eSIM not working? 8 ways to fix it on iPhone and Android (2025 guide)

eSIMs have become incredibly useful in avoiding the high costs of international data roaming fees and or the inconvenience of buying and setting up a physical SIM card abroad. However, since they are software, they can exhibit typical software issues – i.e., bugs and malfunctioning. I don’t need to sugarcoat this because you know how annoying it can be dealing with mobile connectivity problems when travelling.

The good news? Virtually any situation with an eSIM not working is fixable, and it’s often much easier than you think. Most eSIM connection issues can be resolved with a few simple troubleshooting steps. There's a fix for everything from setup problems and activation failures to connectivity issues. The convenience and affordability of eSIMs make learning how to do it worthwhile.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the most common eSIM problems and how to fix them quickly, whether you’re using a travel eSIM like Nomad or one provided by your carrier.

Reasons why your eSIM is not working

Before I explain the fixes you can make, it’s essential to understand the main reasons for a malfunctioning eSIM. Here’s an overview:

• Your device doesn’t support an eSIM. Many smartphones don’t support this technology.
• Your device is network or carrier-locked. If your phone is locked to your carrier, you won’t be able to use an eSIM because other networks aren’t supported.
• The eSIM isn’t correctly installed. If you haven’t installed or activated the eSIM properly, it won’t work.
• The eSIM is deactivated. The carrier might deactivate your eSIM because of a failed payment or non-payment.
• Mobile data or roaming is disabled. This prevents your phone from connecting and using the data on both your SIM and eSIM.
• Incorrect network settings. You often need to tamper with your network settings to fully activate an eSIM.
• Outdated software. Outdated software on your device can lead to conflicts with an eSIM.
• Carrier issues. The eSIM uses a carrier network just like a regular SIM, and it, too, can have temporary problems that can lead to connection losses and weak signals.

How to fix your eSIM not working: step-by-step troubleshooting

Now that I’ve answered the question of “Why is my eSIM not working?”, I can move on to all the simple fixes you can try on your own. Since you likely won’t know exactly why your eSIM stopped working, you’ll need to try several of these fixes until it starts operating properly.

1. Check if your device supports eSIMs

First, you must check whether eSIMs are compatible with your device. You should do that before even getting one and realizing your eSIM stopped working. If your phone isn’t compatible with an eSIM, there’s nothing you can do.

That’s why it’s crucial to check which phones are compatible with eSIMs. The good news is that most modern phones are, including most iPhones from the X series onwards and most Samsung flagship models starting with the S20 series.

Besides checking online if your model is compatible with an eSIM, you can also check inside the phone itself:

• iOS phones. Go to Phone Settings and then Mobile/Cellular. If you see an ‘Add eSIM’ button, your phone is compatible.
• Android (Samsung) phones. Go to Settings > Connections > SIM Manager, and if you see an eSIM section, it means they’re compatible with your phone. The exact steps might differ depending on the brand, but they are typically in that general area of the settings.

2. Ensure your phone is unlocked

If you’re still wondering why my eSIM is not working, the answer might lie in your phone being carrier-locked.

A carrier lock is a software restriction a mobile carrier can place on a phone it’s selling to ensure you’re only using their network. Carriers typically do this with phones they sell under an installment plan or a subsidized price, all to ensure you fully pay off the phone before switching carriers.

The carrier lock prevents your eSIM from working because a carrier-locked phone’s software is programmed to only accept credentials from a SIM or eSIM that belongs to the carrier that locked the phone.

So, to solve this conflict, first check that it is indeed locked:

• iOS phones. Go to Settings > General > About. Scroll down to the Carrier Lock or Network Provider Lock section, where it will say SIM locked or something similar, signifying its carrier-locked.
• Android phones. The exact location of this information varies greatly depending on the brand, but it’s also often not present at all.

It’s best to contact your carrier to see if the phone is locked and what you can do to unlock it.

3. Check if your eSIM is installed properly

Improper installation is a top cause of eSIM setup problems. When an eSIM is installed correctly, you can find and activate it within your phone’s Settings. On Android, you need to access the SIM Manager. On an iPhone, it’s the Mobile Service section.

You’ll be able to see your eSIM in the list there if it’s installed properly.

Also, don’t find it strange if there’s a No Number label on it. That’s normal for all Data-only eSIMs.

You should also check that your plan is operational in your eSIM provider’s app. If you’re using Nomad, it will clearly show the status of your current plan, making it very easy to verify whether the eSIM card is not working. Just visit the Manage tab and tap on your current plan. The screenshot below shows what it looks like when a plan is active.

Remember that eSIMs might not work, or the installation may fail if your connection is unstable. You’ll usually get an error message of sorts, and to fix it, you’ll need to connect to a stable Wi-Fi and install the eSIM again.

4. Ensure that your mobile data is enabled

For the eSIM internet to function, you need to turn on mobile data for said eSIM. This is something that many users accidentally turn off due to the fear of roaming charges.

Moreover, you need to enable Data Roaming for your whole phone or the specific eSIM, depending on what’s available in your phone’s settings.

For instance, if the eSIM is not working on Samsung because these settings haven’t been correctly configured, you’ll need to head over to Connections in your phone’s Settings.

Then, in SIM Manager, you need to toggle the eSIM on and enable it in the Mobile Data section instead of your regular SIM or have it turned off altogether. You can see that in the screenshot below.

As for data roaming, you can turn this on on Samsung phones by visiting Mobile Networks under Connections. There, you only need to toggle the Data Roaming on, as seen in the screenshot below.

5. Restart your phone and turn off airplane mode

When my eSIM is not working, I always think of temporary glitches, since these are more common than you think, especially if you’re turning it on for the first time.

That’s why it’s always good to restart your phone and toggle airplane mode on and off. These actions usually resolve these simple issues.

You can restart the phone as normal, but it’s good to toggle airplane mode on beforehand, wait a few seconds, and then toggle it off again. Once you’ve restarted the phone and found that the eSIM is still not working, you can try airplane mode again, just in case.

6. Manually select a network

Sometimes, the phone doesn’t select the best-suited network to connect to, which can lead to the eSIM malfunctioning. The good news is that in this case, it is not a serious issue if your eSIM not working, it is simply an eSIM connection issue. You won’t need to learn complex troubleshooting, you’ll only need to select the network manually to restore connection.

In most phones, find an option called Network Operators or Network Selection and toggle off the option to select networks automatically. Here’s how that works:

• iOS phones. Go to your phone’s Settings > Cellular > Network Selection > Disable Automatic and choose the network manually.
• Android (Samsung) phones. Go to your phone’s Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators > Toggle off the Select Automatically option and choose the network manually.

You should consider doing this in areas where the coverage is weak. It’s best to choose a major network for that area or one partnering with your eSIM provider.

7. Reset network settings

Resetting network settings will clear corrupted data that might be interfering and leading to your Android or iPhone eSIM not working. It’s thus good to reset your network settings and see whether this resolves the issue.

However, it’s important to know that this action is a more advanced troubleshooting step and will delete your saved Wi-Fi passwords and network preferences.

If you’re ready for that, here’s how you can reset the network settings:

• iOS phones. In the Settings, go to General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.
• Android (Samsung) phones. In the Settings, select General Management > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

8. Contact your eSIM carrier for support

If all else fails, you can always contact the eSIM provider for support. Most support teams working for these companies can quickly resolve the most common issues.

For instance, if your Nomad eSIM is not working, the brand has agents you can always ask for help. Nomad also provides detailed instructions on fixing connection issues and features a detailed Help Center with many FAQs.

On Nomad, you can send a message through the app, where you can get simple answers from the AI agent but also ask for human assistance, and they’ll get back to you in no time. You get the same chat support on the official website.

Visit Nomad

Conclusion

While it can be frustrating when your eSIM is not working, troubleshooting to fix the connection is usually straightforward as you’ve seen.

You need to check that your device supports eSIMs and that it’s unlocked. Moreover, you must ensure the eSIM is installed correctly and the mobile data is enabled. Other steps include restarting your phone, toggling airplane mode, resetting network settings, manually selecting a network, and, if all of that fails, contacting the provider for support.

Even though there are several methods to try, none are complicated, and it’s best to try fixing the issue using these troubleshooting steps because one is likely to work. And once you're connected, you'll enjoy the freedom of cheap, contract-free mobile data abroad, without worrying about roaming fees again.