You've just landed, everyone around you is already messaging, and your phone is stuck on "no connection". Exactly the moment you need that eSIM. Don't panic: in the vast majority of cases it's a single toggle set the wrong way, and you'll find it first in the checklist below. Work through the points in order and chances are you'll be online within five minutes.
The checklist, in order of likelihood
1. Data roaming is off for the eSIM line
This is by far the most common cause. It feels counterintuitive, because at home you're taught to keep roaming off. But a travel eSIM technically works via roaming, so data roaming must be on for that line. On an iPhone: Settings > Mobile Service (Cellular on some models), tap your eSIM and switch Data Roaming on. On Android you'll find it under SIMs or SIM manager; open your eSIM there and switch Roaming on. Roaming for your own SIM can stay off.
2. Mobile data is still set to your own SIM
Your phone needs to know which line carries the internet. If mobile data is still set to your own SIM (with roaming off), you have no connection by definition. Under Mobile Data, select your eSIM as the active line.
3. The eSIM line itself is switched off
Check whether the line is actually enabled. On iPhone each SIM has a "Turn On This Line" toggle, on Android it's usually called "Use SIM". Off means off: the eSIM does nothing, no matter how well everything else is configured.
4. Toggle airplane mode, or restart your phone
Sometimes your phone gets stuck searching for a network. Switch airplane mode on for ten seconds and off again, which forces the phone to re-register. If that doesn't help, do a full restart. Old-fashioned, but surprisingly often the fix.
5. Select a network manually
Normally your phone picks a network automatically, but that doesn't always go smoothly. Go to the eSIM's network settings, switch off automatic selection and pick one of the networks from the list yourself. Then give it a minute. If it doesn't connect, try another network from the list.
6. Check the APN
The APN is the address your phone uses to get onto the data network. It's usually configured automatically, but not on every device. For our eSIMs the APN is data.esim. Check the eSIM line's settings to see if that's what it says, and enter it manually in the APN settings if not.
7. Is your bundle activated and not empty?
Everything set correctly and still no connection? Then check your order confirmation or account to see whether the bundle is active and still has data left. An empty bundle can be topped up in a few taps, without installing a new eSIM.
Install your eSIM at home, on wifi
The best cure for arrival stress is preventing it. Install your eSIM a few days before departure, calmly at home on your wifi. The profile is then already on your phone, and on arrival all you need to do is switch on data roaming. Our iPhone activation guide and Android activation guide walk you through the installation step by step. Prefer clicking over reading? Our interactive setup guides show every step recreated for your type of phone.
Never delete the eSIM while troubleshooting
There's one thing you really must not do while trying things out: delete the eSIM from your phone. An eSIM usually cannot be reinstalled from the same QR code. Deleting feels like "starting fresh", but in practice it means your eSIM is gone. Every step above is safe; deleting is not. If in doubt, get in touch first.
Still stuck?
If you're still not connected after this checklist, just reply to your order confirmation email. Support here is answered personally by Nick, no chatbot and no canned replies, so briefly describe what you've already tried and which phone you have. Then we'll figure out together where it's stuck.
Conclusion
An eSIM that won't connect is almost always a setting, not a defect. The big three: data roaming on for the eSIM, mobile data set to the eSIM, and the line itself enabled. After that come airplane mode or a restart, manually selecting a network, the APN (data.esim) and a check of your bundle. And whatever you do: don't delete the eSIM.
No eSIM yet, but travelling soon? Compare our eSIM bundles and install yours at home in advance, so your holiday starts without any hassle.