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This seems like an inevitability; since eSIMs are already here, and manufacturers are going to be thrilled to have fewer moving parts. But it’s disappointing a

This seems like an inevitability; since eSIMs are already here, and manufacturers are going to be thrilled to have fewer moving parts. But it’s disappointing all round. I absolutely love how easy it is for me to buy a new phone, swap in my old SIM and I’m instantly using my old number. As painful as transferring everything else is with new phones, at least I easily keep the same number. With this (and I’d guess with eSIM too) I just have to hope that their process to transfer SIMs work flawlessly. And I have very little confidence in that. Sidenote: also disappointed this gets published uncritically as if published by the phone manufacturers themselves, celebrating this as a pure positive instead of the trade off it is.

MisterSandman 4y ago
I feel like this is gearing up to bring back contracts or phone locks, in a way. A family member recently bought an iPhone from the US to a non-US country, without realizing that the US models are eSim-only. They have to change carriers because only the fancy, expensive carriers offer eSim. I would not be surprised if they find other ways to make it harder to install an eSim in a different carriers phone. Also, another thing I hate about having an eSim is that it sorta forces you to install your carriers app, which for some cheap/mid-tier carriers is an ad-infested mess.
godzillabrennus 4y ago
SIM cards were never swappable for me. They were locked to a phone. Changing to a new handset meant going to the carriers store or having them ship me one. I welcome the ease of portability that eSIM brings.
- secondcoming 4y ago
  In order to test various 5G offerings, I have 3 SIM cards at the moment. All are freely swappable between my phone and my 5G router.
- LeoPanthera 4y ago
  This feels like an American perspective. In Europe (and Asia too?), sim-swapping is pretty seamless, and relatively common.
  - jraph 4y ago
    There's also the simlocking. In France, (many/all?) phones bought from the carriers (with a subscription with some time commitment) were (are?) simlocked, meaning that they could only accept SIMs from these carriers. But carriers are also forced by law to let you sim-unlock your phone for free after a few months. So yes, pretty seamless and common indeed. Everybody expects to be able to switch carriers and keep their phones.
  - Daz1 4y ago
    Not in Japan. Some carriers like Docomo you can't even buy a standalone SIM.
    - kalleboo 4y ago
      Not true https://onlineshop.smt.docomo.ne.jp/sim-card/index.html https://onlineshop.smt.docomo.ne.jp/sim-card/index.html I'm on docomo and I only have a SIM from them, I brought my own iPhone from abroad. When I turned my iPhone in to Bic Camera to have the display swapped, I could just swap my SIM into a spare old phone quickly and it worked seamlessly.
      - Daz1 4y ago
        Oh that's good, I went into one of their branches and they told me it wasn't possible and I'd have to buy a phone from them. Probably just pushy salespeople trying to meet quota.
    - mason96 4y ago
      [dead]
  - eloisant 4y ago
    In France for example SIM cards where a thing since cellphones exist, however I've lived in Japan and US in the 2000s and in both countries there was no SIM, you had to go through your carrier to change phones and they would setup your phone in the shop.
- zamnos 4y ago
  Hmm but if they're locked to a phone for you, what's preventing phone companies from doing the same thing with esims?
Reason077 4y ago
> "But it’s disappointing all round. I absolutely love how easy it is for me to buy a new phone, swap in my old SIM and I’m instantly using my old number." In theory, with an eSIM it's even easier to swap in your old SIM because you don't have to deal with the physical SIM card. Especially so if you don't have the physical SIM because it's lost or whatever. In my experience it's super frustrating to have to wait for a new SIM to arrive in the mail because you lost it or the old one is faulty! Some carriers [1] also support "eSIM Quick Transfer" which allows you to swap eSIMs between devices instantly in the phone's carrier settings, with no need to contact the carrier or deal with their website/software. [1] https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT209096 https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT209096 eSIMs are a massive win when travelling, too. Instantly activate a data plan at cheap local rates in whatever country your travelling to, without having to first get your hands on a physical SIM...
- gambiting 4y ago
  I have two sims in my phone, neither carrier even supports eSIMs yet. The technology is extremely slow to roll out around the world for some reason.
  - World177 4y ago
    I think the carriers probably do not like it, as it allows their customers to easily switch service. I also think it could possibly be part of the reason Apple released an eSIM only phone, as it forces the carriers to use eSIMs.
    - masklinn 4y ago
      > it allows their customers to easily switch service. It’s not like switching is difficult even with a physical SIM.
      - World177 4y ago
        It was really inconvenient to switch to an MVNO or another carrier. You almost always had to order a SIM and wait a week for it to be shipped. Right now, I can activate an eSIM and be using the plan within like 10 minutes. I also am able to continue using my current plan. In my current setup, I have a plan with primary carrier for my primary number, then a backup data only eSIM with non-expiring data for if I'm SIM swapped or overuse my data plan on my primary plan. I've actually tried and used different MVNOs.
kahnclusions 4y ago
With eSIM when I buy a new phone I just open my provider’s app on my old phone and request a new SIM, then scan a QR code on the new phone and bam my new phone is setup using the same phone number. You can have multiple eSIMs on the device and activate them when you need… for example travel SIM, or a SIM for your home country, etc. It’s way more convenient than physical SIM cards.
- kuschku 4y ago
  You can have multiple physical SIMs with any reasonable phone as well. It's only the handful of US flagship phones that removed that support (just as they removed headphone jacks or microSD slots)
elzbardico 4y ago
International plans are less expensive than they were in the past, and usually, with decent carriers, they can be enabled and disabled on demand from their customer app. Conversely, eSIM has the advantage that a thief can't simply remove the SIM after stealing your phone.
ezfe 4y ago
I've travelled with my eSIM and switched carriers domestically. I've also switched phones. Here are some samples of why it doesn't have to be a problem: - AT&T makes transferring iPhone - to - iPhone trivial; offers to transfer automatically during setup - Visible provides an example of a simple app that can install an eSIM on your new device without talking to a customer support rep or waiting for something to come in the mail; - The previous also applies when moving between competitors - means one can switch carriers in an hour from your living room - Traveling to Greece with the Airalo eSIM app was trivial to set up (open app, search country, pick data package) and while I'm sure I paid more than I could've if I'd found a local physical SIM, I was able to set it up before leaving the US so it worked instantly the moment we landed, and the app made it easy to track data usage and reload if needed without phone calls or local apps.

MisterSandman 4y ago

I feel like this is gearing up to bring back contracts or phone locks, in a way. A family member recently bought an iPhone from the US to a non-US country, without realizing that the US models are eSim-only. They have to change carriers because only the fancy, expensive carriers offer eSim. I would not be surprised if they find other ways to make it harder to install an eSim in a different carriers phone. Also, another thing I hate about having an eSim is that it sorta forces you to install your carriers app, which for some cheap/mid-tier carriers is an ad-infested mess.

godzillabrennus 4y ago

SIM cards were never swappable for me. They were locked to a phone. Changing to a new handset meant going to the carriers store or having them ship me one. I welcome the ease of portability that eSIM brings.

secondcoming 4y ago
In order to test various 5G offerings, I have 3 SIM cards at the moment. All are freely swappable between my phone and my 5G router.
LeoPanthera 4y ago
This feels like an American perspective. In Europe (and Asia too?), sim-swapping is pretty seamless, and relatively common.
- jraph 4y ago
  There's also the simlocking. In France, (many/all?) phones bought from the carriers (with a subscription with some time commitment) were (are?) simlocked, meaning that they could only accept SIMs from these carriers. But carriers are also forced by law to let you sim-unlock your phone for free after a few months. So yes, pretty seamless and common indeed. Everybody expects to be able to switch carriers and keep their phones.
- Daz1 4y ago
  Not in Japan. Some carriers like Docomo you can't even buy a standalone SIM.
  - kalleboo 4y ago
    Not true https://onlineshop.smt.docomo.ne.jp/sim-card/index.html https://onlineshop.smt.docomo.ne.jp/sim-card/index.html I'm on docomo and I only have a SIM from them, I brought my own iPhone from abroad. When I turned my iPhone in to Bic Camera to have the display swapped, I could just swap my SIM into a spare old phone quickly and it worked seamlessly.
    - Daz1 4y ago
      Oh that's good, I went into one of their branches and they told me it wasn't possible and I'd have to buy a phone from them. Probably just pushy salespeople trying to meet quota.
  - mason96 4y ago
    [dead]
- eloisant 4y ago
  In France for example SIM cards where a thing since cellphones exist, however I've lived in Japan and US in the 2000s and in both countries there was no SIM, you had to go through your carrier to change phones and they would setup your phone in the shop.
zamnos 4y ago
Hmm but if they're locked to a phone for you, what's preventing phone companies from doing the same thing with esims?

Reason077 4y ago

> "But it’s disappointing all round. I absolutely love how easy it is for me to buy a new phone, swap in my old SIM and I’m instantly using my old number." In theory, with an eSIM it's even easier to swap in your old SIM because you don't have to deal with the physical SIM card. Especially so if you don't have the physical SIM because it's lost or whatever. In my experience it's super frustrating to have to wait for a new SIM to arrive in the mail because you lost it or the old one is faulty! Some carriers [1] also support "eSIM Quick Transfer" which allows you to swap eSIMs between devices instantly in the phone's carrier settings, with no need to contact the carrier or deal with their website/software. [1] https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT209096 https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT209096 eSIMs are a massive win when travelling, too. Instantly activate a data plan at cheap local rates in whatever country your travelling to, without having to first get your hands on a physical SIM...

gambiting 4y ago
I have two sims in my phone, neither carrier even supports eSIMs yet. The technology is extremely slow to roll out around the world for some reason.
- World177 4y ago
  I think the carriers probably do not like it, as it allows their customers to easily switch service. I also think it could possibly be part of the reason Apple released an eSIM only phone, as it forces the carriers to use eSIMs.
  - masklinn 4y ago
    > it allows their customers to easily switch service. It’s not like switching is difficult even with a physical SIM.
    - World177 4y ago
      It was really inconvenient to switch to an MVNO or another carrier. You almost always had to order a SIM and wait a week for it to be shipped. Right now, I can activate an eSIM and be using the plan within like 10 minutes. I also am able to continue using my current plan. In my current setup, I have a plan with primary carrier for my primary number, then a backup data only eSIM with non-expiring data for if I'm SIM swapped or overuse my data plan on my primary plan. I've actually tried and used different MVNOs.

kahnclusions 4y ago

With eSIM when I buy a new phone I just open my provider’s app on my old phone and request a new SIM, then scan a QR code on the new phone and bam my new phone is setup using the same phone number. You can have multiple eSIMs on the device and activate them when you need… for example travel SIM, or a SIM for your home country, etc. It’s way more convenient than physical SIM cards.

kuschku 4y ago
You can have multiple physical SIMs with any reasonable phone as well. It's only the handful of US flagship phones that removed that support (just as they removed headphone jacks or microSD slots)

elzbardico 4y ago

International plans are less expensive than they were in the past, and usually, with decent carriers, they can be enabled and disabled on demand from their customer app. Conversely, eSIM has the advantage that a thief can't simply remove the SIM after stealing your phone.

ezfe 4y ago

I've travelled with my eSIM and switched carriers domestically. I've also switched phones. Here are some samples of why it doesn't have to be a problem: - AT&T makes transferring iPhone - to - iPhone trivial; offers to transfer automatically during setup - Visible provides an example of a simple app that can install an eSIM on your new device without talking to a customer support rep or waiting for something to come in the mail; - The previous also applies when moving between competitors - means one can switch carriers in an hour from your living room - Traveling to Greece with the Airalo eSIM app was trivial to set up (open app, search country, pick data package) and while I'm sure I paid more than I could've if I'd found a local physical SIM, I was able to set it up before leaving the US so it worked instantly the moment we landed, and the app made it easy to track data usage and reload if needed without phone calls or local apps.