The install went fine. The eSIM shows up in your settings. And nothing loads. Most of the support tickets we get about a new eSIM come down to the same few causes, so here they are in the order worth trying, most likely first.
One warning before you start: do not delete the eSIM, and do not scan the QR code again. An eSIM QR code works once. Scanning it a second time only produces an error, and deleting the eSIM from the phone usually destroys it for good. Neither fixes anything on this list.
1. Turn on data roaming
This is the most common cause by a distance. A travel eSIM is a roaming SIM by design, and phones ship with roaming switched off. With roaming off, the eSIM can show signal bars and still pass no data at all.
- iPhone: Settings > Cellular > tap the eSIM > Data Roaming > on. In some regions the menu is called Mobile Service or Mobile Data.
- Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > tap the eSIM > Roaming > on. On Samsung: Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Data roaming.
Roaming on a travel eSIM does not cost extra. The plan you bought is the roaming. The frightening bills come from roaming on your home SIM, so leave that one switched off.
2. Make the eSIM your data line
With two SIMs in a phone, only one carries mobile data at a time. If that is still your home SIM, the phone is using the wrong line.
- iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data > choose the eSIM. Turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching so it stays there.
- Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > tap the eSIM > Mobile data > on. On Samsung: Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Mobile data.
3. Set the APN
The APN is the name of the gateway your phone asks for when it goes online. Most plans set it automatically. Some need it typed in, and until it is, you get signal and no internet.
If your plan needs one, it is shown on your eSIM's page and in the PDF that came with it. Check that the phone has the same value:
- iPhone: Settings > Cellular > tap the eSIM > Cellular Data Network > APN.
- Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > tap the eSIM > Access Point Names. Add a new one with that APN, save it, and select it.
If several values are shown separated by slashes, they are alternatives: try the first, then the next. Leave username and password empty.
4. Check you are inside the plan's coverage
A plan for one country works in that country only. Test it at home before you fly, or cross a border, and it will sit on No Service or connect without data. That is normal, and it comes alive when you arrive. Regional plans list every country they cover.
Most plans only start their clock at the first connection in the destination, so there is nothing to activate in advance.
5. Toggle airplane mode, then restart
Phones cache network registrations, and a fresh eSIM sometimes needs a push. Turn airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again. If that does nothing, restart the phone. Give it a minute or two after landing as well, because the first registration on a new network can be slow.
6. Pick the network by hand
If the phone shows No Service or keeps searching, it may be trying a network your plan does not use. Turn off automatic selection and choose one yourself.
- iPhone: Settings > Cellular > tap the eSIM > Network Selection > turn off Automatic, then pick from the list.
- Android: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > tap the eSIM > turn off Automatically select network.
If your plan lists its networks, start with those, and if one fails try the next. If the phone is unstable on 5G, setting the eSIM to LTE or 4G often settles it.
7. Check the plan itself
Log in with your key and open the eSIM's page. It shows the plan's status, how much data is left and when it ends. A plan that has used up its data or passed its end date stops working, sometimes in the middle of a trip, and the fix is a top-up from that same page.
On unlimited plans, look for a fair-use note. Many slow down sharply after a daily amount of full-speed data, which can feel like no connection at all until the allowance resets.
8. Rule out the phone
If nothing above works, the phone may be locked to its original carrier. A locked phone can install a foreign eSIM and then refuse to use it. On iPhone, look at Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock, which should read No SIM restrictions. On Android the setting varies by brand, and your original carrier can confirm the lock and remove it.
It is also worth switching off any VPN or private DNS for a minute and testing again, in case that is the part failing.
Still nothing?
Open a ticket from your dashboard and tell us three things: the phone model, the country you are in right now, and what the phone shows where the signal bars should be. We can see the eSIM's status with the carrier from our side, and those three details usually settle the rest.
If the eSIM would not install in the first place, that is a different problem with different fixes: see how eSIM activation works and why installs fail.