android; see also our iPhone eSIM page.

Only one of your two numbers moved

If the old phone had two lines, for example a personal and a work number, the transfer may move only one of them. On iPhone this depends on the iOS version: Apple says that "With iOS 26 or later, you can transfer more than one phone number to your new iPhone." With an older iOS on either phone, update both iPhones to iOS 26 and try again, or ask that line's carrier for a new eSIM for the second number.

On Android, Google's help page adds a tip for phones that already hold another eSIM: "If you already have another eSIM on your device, turn it on." A line that seems to be missing after a transfer may simply be switched off in the SIM menu. Check the SIMs list (Pixel) or SIM manager (Galaxy) before assuming the transfer failed, and turn the line on there.

Why can't you transfer a travel eSIM?

Because most travel eSIM providers lock the eSIM to the first phone it was installed on, so no transfer menu will offer it. This is a provider policy, not a phone fault. From the providers' own help centres, checked on 16 October 2026:

Airalo's help page adds that if the old phone is no longer usable, the remaining data cannot be recovered or moved. If you change phones during a trip, keep the old phone as a hotspot or buy a new plan. When a travel eSIM on the new phone has no signal abroad, our 10 fixes for a travel eSIM not working abroad help.

What if the old phone is lost, broken or already reset?

Then a direct transfer is impossible, because every phone-to-phone method needs the old phone to approve the move. Apple asks you to unlock the previous iPhone with its passcode, and Samsung and Google ask you to confirm on the old phone. The way out is a replacement eSIM from your carrier. EE, for example, lists the EE app route Manage › Mobile and SIMs › Check Settings › Replace my SIM/eSIM for a phone that is lost or stolen, and asks you to call immediately so it "can place any bars on the account". Our guide to transferring an eSIM without the old phone covers carriers country by country.

When to stop and call the carrier

Call the carrier when the four basics are fine, both phones meet the minimum versions, and the transfer still fails or never appears. Have ready, as Apple suggests:

• the exact message shown on screen (a photo of it helps);
• your phone number and account password or PIN;
• the IMEI and EID of the new phone, which our list of eSIM-compatible devices can help you confirm is eSIM-capable.

Ask for a new eSIM for the new phone rather than another transfer attempt. O2 says that "If a transfer can't be completed automatically, you may need a replacement eSIM", and that you can create a new QR code in My O2 by choosing "Install SIM". Verizon Business gives 1-877-807-4646 for activation help on its business lines.

None of Apple, Google or Samsung publishes a full list of transfer error messages, so we have not invented one here: the symptoms above are matched to the causes these companies document.