DevicesCategoryStory

Ask a Mobile Expert: How Do You Activate an eSIM Card? (Video)

By T-Mobile StoriesDecember 01, 2021

Welcome to this new series created to help demystify some of the most common questions T-Mobile’s Mobile Experts get from customers — only here we bring the store to you! Here we first tackle the benefits of eSIMs, and how to activate one from the comfort of your own home.

T-Mobile's in-store Mobile Experts are veritable living encyclopedias for all things concerning our devices and network connections. Indeed, they've handled just about every pain point and answered pretty much every inquiry out there!

Some customer questions are so common, however, we thought we'd bring the Mobile Expert experience right to you in this new series called — of course — "Ask a Mobile Expert"!

Today, Houston-based Mobile Expert standout Chalice Williams takes on one of the most common customer questions right now: "What's an eSIM, and how do I activate it?"

T-Mobile's Chalice Williams answers everything eSIM in this first installment of "Ask a Mobile Expert."

Head over to the T-Mobile Device Support page to check out your phone’s eSIM compatibility. Here’s the link Chalice suggests in the video:

t-mobile.com/support/phones-tablets-devices


A Little More "Expert" Advice About eSIMs

Until recently, if you wanted to connect a phone or any device to a cellular network, you needed a physical chip called a SIM card to insert into your device. But they’re quickly becoming a thing of the past, and physical SIMs are now being replaced by embedded SIMs — or eSIM for short. They’re blank SIMs pre-built into your device that download plans instantly, so unlike SIM cards they never need to be swapped out of your phone or replaced — they update automatically. It’s been predicted that by 2025 there will be 2 billion eSIM enabled devices globally.

Speaking of globally, one of the primary benefits of using an eSIM is hassle-free traveling, because you can add a local data plan from a different provider on your eSIM that starts working from the moment you land in another country without having to physically switch out a SIM card.

"Recently, we have started using eSIMs for customers that travel a lot and don’t want to worry about losing a SIM card," says Pattrick Prickett, a Mobile Expert in James Island, South Carolina.

"Having an eSIM saves you money, because you don't need two separate devices," says Kedrian Beltran at the American Dream Mall store in Paramus, New Jersey. You can also store as many profiles and plans as you need in one device.

"The great thing about having an eSIM is that you can have multiple lines hooked up to the same device," adds Annie Perez, a Mobile Expert in Brooklyn, noting the amount of convenience and control this gives customers as being another important benefit. "You can toggle between those lines straight from your phone without requiring another application."

That's an important difference between eSIMS and T-Mobile customers using DIGITS. DIGITS is accessed via the DIGITS app or a web browser.

DIGITS Talk & Text is an optional talk and text feature that can be added to your T-Mobile plan. It gives you the ability to use two T-Mobile phone numbers on the same device — for example, one personal and one business. DIGITS does not include data — you must use your primary line's data connection. Data with paired DIGITS allows up to five devices to share the same T-Mobile phone number. Find more about DIGITS here.

Remember, the latest devices are built with this eSIMs new technology, but if you have an older model it's important to check if you have the capability before attempting. Just head online here and look up your device to find out now!