Other eSIM + Dual SIM Q&A

[cezar.cretzu]

quick one. still not clear after reading the iOS 12 thread, nor after reading this one.

if I make a factory reset of the phone (to start from scratch) e-sim survives or not? the case scenario is your beta screws up and need to start from scratch.

 

[DeanL]

quick one. still not clear after reading the iOS 12 thread, nor after reading this one.

if I make a factory reset of the phone (to start from scratch) e-sim survives or not? the case scenario is your beta screws up and need to start from scratch.

First things first (semantics, I know ) there is no such thing as a "Factory Reset" on iOS and iPadOS devices.
To remove the contents of a device, you can either Restore with iTunes (or Finder on macOS 10.15) or go on the device under Settings > General > Reset.
When you Restore the device, the eSIM will not be deleted.
When you Erase All Content and Settings, you will be prompted whether you want to erase the eSIM too or keep it.

 

[cezar.cretzu]

great. that's what I was looking for. I think this "restore" thing is a bit confusing for me (immediately thinking to restore a backup).

thanks

 

[jessebkr87]

Thanks - I'm not prepared to go to those lengths to get rid of it

Also had that issue for several weeks. One of the beta updates resolved it in my case without erasing/restoring. Keep an eye on it and maybe yours will eventually go away.

 

[DeanL]

great. that's what I was looking for. I think this "restore" thing is a bit confusing for me (immediately thinking to restore a backup).

thanks

It actually is confusing! But I think the reason why an eSIM can't be erased from iTunes is that if the device was to get stolen, it would be easy for the thieve to erase the eSIM that way. If Activation Lock is on, then the eSIM can't be erased from the device itself even if it's restored

 

[CrashTestWalrus]

I've had my main carrier account on eSIM for a while (XS Max) but have now had them move it back to a SIM card. So now I just have the one SIM card in the phone and no eSIM. All appears to be working OK but it's still showing two data plans:

DATA PLANS
1. Primary (my number) On >
2. Used as "Secondary" No SIM

If I tap on the "Used as Secondary" plan, it pops up a message saying Data Plan No Longer Available and offers the option to Update Contacts or Close. If I choose Close it stays the same with the two plans showing but if I choose to update contacts, the second plan disappears completely. However, next time I reboot the phone, the second one comes back again.

Is there any way to get rid of it? It's not causing an issue other than being annoying by its presence...

I currently have this issue. I have an apple support case open about it. I will let you know if they figure anything out. Mine has survived backup and restores. It only goes away with an erase and setup as new. It even moved phones when I had to have the phone replaced. It’s not causing many problems other than being annoying and there being a whole bunch of switched to primary messages in text threads. Although, the WiFi calling on other devices setting keeps disappearing and coming back, but I’m not sure that isn’t some other kind of bug.

 

[satpak]

I've had my main carrier account on eSIM for a while (XS Max) but have now had them move it back to a SIM card. So now I just have the one SIM card in the phone and no eSIM.

Just curious... Did you end up paying for a SIM card along with activation fee? or were you able to use your old SIM w/o any fees?

 

[mzanker]

Just curious... Did you end up paying for a SIM card along with activation fee? or were you able to use your old SIM w/o any fees?

EE (UK) sent me a new SIM card for free. No activation fee.

 

[StuMcBill]

I'm hoping that they have fixed one of my pet hates. I've got 2 lines active on my phone, Personal and Business. When I go into the dialer, it defaults to Personal - thats fine, thats what I would prefer to happen, but when I press on Personal, I'd like it to automatically change to Business, not pop up a menu asking which line I would like to use.

 

[George Knighton]

I've had my main carrier account on eSIM for a while (XS Max) but have now had them move it back to a SIM.

Please, what was the reason you wanted to go back to a physical SIM?

 

[CrashTestWalrus]

I've had my main carrier account on eSIM for a while (XS Max) but have now had them move it back to a SIM card. So now I just have the one SIM card in the phone and no eSIM. All appears to be working OK but it's still showing two data plans:

DATA PLANS
1. Primary (my number) On >
2. Used as "Secondary" No SIM

If I tap on the "Used as Secondary" plan, it pops up a message saying Data Plan No Longer Available and offers the option to Update Contacts or Close. If I choose Close it stays the same with the two plans showing but if I choose to update contacts, the second plan disappears completely. However, next time I reboot the phone, the second one comes back again.

Is there any way to get rid of it? It's not causing an issue other than being annoying by its presence...

So I finally got rid of it. I reset all the settings on the phone. I had previously tried resetting the network settings and that did not work. Resetting all the settings worked fine, though. You will have to change any settings that aren’t defaults back to what you had them and setup faceid again. So not as much of a pain as restoring, but some pain.
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Please, what was the reason you wanted to go back to a physical SIM?

I had to move mine back to a regular SIM because WiFi calling kept resetting itself and AT&T wouldn’t troubleshoot it until I moved back to a regular SIM. Said eSIMs weren’t supported for primary lines. Since moving back to a regular SIM WiFi calling has worked better. Which is odd to me that the two methods are different, but hopefully they will get it figured out in the future.

I also had to have a warranty replacement of my iPhone with an eSIM and due to AT&Ts implementation it required a trip to the store. Which is terrible, the whole point of eSIM to me is to have physical places less involved in the process.

 

[mzanker]

So I finally got rid of it. I reset all the settings on the phone. I had previously tried resetting the network settings and that did not work. Resetting all the settings worked fine, though. You will have to change any settings that aren’t defaults back to what you had them and setup faceid again. So not as much of a pain as restoring, but some pain.

Thanks, good to know. It's still a pain, though, as I'd have to set up everything again (watch, credit cards, etc.). It's not causing me any issues.

 

[CrashTestWalrus]

Thanks, good to know. It's still a pain, though, as I'd have to set up everything again (watch, credit cards, etc.). It's not causing me any issues.

Yeah, the credit cards have to be setup again. The watch survived. Let me know if you do end up trying it, I’m curious if it actually fixes the problem or if it’s just a fluke. In my case it was driving me nuts with the people I text that don’t have iPhones, green bubbles, it would constantly put switched to primary line or whatever throughout the thread when there was no number switching going on.

 

[twynne]

Hey everyone!
You probably remember me from the original eSIM + Dual SIM Q&A of iOS 12.

There have been some new changes to eSIM in iOS 13, thus I am starting a new Q&A specific to the new eSIM features of iOS 13. If you discover new features, please add them to this Wiki!

New features

• Dual-SIM simultaneous calls: you can now place calls on two different lines at the same call, and call waiting works for incoming calls on another line. For this to work, calls must be made/received while on VoLTE.
• If you have data active on one line, and the other line doesn't have cellular service and the provider supports VoLTE, service will function using the active data on the other line. Essentially, it's like having Wi-Fi Calling, but it uses the data of one of the lines. Screenshot here: https://imgur.com/a/7UBR7vE

Changes to existing features

• iMessage and FaceTime now supports two phone numbers, and you can start and iMessage conversation or FaceTime call with either number.

After upgrading I'm finding I can only see my eSIM line in status bar, and no option to select which line when placing a call. I've tried toggling the physical SIM line off and on... No joy. I take it this is unique to me as I'm not seeing others mention it.

 

[DeanL]

After upgrading I'm finding I can only see my eSIM line in status bar, and no option to select which line when placing a call. I've tried toggling the physical SIM line off and on... No joy. I take it this is unique to me as I'm not seeing others mention it.

If you have dark mode enabled, the icon doesn't show. It'll be visible in the light mode.

 

[twynne]

If you have dark mode enabled, the icon doesn't show. It'll be visible in the light mode.

Sadly no, I switched to light mode and it still shows only the eSIM line.

 

[DeanL]

Sadly no, I switched to light mode and it still shows only the eSIM line.

Have you tried taking the SIM out?

 

[twynne]

Yes, and yes. No difference I'm afraid.

I can receive calls on both lines, but can only place calls on the eSIM line.

 

[Ritte]

Can we use different ring tones for different SIM card? That is not an option for iOS 12.

 

[DeanL]

Yes, and yes. No difference I'm afraid.

I can receive calls on both lines, but can only place calls on the eSIM line.

Definitely a bug then
It all works perfectly on my phone
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Can we use different ring tones for different SIM card? That is not an option for iOS 12.

Nope!

 

[mmacrumor]

updated to public beta today and having same problem like twynne, i dont use the physical sim line much so i turned off the line.
if i remove the sim, it detects it and says mobile plan removed.

 

[thecork]

I'm hoping that they have fixed one of my pet hates. I've got 2 lines active on my phone, Personal and Business. When I go into the dialer, it defaults to Personal - thats fine, thats what I would prefer to happen, but when I press on Personal, I'd like it to automatically change to Business, not pop up a menu asking which line I would like to use.

Nope, still the same behaviour...

 

[tomcop]

After upgrading I'm finding I can only see my eSIM line in status bar, and no option to select which line when placing a call. I've tried toggling the physical SIM line off and on... No joy. I take it this is unique to me as I'm not seeing others mention it.

I have same problem but with eSIM. Physical SIM works, I can’t see eSIM. But I can recieve SMS and calls on that line.

 

[twynne]

Let's hope the next beta sorts it!

 

[twynne]

Let's hope the next beta sorts it!

No joy!