Switch existing service to e-SIM

[Nick_uy]

Can we switch an existing physical SIM to an e-SIM?

[Starfox]

And maybe get with the times and use QR code eSIM provisioning like the rest of the world. One can only hope.

— Starfox

[snappyapple632]

I hope that they eventually allow us to do this.

[ubar]

I am still waiting for my number to be ported in from Google Fi... It has been 48 hours since I've started the process...

[marciano]

This triggers a question of mine:

I am currently rocking an iPhone 7 Plus with a physical SIM.  If I upgrade to iPhone 13, could I have the option to use an eSIM rather than the physical one?

[frugalfamily · Accepted solution]

Hey @marciano - that sort of depends on how soon the eSIM rollout can get to a phase where existing customers can also take advantage of eSIM.

The only way you could do that currently is if you purchased one unlocked and brought it as a new BYOD device onto Visible.

Thankfully there are there are plans to enable eSIM for existing customers down the road and while we don't have an exact ETA - how cool would it be to get it right in time for iPhone 13?!?!? 😏😎

[marciano]

Thanks for the info, FrugalFamily!  Much appreciated!

I don't pay too much attention to the tech stuff.  It's not my field.  But what are the advantages of using eSIM rather than a physical one, if any?

[frugalfamily]

Anytime @marciano! In the wireless world - eSIM can be viewed as the successor of the nano sim, which is what most phones currently have.

Tech companies & manufacturers are constantly trying to find ways to make hardware smaller and more efficient as real estate on phones and smart devices become more valuable.

The eSIM takes up 15% less space than the nano SIM and is embedded (hence the 'e' in eSIM) and is soldered directly on to the circuit board.

This technology for instance makes it possible to have cellular service on devices like smart watches where space is really limited.

Another thing to consider is that with it being soldered there's no assembly, tray, ejector spring etc... again saving a lot of space.

What this means is that people no longer have to go into a store to get a sim and activate it - like with Visible activation is all done through an app.

Because there is no SIM card to take in and out of your phone anymore - it may be more difficult when you want to lend your phone to a family member.

Previously you could just swap out compatible sims in the tray - now you'll have to reregister your eSIM between carriers every time you mad the swap - maybe this will be something that will become smoother in the future as the technology develops.

One upside is that since the SIM is 'baked in' - anyone stealing your phone would have a harder time popping out a SIM and disabling cellular tracking.

Hope this helps - many phones in the US like the current iPhone 12 for instance have dual SIM support - one soldered eSIM and a nano SIM tray.

Who knows, with Visible now supporting eSIM we may just get an Apple Watch plan sooner than we think! 🙏🤞🙏

[justjohn]

Marciano,

One advantage of eSim is that is the only way to use two lines on US iPhones.  For instance, the 12 Mini I use supports two lines of service, but one has to be on physical sim and one on esim.

Another advantage is that it removes the requirement to get the physical sim.  For instance, I was shopping around for new service in December.  One company had a deal to send the physical SIM in the mail for free. Normally they want several dollars for the SIM. It took over a week to arrive.   Meanwhile, I had setup service with Google one morning using eSim, took about 90 minutes completely. (no trip to store hoping for curbside service, all done from couch)

I think the Europeans are ahead of US on this. You can easily store several eSim plans on the iPhone. Turn them on and off via Settings. Very competitive pricing on data plans in EU.  

[mwilcox12024]

Does Visible offer something to protect from  Account takeover schemes ?  I used this service at Tmobile:   https://www.t-mobile.com/privacy-center/education/online-safety-cybersecurity#:~:text=Enable%20SIM%2....