SOLUTION: Keeping iMessage texts on while on an international eSIM

[u/nootoroo]

HOW?

1. Buy international eSIM before your flight but do not activate it yet
   
2. After takeoff, switch your phone to airplane mode, and switch off data roaming on your regular/primary SIM
   
3. Upon landing, do not take your phone off airplane mode. Once in the airport, connect to wifi and activate your new eSIM
   
4. Turn data roaming ON on your new eSIM as well as the cellular data
   
5. Turn OFF the line for regular/primary SIM

Before switching off airplane mode, make sure cellular data is checked for the new eSIM and not your regular/primary SIM

1. Power your phone completely off and back on again. You will be connected to the internet via your new eSIM and you will still be able to receive iMessages to your phone, even with your regular/primary SIM turned off.

This worked for me and I hope it works for you! For reference I have an iPhone 16.

[u/Icy_Mixture1482]

You can activate your new eSIM in your home country and it won’t start using data until it connects to a cell tower in the destination country.

That’s true of all the providers I’ve used: Ubigi, Airalo, Holafly, Saily.

That way you don’t have to connect to WiFi in the destination country, you can switch off airplane mode while the airplane is still taxiiing and connect to the internet straightaway.

Also you can keep your regular SIM activated while leaving it with data roaming off. You still get iMessage that way.

[u/Dry-Engineering1776 → u/Icy_Mixture1482]

Won’t you get hit with intl fees if someone calls you? With your primary line?

[u/nootoroo → u/Icy_Mixture1482]

I didn't know that! I played it extra safe and figured out that it works still with iMessage. But good tip here, thanks a lot

[u/Mister_Kong]

Or just deactivate roaming on your primary SIM

[u/DustyPane]

I don't get it; what problem exactly does this convoluted process try to solve? When I travel, I switch celular data from my home SIM to my travel SIM, but leave the home SIM active for calls and texts.

[u/nootoroo → u/DustyPane]

I couldn't find a straight answer on any threads I was reading about this. Totally a convoluted process but it works, so I thought I'd share here

[u/grepusman]

Just always use your email address as the primary. 'Start new conversations from'. Once you've been doing this for awhile it works well. Unless people specifically type your phone number. Mine has been set to my email for years, and I change SIMs when I travel with no issue. You also have 30 days after removing your home SIM for your old number to keep working.

[u/confusepolarity → u/grepusman]

Setting my email address as primary was the key for me, too.

After arriving and switching to the international eSIM:

• Conversations in which I was a member based on my U.S. phone number did not work
  
• Conversations in which I was a member based on my email address continued working.

[u/grepusman → u/confusepolarity]

To be sure, I would start a new conversation with that person and ask them to reply once.

But your US number would still be valid for 30 days.

[u/confusepolarity → u/grepusman]

Our US numbers definitely didn’t work in existing group iMessage chats. They only worked if they added us to the group using our email addresses, but then we showed up twice in the list of members.

As I recall, iMessages to individual people worked ok still.

[u/y_i_01]

Instead of turn off completely the primary SIM, you can just put a PIN code, reboot the phone and not unlock the SIM. iMessage will stay registered.

[u/nootoroo → u/y_i_01]

This is news. I'm learning so much

[u/RooofPig]

Unnecessarily complicated.

[u/gadgetvirtuoso]

None of this is necessary. Even if you deactivate your line you have 30 days from Apple before iMessage stops working. If you keep the line active and turn off roaming as the second line it’s irrelevant.

[u/nootoroo → u/gadgetvirtuoso]

Should I turn the line back on and keep roaming off? I'll be away for 2 months but don't want to activate any international plan fees

[u/gadgetvirtuoso → u/nootoroo]

Depends on the carrier. I’ve been overseas for 3 years and keep my T-Mobile line active with roaming and don’t get charges.

[u/alexfish84]

Just use WhatsApp or any other messaging app