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Yeah, I really hate not having to physically juggle small smartcards whenever I want to use another network/provider (my phone has several eSIM profiles install
by lxgr 2y ago
Yeah, I really hate not having to physically juggle small smartcards whenever I want to use another network/provider (my phone has several eSIM profiles installed right now), being able to choose from dozens of providers competing on price and functionality, and not having to stand in line at the SIM store first thing after a long-haul flight too.
eSIMs could have been an anti-consumer nightmare, but fortunately they were really done exactly right. I really sometimes find it hard to believe how lucky we got on that one; they could have easily been a carrier lock-in mechanism like ESN/MEID based provisioning was.
> Let's be proactive on this one.
Even if you had a point, you're years too late. iPhones are sold without a SIM slot in some countries already (and I love it).
- sureIy 2y ago> eSIMs _could_ have been an anti-consumer nightmare Really? Because I can swap a SIM card between phones in 30 seconds whereas swapping eSIM lies between "hoping it works" and "not possible", passing by "you'll need a document" or "visit the store, if it's anywhere in your city/country"
- lxgr 2y agoI can swap my eSIM between phones faster than I can remove my phone case.
- stavros 2y agoThere's a difference between "my specific thing works" and "all such things work". Not all eSIMs are transferable.
- lxgr 2y agoYes, but that's a problem of bad network operators, not the eSIM standard. Operators could also release physical SIMs that get tied to a given phone's IMEI after first insertion if they really wanted to.
- sureIy 2y agoYes, but that's a problem of bad people, not guns. Either way, the end result is that I have to identify myself at a store to move some eSIMs and many are simply not transferable (particularly from Airalo)
- lxgr 2y agoAiralo SIMs wouldn't even exist without eSIM, so arguably that's still a consumer win, not a loss, even though I obviously also wish they were transferable.
- SXX 2y agoYou can't just take "important" esim out of your phone when travelling. If you lose your device or if it's stolen recovering eSIM from many countries is PITA.
- lxgr 2y agoI can delete mine and then reinstall it on any device from the QR code if required. Not all providers allow that, unfortunately, but I wouldn’t use one that doesn’t allow instantly receiving a new QR code in some way.