Top 3 eSIM problems and fixes

Help / FAQ · iPhone / Android

In our support emails and chats, three problems come up again and again — and in all three the eSIM itself is fine: a phone setting or a confusing label is the problem. Here is the fix, step by step. Installing and preparing before the trip is covered in our other guide: using an eSIM abroad.

What do you see on your phone?🔎I can’t find the eSIM
or don’t know which line it is 📶It’s there, but no data
abroad, despite signal ⛔“Code no longer valid”
I want to scan the QR again

1. You don’t recognise the eSIM line

Your phone does not call the line “eSIM Park”. What our customers have seen: “E1” and “E2”, “Primary” / “Secondary”, “Business” or another label, the profile’s network name (for example “Plus”), “SIM 2” or “eSIM” on Android, or a name you typed during installation. Any of these can be our eSIM.

How to tell for sure: there are two lines in the list. Your home line shows your own phone number (or your home carrier’s name). The eSIM shows no home number — an unknown number or nothing: the plan is data only, it has no phone number. That is normal: you can’t make normal calls or send SMS from it, but WhatsApp, iMessage and other internet calls and messages work over its data.

iPhone: Settings → Mobile Service (US English: Cellular; on older iOS: Mobile Data). The lines are listed one below the other.
Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM manager.
Google Pixel: Settings → Network and Internet → SIMs.
Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO: Settings → Mobile networks (older versions: SIM cards & mobile networks).

Rename it so you never mix it up again: on iPhone tap the eSIM line → Mobile Plan Label → custom label, e.g. “eSIM Park travel”. On Samsung: SIM manager → the eSIM → Name. On Xiaomi: Mobile networks → tap the SIM → Edit SIM card name. On Pixel you can rename it on the SIM’s own page. The name is just for you; it changes nothing in how it works.

2. The line is there, but no data

This is the most common report. Almost always the phone is still trying to use your home SIM for data, or data roaming is off on the eSIM line. A travel eSIM always works as roaming abroad, so data roaming must be ON for it. This costs nothing extra.

📶 On the eSIM line: Data Roaming ON, and mobile data goes over this line.
🏠 On your home line: Data Roaming OFF, so you pay no roaming. Don’t turn the line itself off: calls and texts still come in.
🔀 Automatic data switching: OFF, otherwise the phone may switch back to your home line on a weak signal.

When? After landing, in your destination. At home the eSIM gets no network — that is normal. Give it 1–2 minutes after arrival to join a local network. Turn Wi-Fi off for the test, or you won’t know whether mobile data works.

iPhone

Settings → Mobile Service → Mobile Data → choose the eSIM line.
On the same screen, turn Allow Mobile Data Switching OFF.
Back on Mobile Service, tap the eSIM line → Mobile Data Options → Data Roaming: ON.
On your home line: Mobile Data Options → Data Roaming: OFF.

From iOS 26, a Turn On Travel eSIM notification may appear on arrival: tap it and choose Travel eSIM and Current eSIM. Mobile data then runs on the travel eSIM and your home number stays reachable. Check data roaming anyway.

Samsung

Settings → Connections → SIM manager → under Preferred SIMs, set Mobile data to the eSIM.
On the same screen, turn Data switching OFF.
Settings → Connections → Mobile networks → Data Roaming: ON.

Google Pixel

Settings → Network and Internet → SIMs → under Your primary SIMs, set Mobile data to the eSIM.
On the same screen, turn Automatic data switching OFF.
Tap the eSIM → Roaming: ON. On your home SIM’s page, Roaming: OFF.

Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO

Settings → Mobile networks → Data SIM: the eSIM.
Data roaming → International roaming: Always.

Still no data? Turn Airplane Mode on for 10 seconds, then off. If that doesn’t help, restart the phone.

Signal, but no data: select a network manually. On iPhone: in the eSIM line’s settings, turn automatic network selection off and pick one from the list. On Samsung: Connections → Mobile networks → Network operators → turn Select automatically off. Which network to choose is listed on the destination page, e.g. Egypt or Turkey, or ask our chat. Switch back to automatic when you are home.

3. “This code is no longer valid”: it’s already installed

The QR code and the one-tap install link work only once. If you scanned it once, or tapped the install button in the email, the eSIM is already on your phone — even if you don’t recognise it (see point 1) and even if it has no signal at home. That is why the second scan says the code is no longer valid. It means the installation happened, not that something broke.

Is it already installed? Check:

The SIM list on your phone (point 1) shows two lines, the second with its own switch.
Your eSIM Park account shows next to the card whether it is installed.
If the line says “No Service” at home or has no signal: that’s fine, it gets a network at your destination.

Don’t scan the code again, and don’t ask for a new one while the line is in the list. After arrival you need the settings from point 2.
Don’t delete the eSIM. A deleted eSIM can’t be reinstalled with the same code.
If installation was interrupted (screen locked, Wi-Fi dropped) and the line really isn’t in the list, don’t retry: write to us, we’ll check where it stands and help.

If it still doesn’t work

Write to the chat at the bottom of the page or to info@esimpark.com. Our phone numbers (EU, US and UK) are at the bottom of every page. We can help faster if you tell us your phone model and send a screenshot of the Mobile Service (Android: SIM manager) screen. We can see from our side whether the network sees your eSIM and whether data is being used.

Haven’t bought an eSIM yet? Check two things first: is your phone eSIM-capable (dial *#06# — if there is an EID line, yes), and is it unlocked (iPhone: Settings → General → About → Network Provider Lock: “No SIM restrictions”). You can also look up your model in our compatibility checker. What an eSIM is: our guide.