How to set up a Morocco eSIM at home and get online the minute you land

Part of our Morocco eSIM guide: all articles and key facts →

To install a Morocco eSIM, you scan a QR code on Wi-Fi before you travel, then switch the line on and allow data roaming when you land. The whole job takes a few minutes. This guide gives the exact iPhone, Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy menus, the three settings that decide whether it connects in Morocco, and what to do when it does not.

What do you need before you install a Morocco eSIM?

You need three things, and a QR code is only one of them.

• A phone with eSIM hardware. On iPhone that means an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or any later model, according to Apple. On Android it depends on the model and even on the country where the phone was sold. Our list of eSIM-compatible phones covers the brands one by one, and the thirty-second check without an app tells you for certain.
• A phone that is not locked to your operator. On iPhone, open Settings › General › About and look for "No SIM restrictions" next to Carrier Lock. If a restriction is listed, the phone can refuse a Moroccan profile with the message "Cellular Plans From This Carrier Cannot be Added". Our guide to unlocked phones and travel eSIMs explains how to get it lifted.
• A stable internet connection while you install. Apple states that the iPhone must be on Wi-Fi or a hotspot to download the profile. That is why the installation belongs at home, not in the arrivals hall.

Space is rarely the problem. Apple says an iPhone can manage up to eight or more eSIMs, and Airalo's help pages put the figure at 5 to 10 depending on storage. If you collect travel eSIMs, delete old, expired ones at home rather than on the day you fly.

When should you install it?

Install it one or two days before departure. The Morocco plans we checked start counting their days at the first connection to a network, not at installation:

Details checked on the providers' own pages on 25 September 2026. Holafly's example makes the 24-hour rule concrete: a 1-day plan that connects at 10:00 runs until 10:00 the next day. Airalo adds a caveat for its catalogue as a whole: in some rare cases, validity may begin at installation, so read the package details before you scan.

One trap is specific to Morocco. eSIM Maroc says its counter starts at the first connection to the Moroccan network even during an airport transit. The next section explains how to avoid losing a day that way.

What if you change planes in Casablanca?

Keep the Morocco eSIM line switched off until your stay actually starts. A plan that starts at the first Moroccan connection cannot tell a two-hour connection at Casablanca Mohammed V from an arrival. If the line is on during the transit, the transit uses the first day of your plan.

On iPhone, go to Settings › Cellular, tap the Morocco line and switch off "Turn On This Line". On a Pixel, open Settings › Network & internet › Mobile network, choose the eSIM and switch off "Use this SIM". Switch it back on when you land at your final Moroccan airport, or when you arrive by ferry or road.

Nomad adds a second clock: its plan starts at the first connection or automatically 60 days after purchase. A Nomad plan bought too far ahead can therefore start before you travel.

How to install a Morocco eSIM on iPhone

Apple's menu is called Cellular in the United States and Mobile Service in the United Kingdom. The steps are the same, but the labels change, so here is the translation, taken from Apple's US page and its UK version:

With the QR code

1. Open the Camera app and point it at the QR code sent by the provider.
2. Tap the "Cellular Plan Detected" notification. On iOS 17.4 or later, you can also touch and hold a QR code received in Mail and choose "Add eSIM".
3. Tap Continue at the bottom of the screen, then "Add Cellular Plan".
4. Give the new line a label such as "Morocco" when iOS asks. It makes the next settings much easier to read.

If the QR code arrives on the iPhone itself, the touch-and-hold method in Mail avoids the need for a second screen. Apple's iPhone guide also describes a path from Settings › Cellular › Add eSIM › Use QR Code, where you may need to tap Other Options first.

Without the QR code

Go to Settings › Cellular › Add eSIM (tap Other Options if needed) and choose "Enter Details Manually". Type the SM-DP+ address and the activation code from the provider's email. Our manual activation guide shows where to find both strings.

Some providers send a link instead of a code. On iOS 17.4 or later, tapping it shows an "Activate New eSIM" notification: tap Allow, then Continue.

The iOS 26 travel prompt

On iOS 26 and later, Apple has added a "Turn On Travel eSIM" notification that appears when you arrive. It offers "Travel eSIM Only" or "Travel eSIM and Current eSIM". If you keep both, the travel eSIM carries the data. Apple warns that you might still incur roaming fees from your home line, so the settings below still matter.

According to Apple's travel page, iOS 26 may also ask, when you install an eSIM bought before departure, whether it is for home or for travel. After the arrival prompt, it offers to turn on Low Data Mode or "Not Now". When you come home, iOS 26 can switch the travel eSIM off and your home line back on automatically, depending on the country; otherwise, use "Turn On This Line" on your home line.

How to install a Morocco eSIM on Android

Google Pixel

Open Settings › Network & internet › SIMs › Add SIM › Set up an eSIM, then scan the QR code, as described in Google's Pixel help. If you are setting up a new Pixel, the same step appears as Download SIM › Set up. Some Pixel steps require Android 11 or later.

Every Pixel from the Pixel 4 onwards supports eSIM; on the Pixel 3a, 3 and 2, support depends on the country of purchase. From the Pixel 3a, a physical SIM and an eSIM can work side by side, and from the Pixel 7, two eSIMs can be active at once if the operator allows it. US Pixel 10 models are eSIM-only, and our Pixel 10 page lists the current models.

Samsung Galaxy

Open Settings › Connections › SIM manager › Add eSIM › Scan QR code. To type the details instead, choose the option to enter the activation code on the same screen. Samsung says to restart the phone after adding the eSIM so the profile applies. The Galaxy S25 and Galaxy A pages list which Samsung models take one.

In the same SIM manager, the Primary SIM settings decide which line handles calls, messages and mobile data by default. That is where you will point mobile data at the Morocco eSIM on arrival.

Other brands put the option in similar places; our step-by-step Android activation guide covers the variants.

Which settings make it connect when you land in Morocco?

Three settings decide it: the eSIM line on, data roaming on for that line, and that line chosen for mobile data. A travel eSIM is technically a foreign line roaming on a Moroccan network. The providers agree on all three: Nomad writes that "data roaming must be enabled", Holafly answers "Yes" to the same question, Airalo's Morocco plan lists data roaming as an activation requirement, and eSIM Maroc gives the same advice on its blog.

• iPhone: Settings › Cellular › Cellular Data › choose the Morocco line. Then Settings › Cellular › tap the Morocco line › Cellular Data Options › Data Roaming on. Do the opposite on the home line. Leave "Allow Cellular Data Switching" off: Airalo recommends it, because otherwise the phone may fall back on your home line and roam on it.
• Pixel: Settings › Network & internet › SIMs, choose the Morocco eSIM for Mobile data, then switch Roaming on in that SIM's settings. Each SIM has its own tab at the top of the screen.
• Samsung: in Settings › Connections › SIM manager, set the Morocco eSIM as the primary SIM for mobile data, then switch on Settings › Connections › Mobile Networks › Data Roaming.

On Pixel 8a and later models, an "Automatic data switching" option can also move data between SIMs. Google does not address travel, but for the same reason as on iPhone, it makes sense to leave it off so that the home line never carries data abroad.

If Data Roaming is greyed out on a Samsung, Samsung's roaming help page says to switch on mobile data first, under Settings › Connections › Data usage › Mobile data. If data still does not flow, it suggests checking that the plan allows roaming, updating the software and restarting.

Switching data roaming on for the eSIM does not create a roaming bill: the provider has already priced the Moroccan network into the plan. The bill comes from the home line if its roaming stays on, and Morocco sits outside the EU roaming zone. Our guide to what roaming in Morocco really costs has the per-megabyte rates.

Can you keep your own number working at the same time?

Yes, as long as your home line stays switched on with data roaming off. Calls and SMS then keep reaching your usual number, which matters for bank codes, while the Morocco eSIM carries the data. Apple notes that FaceTime and iMessage keep using your home number even when another line handles data.

There are two side effects on iPhone, both documented in Apple's dual SIM page. If data roaming is on for the line that carries data, the voice-only line loses Visual Voicemail and MMS. And "Allow Cellular Data Switching" does not work while you are using data roaming, which is one more reason to leave it off.

Calls received on your home number can still cost money: Holafly reminds travellers that a SIM left active can be charged roaming for calls and SMS. Spanish operators, for example, bill calls received in Morocco at €0.75 a minute (Digi) or €1.82 a minute plus €1.21 set-up (Movistar). Our guide to running two eSIMs at the same time covers the combinations.

Which Moroccan network will your phone show?

One of three: Maroc Telecom, Orange Maroc or inwi, depending on your plan. The regulator, the ANRT, identifies each network by a code: the mobile country code 604 for Morocco, followed by a network code. The codes identify a network without ambiguity, for instance in a provider's plan details:

The source is the ANRT's list of mobile network codes, dated 4 May 2017, the most recent one we found. Nomad's Morocco plan data also give 604 00 for Orange. inwi's company name in the ANRT list is Wana Corporate; its network code is not given here because the sources we read disagree on which code carries its 4G and 5G service.

Your plan decides which operator you can use. Airalo and Nomad name Orange only for Morocco; Holafly lists all three. If your plan names one operator and the phone sits on "No Service", select that operator by hand: switch off automatic network selection on the eSIM line and choose it from the list. On iPhone, Airalo places this under the line's Network Selection menu; on Pixel it is the Network setting of the SIM.

Coverage differs between the three networks: Opensignal's early-2026 coverage scores put Orange behind Maroc Telecom and inwi. Our comparison of Maroc Telecom, Orange and inwi explains where it matters.

Do you need to enter an APN?

Often not: eSIM Maroc says the APN, the setting that tells the phone how to reach the data network, is normally automatic, and Airalo sets it automatically on iPhone. You only need it when the line shows signal bars but no internet. The provider's installation email is the reference, because the value differs from one provider to another.

• Airalo: its Morocco plan sets the APN automatically on iOS; on Android the APN is "globaldata".
• Holafly: its general setup guide gives "Global" as the APN, without a Morocco-specific value.
• eSIM Maroc: its FAQ says the APN is normally automatic.
• Nomad: no Morocco APN published on the pages we read.

Where to type it: on iPhone, Settings › Cellular › the eSIM line › Cellular Data Network, according to Airalo and Holafly; fill in the APN and leave the other fields empty. On a Pixel, the SIM's settings have an "Access point names" entry. On a Samsung, Holafly gives Settings › Connections › Mobile networks › Access Point Names.

What to do if the Morocco eSIM does not connect

Work down this table in order. Each line is a symptom documented by Apple, Samsung or the eSIM providers.

The "Unable to Activate eSIM" case deserves a second look. Airalo notes that the eSIM may already be installed despite the error, sometimes under a default name such as Personal, Travel or Secondary. Check the list of lines before you ask for a new code.

On a Pixel, the reset is under System › Reset options › Reset Mobile Network Settings, according to Google's network settings page. On iOS 18 and later, Apple also suggests the Apple Support app, which can run diagnostics.

Two rules save most trips. First, do not delete the eSIM to "start again". Apple writes: "Don't erase an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless directed to by your carrier", and Airalo notes that most eSIMs can only be installed once. Our recovery guide covers the case where it is already too late.

Second, if nothing works after these steps, write to the provider's support with the error message and the phone's EID, found under General › About on iPhone. The wider list of ten fixes for a travel eSIM abroad covers rarer cases.

Which Morocco eSIM is easiest to install?

They all install the same way, with the same QR code and the same phone menus. The differences are the network, the price per day and the support you can reach when something goes wrong. Top-ups differ too: Airalo (on its fixed-data plans), Nomad, Yesim and Ubigi let you add data to the same eSIM, while eSIM Maroc issues a new eSIM for each order, so extending a stay means a second installation.

eSIM Maroc specialises in Morocco, sends the QR code by email within seconds, allows hotspot use on every plan and promises email replies in under an hour, seven days a week. On 1 October 2026 it was cheaper than Holafly, Airalo (unlimited only up to 10 days), Yesim and Jetpac for 5 to 15 days (€24 for 7 days against €28.90 at Holafly and €32 at Airalo). Unlike Airalo, Nomad, Ubigi and Orange Travel, it also sells a 1-day plan, at €6.

It is not the cheapest option at every length. Nomad (€23.69 for 7 days, 2 GB a day), Ubigi (€69 for 30 days) and the Orange Travel promotion running until 15 November 2026 each cost less at some or all trip lengths, and eSIM Maroc's 1 GB a day at full speed is the lowest daily cap among the well-known providers. Support is by email and contact form only, with no WhatsApp or chat channel, and its refund rules conflict: the FAQ allows a refund within 30 days of purchase if the QR code has not been scanned, while the terms (article 8) rule out any refund once the eSIM has been generated, except in exceptional circumstances.

For a trip that continues to Spain or elsewhere, a multi-country plan from a global provider fits better. Our comparison of the best eSIMs for Morocco sets out who wins at which trip length, and the airport guide covers the first hour after landing.

Before any of it, confirm that your phone has the eSIM chip. The free eSIM Check app on Android reads your device's real hardware capabilities in a few seconds.