Exactly the same as a normal one. It just works and you don’t really need to do anything with it. Everything seems the same just no little card in the side of your device.
That’s unfortunate, at least in the UK all the (eSIM supporting) providers seem to offer the same capability.
As I’ve said elsewhere a physical SIM is slightly better in the situation where you smash your phone and buy a new one as you don’t need to connect your new phone to the phone shop’s WiFi for 5 mins (scanning the QR code is the quick way, you can just type an alphanumeric code in too, some carriers let you download it via an app). On the flip side though, if your phone is stolen, I still just need the WiFi for 5 mins. With a physical SIM, it would be sent to my home address and arrive a couple of days later.
Well frankly, that’s pretty shitty of your carrier, IMO. I didn’t realise anyone was actually out there charging for what’s basically essential functionality.
There’s basically nothing technically different about transfering a physical SIM or an eSIM from the network’s perspective. The same registration takes place, they have to send all the same carrier service configuration messages.
I don’t blame you at all for holding onto a physical SIM in that scenario, but I’d be looking to move to a less customer-hostile carrier once my contract was up.
Well frankly, that’s pretty shitty of your ______, IMO. I didn’t realise anyone was actually out there charging for what’s basically essential functionality.
I just wanted to say how valuable this lesson is for everyone who hasnt learned it yet to learn
This is an equally important lesson to learn for both capitalism and enshitification.
I thought you could too but I use Google Fi and I just log into my Google account on a new device and it lets me deactivate the old phone and download the sim to the new phone.
I don’t want a “new sim”, I want my old one, which doesn’t exist anymore since it was virtual and only existed in my now broken previous phone. How does it work in that situation?
Exactly. What a shitty anti-feature. Your answer proves that the people saying that “eSIMs are functionally the same as normal SIM” are full of absolute shit.
Keeping my number. Are you saying that I can immediately, online, get my existing number connected to a different handset? If I can’t, then that’s why I want to transfer the physical SIM.
Now I can’t answer for other regions, but with my carrier here in Norway I can sign in to their website and authenticate with the government ID system (bankid) and generate a new esim and get the QR code.
Takes about a minute total.
I’m personally more for physical sim cards as swapping it into a new phone or swapping in a traveler datasim etc is just something I prefer to have physically.
That being said, I use esim for my phone number, and then swap in travel sims for data with my physical sim slot, works really well when you travel a lot.
Not the person you asked but I have a couple of sims by different providers that I swap between phones/sim routers when I need to make calls or use data from that carrier. Popping the sim into an old device and configuring whatever I need is super convenient.
Exactly the same as a normal one. It just works and you don’t really need to do anything with it. Everything seems the same just no little card in the side of your device.
Until this article I thought you could swap eSIMs between phones, exactly like normal ones
Tbh I think you effectively could, but it would technically be your provider issuing a new one.
For me I just log into my provider’s online account screen and I’m able to scan a new QR code
Eh that’s not really the same. And reading this thread it seems many providers (including mine) don’t support online QR codes.
That’s unfortunate, at least in the UK all the (eSIM supporting) providers seem to offer the same capability.
As I’ve said elsewhere a physical SIM is slightly better in the situation where you smash your phone and buy a new one as you don’t need to connect your new phone to the phone shop’s WiFi for 5 mins (scanning the QR code is the quick way, you can just type an alphanumeric code in too, some carriers let you download it via an app). On the flip side though, if your phone is stolen, I still just need the WiFi for 5 mins. With a physical SIM, it would be sent to my home address and arrive a couple of days later.
Yah and mine charges for a phone transfer. No thanks I’ll keep physical sim as long as in can.
Well frankly, that’s pretty shitty of your carrier, IMO. I didn’t realise anyone was actually out there charging for what’s basically essential functionality.
There’s basically nothing technically different about transfering a physical SIM or an eSIM from the network’s perspective. The same registration takes place, they have to send all the same carrier service configuration messages.
I don’t blame you at all for holding onto a physical SIM in that scenario, but I’d be looking to move to a less customer-hostile carrier once my contract was up.
I just wanted to say how valuable this lesson is for everyone who hasnt learned it yet to learn
This is an equally important lesson to learn for both capitalism and enshitification.
Find or create a need and exploit it
I thought you could too but I use Google Fi and I just log into my Google account on a new device and it lets me deactivate the old phone and download the sim to the new phone.
What if I need to change the SIM?
You get a QR code for the new sim, go into the eSIM manager on the phone, and scan it
I don’t want a “new sim”, I want my old one, which doesn’t exist anymore since it was virtual and only existed in my now broken previous phone. How does it work in that situation?
Call your carrier or go into a store and they move it over. If your phone is broken you’ll kinda be SOL since there’s no way to authenticate the move.
Exactly. What a shitty anti-feature. Your answer proves that the people saying that “eSIMs are functionally the same as normal SIM” are full of absolute shit.
Genuinely asking, what do you gain by transferring the physical Sim?
Keeping my number. Are you saying that I can immediately, online, get my existing number connected to a different handset? If I can’t, then that’s why I want to transfer the physical SIM.
Yes.
Yes, that’s exactly how it works
Now I can’t answer for other regions, but with my carrier here in Norway I can sign in to their website and authenticate with the government ID system (bankid) and generate a new esim and get the QR code. Takes about a minute total.
I’m personally more for physical sim cards as swapping it into a new phone or swapping in a traveler datasim etc is just something I prefer to have physically.
That being said, I use esim for my phone number, and then swap in travel sims for data with my physical sim slot, works really well when you travel a lot.
Not the person you asked but I have a couple of sims by different providers that I swap between phones/sim routers when I need to make calls or use data from that carrier. Popping the sim into an old device and configuring whatever I need is super convenient.
Without a SIM?