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Newer iPhone you can just swap the SIM. If you get an error saying "SIM Not Valid/Supported", the unlock hasn't completed yet.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201328
B
but I’m trying to activate an att esim on a T-Mobile iPhone with T-Mobile as primary sim
eSIM and SIM or vice versa is the same. If it not unlocked, you will get an error. You can attempt to activate the eSIM. Activating the eSIM does require an active data connection either cellular or WiFi because the device will fetch unlock status from server and then activate and download eSIM profile. Easiest way is to use any different SIM card even if it is not activated it will work to test and confirm the unlock status. So either try to activate eSIM or use/borrow a friend's non-TMobile SIM card or wait for T-Mobile confirmation email before attempting to activate the AT&T eSIM.
I have gotten the T-Mobile email. But it says like what 24 hours until you try to reset your phone via iTunes... is that right?
The issue persists on iOS 12.1.3 beta 3. Meanwhile I have reported the bug to Apple. I will report back should I get a reply.
Yes, it will work fine. I have actually activated my eSIM on my iPhone while in a country with no eSIM support. So not only I was able to use it, I activated it there too.
The primary cellular and voice plan is on the eSIM. The physical SIM is my secondary SIM.
With my cellular plans set up like yours, I experience an odd situation with streaming media whereby it will stop working for an extended period, but eventually reset itself and start working again.
If I disable the physical SIM, everything is fine.
This sounds like exactly the same issue you are having.
Sounds similar to my issue with my XS. I have Verizon as my primary line (voice/data) on eSIM, and AT&T as secondary on physical SIM -- used only for cellular data when Verizon's network congestion is evident or coverage is less than AT&T's. I live in a coverage challenged area.
I have found on numerous occasions the modem appearing to be "stuck" for lack of a better word. This is typically accompanied by a very low (basically unusable) signal from AT&T on the physical SIM, but a good signal from Verizon on eSIM. In this state, the phone doesn't seem capable of using the good signal, but gets stuck. I have to reboot the phone, or at times it seems to reset itself after some minutes in this state. Even if I go into Cellular settings and turn off the physical SIM (AT&T), the phone will not acknowledge this action for some minutes while in this state...like it is so stuck on the poor signal condition that it will not respond to any other actions.
For this reason, I often just disable the physical SIM to keep the phone usable. But then I find myself somewhere where Verizon's network is over-sold and unusable (which happens often in my area), and I have to turn the physical SIM back on, switch Cellular Data to use that SIM, etc. This all takes a good number of minutes to re-connect and stabilize. It does work this way, but is not convenient at all, and not the experience I was hoping for in a dual SIM phone.
Mark
Are There plans at all for t mobile to officially do this? They seem to be the only ones not. Like do we trust a work around?
I have found an interesting workaround: if I disable 4G on the secondary (physical) SIM, basically forcing it to 3G, the issue will not appear.
It seems as if this only happens when both SIMs need to connect via 4G. As different carriers use different 4G bands for different purposes, I suspect that when one 4G signal becomes weak and needs to switch to a different 4G band, it may negatively affect the other 4G signal as well, because it tries to switch the both to the same band (which often won't work).
To be honest, you should stay away of them. They are more expensive than local offers in almost every country you go (maybe except Canada).
In Europe you can get a local SIM from any EU country and use it through the EU at a much lower cost.
In the UK a carrier like 3 offers unlimited for £30, if you pay the carriers you mentioned this much you would barely get 4 GB.
In Egypt (North Africa) data sells at 1 GB per $1.5 and less if you buy more!
In the Middle East (UAE, Saudi, Qatar, etc) 1 GB will cost you around $17. Gigsky and others would charge you that much for as low as 400 MB.
Those carriers are for people who want to be scammed.
Actually for people who don't want to mess with local carriers (which often means wasting a few precious hours of your vacation) some of these deals are quite decent. Not everyone needs unlimited data while abroad. For a week abroad I usually need 1-2 GB, which means spending around $20.
That's nothing in the grand scheme of things and avoids trips to local carrier stories where you never know if you'll get the right SIM (or if you will get one at all - especially if some over-zealous employee makes up rules regarding the need of a local address, social security number and what not).
Planning for data is a part of planning for the vacation. It is just like when you plan for places to visit there.
And luckily all of us here have eSIM devices that can connect to a Gigsky plan if things doesn’t go as we want. It is a matter of connecting to the hotel WiFi, or any public WiFi and you are set.
I do consider myself lucky though as my carrier offers 30 GB roaming data free per month in over 70 countries so I rarely ever need to get a local one but the process is not tedious anyways. Most countries have less than 4 carriers anyways.
Question: Is it possible to disable only incoming calls?
Situation: AT&T wireless on eSIM. Foreign nano SIM in tray. Currently overseas, using nano SIM for cellular, texting, iMessage, etc.. I want to receive AT&T text messages but no at&t incoming (or outgoing) calls, which I want to go to voicemail.
I have no at&t international plan. I *think* that incoming text messages to my AT&T number are free to receive overseas. But if I turn on my at&t eSIM, phone calls to my US number ring my phone. I don't know if this costs anything if I don't answer, or costs if it rings internationally and then goes to voicemail when I don't answer. And if I do answer accidentally, I think it will be very expensive.
Preferably I would like to receive (free?) incoming text messages to at&t and have all voice calls go immediately to voicemail, as they would if I "Turn [Off] This Line". But then I would not receive any text messages. Currently sporadically turning on at&t line to receive texts but leaving it off most of the time since I am not sure of the consequences, which is a real hassle.
Any clarification would be much appreciated.
Situation: AT&T wireless on eSIM. Foreign nano SIM in tray. Currently overseas, using nano SIM for cellular, texting, iMessage, etc.. I want to receive AT&T text messages but no at&t incoming (or outgoing) calls, which I want to go to voicemail.
I have no at&t international plan. I *think* that incoming text messages to my AT&T number are free to receive overseas. But if I turn on my at&t eSIM, phone calls to my US number ring my phone. I don't know if this costs anything if I don't answer, or costs if it rings internationally and then goes to voicemail when I don't answer. And if I do answer accidentally, I think it will be very expensive.
Preferably I would like to receive (free?) incoming text messages to at&t and have all voice calls go immediately to voicemail, as they would if I "Turn [Off] This Line". But then I would not receive any text messages. Currently sporadically turning on at&t line to receive texts but leaving it off most of the time since I am not sure of the consequences, which is a real hassle.
Any clarification would be much appreciated.
Yes, you can call forward to your own number, which would send any incoming call directly to voicemail or nowhere if you don't have one.
EDIT: Some carriers don't allow this, so forward it to 611 or a fake number like 111-111-1111
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Yes, you can have 2 eSIMs, I actually have 3 of them. I assume you want to activate the second one with the same carrier and the same QR code? That doesn't work.