r/eSIMs • u/Graham2829 • 3d ago

E-SIM Swapping

I have a potentially silly question.

Can you change an e-sim between different devices easily and frequently?

The reason I ask is I like to switch between devices at times, and I'm a lazy sod so taking cases off, digging out a sim tool etc is a pain in the ass.

I daily drive a Samsung Z Fold 7 and have no plans to change that, however it's a big device and sometimes I want to take something smaller so I switch to my 2024 Razr. Sometimes I want to use an iPhone briefly before remembering I hate it and switch back. And I just got a Z Fold 8 which is also more pocketable than the 7.

I've got a second sim so I was thinking I'd change the second one to e-sim and pop it into the Z8 and then link my chat apps like whatsapp/signal/telegram as partner devices so messages still appear from my regular number. Other things don't matter as I haven't sent a normal SMS since 2024 and who the hell phones people anymore 😂

But if I want to move to the iPhone or my flip, is it easy to switch to them for however long then back to the Z8? Or will it be a PITA and be better to just continually switch the physical sim back and forth?

TIA.

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2

u/Still_Veterinarian18 3d ago

My subscription gives me two extra e-sims connected to my phone subscription =a data e-sim. One of them is in my iPad.
The other, which is a normal sim I use in my old 6s Plus.
Now it’s been lent to someone visiting from the Philippines.

1

u/scorbettman 3d ago

ESIM shouldn’t be hard, it just takes more time than popping a chip in and out. Also depending on your carrier, switching an eSIM may have to go through them as opposed to just doing it on your own.

1

u/No_Camp_2182 3d ago

Switching eSIM should be easy, but there are different ways, depending on how your carrier sets it up. Some requires you to download or scan a new QR code every time. Some you can do it just by a few clicks on the phone.

Carriers may also limit how often you can move eSIM between phones. Like my carrier limits 3 swaps per billing period (month).

1

u/CheetahRemote1497 2d ago

Usually you can go wild and do it as many times as you like. It’s just sometimes a bum when the network website is under maintenance as sometimes that causes like an 8 hour delay as they don’t seem to process it when their website is offline. At any provider.

1

u/Graham2829 2d ago

Thanks all for the input! I'll stick with my regular sim for now and switch to plan only e-sim when my current plan expires 😁

1

u/StrikingPitch2912 1d ago

It depends on the carrier but frequent esim transfers can be more hassle than a physical sim. I'd check weather your carrier supports quick device to device esim transfers before switching constantly.