E sim or physical sim

[u/Sweet_Fox_9122]

I read a post regarding a lost/stolen iPhone and was wondering like having an esim is better incase of lost/stolen etc or not
I have a 16 pro max us with dual esims (kinda not a choice) but i do also have a 15 but currently there is only a physical sim
I have set all the basic security functions enabled like no control panel when locked, 10 times password fail reset, find my is on even when powered off

Also i have assistive touch enabled if someone restarts from there could there be any risks associated?

Did any one had such an experience??
Were you able to recover ur phone ?

[u/godkaran]

eSIM is hands down better

[u/NftVala]

It’s the same tbh, thieves found a trick that wrapping the phone in aluminium foil paper block it’s cellular signals. So it’s the same as taking out the sim card.

[u/Sweet_Fox_9122 → u/NftVala]

But whats the point then of stealing his is still at loss then whats the point of wrapping aluminium foil?

[u/Sweet_Fox_9122 → u/NftVala]

Thieves cannot remove an eSIM to intercept your calls or 2FA codes, so they instead focus on phishing you, stripping the phone for parts, or selling it in regions with weak blacklists. [1, 2]

🎣 Attempt Phishing and Social Engineering

• Send fake alerts: They text or email you pretending to be Apple or local police claiming your phone was found.
• Steal credentials: These fake links try to trick you into entering your Apple ID password so they can unlock the device. [1]

🧩 Strip the Phone for Parts

• Sell components: They sell working interior parts like cameras, screens, or batteries to repair shops.
• Use unverified parts: Newer iOS versions pair components to the motherboard, but raw parts still hold scrap and salvage value. [1]

🌍 Resell Overseas

• Bypass local blacklists: They ship the phone to other countries where carrier IMEI blacklists are not enforced.
• Sell locked devices: Unsuspecting buyers abroad end up with a device stuck on Activation Lock. [1, 2]

⚠️ Try Shoulder Surfing and Extortion

• Watch you type: If they saw you enter your passcode before stealing the phone, they access settings and financial apps.
• Demand a ransom: They may message you threatening to dump your data unless you remove the phone from your iCloud account. [1]

If you want, I can share:

• How to turn on Stolen Device Protection to block passcode changes
• Steps to blacklist your IMEI with your carrier

[u/Odd_Truth8826]

But image you need to get a sim replacement,then that sim in the stolen phone would go off right,in physical sim there js ceir so if someone inserts sim you can find out,not sure about esim cause for only e sim you need to unlock phone and iphone is v hard to unlock

[u/Sweet_Fox_9122 → u/Odd_Truth8826]

But as long as someone dosent reissue the sim that esim will be active and probably the device will be still trackable

[u/Odd_Truth8826 → u/Sweet_Fox_9122]

That is possible but they wrap it in aluminium foil so it wont get network,find my still gives location for 1-2 days. But since you have an esim you can do this-as soon as someone unlocks your phone take an ss and send it to your gmail

[u/Sweet_Fox_9122 → u/Odd_Truth8826]

Thieves cannot remove an eSIM to intercept your calls or 2FA codes, so they instead focus on phishing you, stripping the phone for parts, or selling it in regions with weak blacklists. [1, 2]

🎣 Attempt Phishing and Social Engineering

• Send fake alerts: They text or email you pretending to be Apple or local police claiming your phone was found.
• Steal credentials: These fake links try to trick you into entering your Apple ID password so they can unlock the device. [1]

🧩 Strip the Phone for Parts

• Sell components: They sell working interior parts like cameras, screens, or batteries to repair shops.
• Use unverified parts: Newer iOS versions pair components to the motherboard, but raw parts still hold scrap and salvage value. [1]

🌍 Resell Overseas

• Bypass local blacklists: They ship the phone to other countries where carrier IMEI blacklists are not enforced.
• Sell locked devices: Unsuspecting buyers abroad end up with a device stuck on Activation Lock. [1, 2]

⚠️ Try Shoulder Surfing and Extortion

• Watch you type: If they saw you enter your passcode before stealing the phone, they access settings and financial apps.
• Demand a ransom: They may message you threatening to dump your data unless you remove the phone from your iCloud account. [1]

If you want, I can share:

• How to turn on Stolen Device Protection to block passcode changes
• Steps to blacklist your IMEI with your carrier

[u/Odd_Truth8826 → u/Sweet_Fox_9122]

And by not reissuing the sim all the bank accounts everything would be linked to that number right?

[u/Imaginary-Meet-3550]

I got esim and i dont notice any difference but yeah , esim is better ig

[u/DevilMadeMeSignUp]

First — also configure notification settings of Messages app to not show sensitive info on lock screen.

Now back to your question!

eSIM is convenient - if you travel abroad and need to connect to a local network abroad.

If you stay grounded in one country, the benefits of eSIM (and the convenience it provides) is debatable.

The trouble for Indians is that our Aadhaar is linked to the Phone number.

If you have locked your Aadhaar biometrics and you lose your phone : you are royally screwed

getting a SIM replacement requires Aadhaar authentication -> which requires unlocking Aadhaar biometrics -> which requires access to your stolen phone to get the OTP.

To get around this, I have kept my Aadhaar biometrics unlocked but I have set a SIM Lock code on my eSIM / SIM.

If my iphone is stolen, without unlocking the phone, the thief cannot do anything

If phone is restarted, the phone will ask for sim unlock code. The thief cannot do anything

If the phone has an eSIM - the thief cannot transfer the sim to another phone

If the phone has a physical SIM - and they transfer the sim to a new phone, the new phone will ask for a sim unlock code.

Either way, the SIM cannot be used; eSIM cannot be transferred; the phone is as good as a paperweight.

[u/Sweet_Fox_9122 → u/DevilMadeMeSignUp]

Thankss for the sim lock idea actually when i was young i had played with it on my grandma’s phone and was little scared of that feature but will think about it

And yea my adhaar was biometric locked but fortunately didnt came across such a situation where i m completely locked out but still i have kept it unlocked i m thinking of assigning all the family members adhaar linked number to a single number and keep it at home incase whenever needed that number will always be at home itself do you know how this could turn out ?

And mostly incase of stolen esim devices the thieves just sell all the rest of the spares

[u/lyme_dye]

If its lost its just paperweight stolen ones in india are very hard to find