Does my phone support eSIM? How to check in 30 seconds

Dial *#06# on your phone's keypad. If an EID (a 32-digit eSIM number) appears, your phone has eSIM. If not, look for the EID in Settings: General > About on iPhone, About phone on Android. Then check the phone is carrier-unlocked. The iPhone XS and XR or newer, Pixel 4 or newer and Galaxy S20 or newer usually qualify.

The EID is the identity number of the eSIM chip inside your phone. The GSMA, the mobile industry body that runs the numbering scheme, requires every eSIM to have its own unique 32-digit EID. Google's Pixel Help puts the difference simply: a phone needs an IMEI to use a mobile network, and it also needs an EID to use an eSIM.

That is why the keypad code works as a quick test. Open the Phone app (not WhatsApp), type *#06# and read the device information that appears. Orange's eSIM guide says that if an EID appears, the phone is eSIM compatible.

If the code shows no EID, don't rule eSIM out yet. Apple, Google and Samsung document the Settings route rather than the keypad code, so check there before you decide. The EID is also printed on the original box of iPhone, Galaxy and Pixel phones, and some carriers ask for it when they assign an eSIM to one specific phone.

Menu names below follow Apple's, Samsung's and Google's current support pages. Older software can word them slightly differently.

An EID tells you the hardware is there. Whether a tourist line will actually work also depends on the carrier lock, covered next.

A phone can have eSIM and still refuse a tourist line, because a carrier lock ties it to the network that sold it. Apple is explicit: to use your iPhone with another carrier while travelling, it cannot be locked to a carrier, and to run two networks side by side your provider must unlock it.

• iPhone: open Settings > General > About. If No SIM restrictions appears next to Carrier Lock (Network Provider Lock on UK-English iPhones), the phone is unlocked. Apple shows this field on iOS 14 and later. Apple can't unlock iPhones; only your current carrier can.
• Samsung Galaxy: Samsung says it does not lock its devices to any network, so a lock comes from the provider or retailer that sold the phone, and only they can give you an unlock code. Some carrier models also show the lock status under Settings > Connections > More connection settings > Network unlock; Samsung notes the options vary by carrier.
• Google Pixel: Google says every phone from the Google Store comes unlocked, while a phone bought from a mobile provider can be SIM-locked for up to two years. Ask that provider about your options.

Check this before you travel. Only the network that locked the phone can remove the lock, and Apple warns that an unlock request can take a few days.

iPhone

Apple lists the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR and every later model, including the iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation). The exceptions are regional: in mainland China, Apple says only the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, iPhone 17e and iPhone Air support eSIM, and in Hong Kong and Macao certain models use two nano-SIM cards instead. Some iPhone 14 and later models go the other way and only use eSIM.

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's eSIM list covers the Galaxy S20, S20+ and S20 Ultra and every S-series flagship since, up to the S26 family, plus the FE models from the S23 FE onwards and the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip foldables. Some Galaxy A models have eSIM only in certain regions; Samsung lists the A36, for example, for Europe, North America and Korea only. Samsung adds that, depending on the country of origin, eSIM may not be supported even on a listed model.

Google Pixel

Google says every Pixel 4 and later works with eSIM. Older models depend on where they were bought. A Pixel 3a bought with Verizon service or in Japan has no eSIM. A Pixel 3 bought with service from a US or Canadian carrier other than Sprint and Google Fi, or bought in Australia, Taiwan or Japan, has none either. The Pixel 2 only supports eSIM when bought with Google Fi service. In the US, the Pixel 10 and later (except the Pixel 10 Pro Fold) are eSIM-only.

For any other Android brand, use the same two checks: an EID under About phone, or an Add eSIM option in the SIM settings.

Use a physical SIM card. A1 Computers sells the same tourist plans as an eSIM or as a triple-cut physical SIM (standard, micro and nano sizes in one card) at the same price. You can buy one at the counter at Local 4, Centro Comercial San Eugenio, Costa Adeje. Bring your passport, national ID card, DNI or NIE, because Spanish law requires ID for every prepaid line. See tourist SIM and eSIM in Costa Adeje for the counter option.

There are two catches:

• A physical SIM doesn't get around a carrier lock. A locked iPhone tells you the SIM card does not appear to be supported, and Samsung says a network lock can stop calls and messages when you insert another provider's SIM. Get the phone unlocked first.
• Some phones have no SIM tray. Certain iPhone 14 and later models and US Pixel 10 models only take eSIM, so for those phones the eSIM is the only option.

Yes, on a dual-SIM phone. Apple supports a physical SIM plus an eSIM on the iPhone XR, XS, SE (2nd generation) and later, and two eSIMs on the iPhone 13, SE (3rd generation) and later. Google supports a physical SIM plus an eSIM on the Pixel 3a and later, and two eSIMs on the Pixel 7 and later where the operator allows it. Samsung says compatible Galaxy models run one nano-SIM and one eSIM at the same time.

Only one line carries mobile data at a time, so the usual set-up is the tourist eSIM for data and the home SIM for calls and texts. Apple says FaceTime and iMessage keep working on your home line even when the travel eSIM handles data. WhatsApp says you can keep using your home number while you use a local SIM, but re-verifying the account needs your home SIM in the phone with calls or SMS working, which is a good reason to leave it switched on.

The full set-up, including line labels and data roaming, is in our guide to installing a tourist eSIM in Spain on iPhone and Android.

Order in the A1 tourist SIM and eSIM shop, upload a photo of your passport, national ID card (any country), DNI or NIE, and pay. Spanish law (Ley 25/2007) requires ID for every prepaid line. A1's team checks the ID by hand during online order hours, Monday to Saturday 10:45–21:00 and Sunday 10:45–13:30 Tenerife time, and then emails your eSIM QR code.

The plans are Spanish prepaid plans on the Orange network, with a Spanish number, no contract and hotspot allowed:

• Tourist 100: 100 GB for 28 days, with 18 GB of EU roaming.
• Tourist 250: 250 GB for 30 days, with 32 GB of EU roaming.
• Tourist 300: 300 GB for 30 days, with 35 GB of EU roaming; full speed for 300 GB, then 2 Mbps.

Prices start from €20 with IGIC included at the time of writing; current prices are in the shop. To compare it with roaming, travel-app eSIMs and airport desks, read the best SIM card for Tenerife or eSIM in Tenerife. Not sure about your phone? Message A1 on WhatsApp at 641 780 077 or visit the shop in Costa Adeje (Monday–Saturday 10:45–21:30, Sunday 10:45–14:00). The staff speak English and Spanish.