Your eSIM is not working. Here is what to check
Almost every case comes down to one of five things, and the first two account for most of them. Work down the list in order — it is arranged by how often each turns out to be the culprit, not by how technical it sounds.
1. Data roaming is off for the eSIM line
This is the most common cause by a wide margin, and the setting is confusingly named. A travel eSIM connects you to a network that is not your home operator, and your phone files that under "roaming" regardless of what you paid or who you paid it to. So the switch has to be on — for the eSIM line specifically, not for your usual SIM. On iPhone: Settings › Cellular › select the eSIM line › Data Roaming. On Android: Settings › Network & internet › SIMs › select the eSIM › Roaming. Turning it on costs you nothing; the plan is prepaid and your home operator is not involved.
2. The phone is locked to a carrier
A handset bought on contract is often locked, and a locked phone silently refuses any profile that is not its own operator’s. It rarely says so in those words — you get a vague failure, or the profile installs and never connects. If the phone came from a mobile operator rather than from the manufacturer or a retailer, assume this until proven otherwise and ask them to unlock it. That is usually free once the device is paid off, and it is the one problem no setting on your side can work around.
3. Installed, but not selected
A profile can be sitting on the phone perfectly and carrying nothing, because mobile data is still pointed at your old line. Open your phone’s SIM or cellular settings and check two things: the eSIM line is switched on, and it is the line chosen for mobile data. While you are there, switch your home SIM’s data off — that stops anything slipping onto real roaming charges from your own operator.
4. It has not found a network yet
On arrival the phone has to search for a partner network and register with it, which can take a couple of minutes and occasionally needs a nudge. Restart the phone first: it resolves a surprising share of cases on its own. If that does not do it, go into the settings for the eSIM line, turn off automatic network selection, and pick an operator from the list manually — if one connects, the automatic search was simply being slow.
5. The QR code will not scan
Two different problems wear this disguise. If the camera will not read the code at all, screen glare or a small image is usually to blame — open the code on a second screen, raise the brightness, and try again, or use your phone’s "enter details manually" option and paste the activation details from your order. If the code scans but is rejected, it has most likely already been used: a profile can only be installed once, so a code that worked before will not work again. In that case the profile is already on one of your devices.
If none of that helps
Send us your order ID and tell us which of the above you have tried and what the phone said. We will either get it working or refund it. An eSIM that has not been installed or used can be refunded in full within 30 days; once data has been consumed our refund policy applies. Do not buy a second plan to test with — that rarely diagnoses anything and it is a second charge to sort out afterwards.