Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Yep you can get temporary ones no problem. I've done it myself a couple of times as it was cheaper than paying for more data when I was low. But they arent offering esims to contract customers (i.e 99% of their entire customer base).
Maybe only new customers ? our esims were not temporary ones :)
 
I am sure if Apple starts promoting it as doable then carriers will start acting. You can’t expect carriers to move first. Even if some do, it is locked by iOS/watchOS.
Its not the carriers its Apple as they do not even sell the AW LTE version in many countries
 
Getting rid of the physical SIM card is a no-brainer. The only problem is that the carrier I just moved to does not support eSIM. If Apple pushed for eSIM only, it would make the industry take it much more seriously.
Yes they at least need two models. Not everywhere international supports eSIM either
 
How is this any different from them charging you for a physical SIM card too? My carrier actually doesn’t charge me anything for the eSIM no matter how many times I move devices but they do charge for the physical SIM.
But if you buy unlocked from Apple and swap the SIM, there's no carrier fee.
 
Hope so, but these carriers are just so lazy that it will require the total removal of the physical SIM slot to force them to offer eSIM.

Take Singapore, a country where tourism and business travelers are the main bread and butter. And it's a developed country with 3 Apple stores, and many people have iPhones or high end Androids that support eSIM. You would think eSIM would've been the norm. Yet the carriers are still dragging their feet. The top carrier only offers it for the Apple Watch. The 2nd carrier doesn't even support it. The 3rd carrier is the only one that made it available for postpaid and prepaid for tourists (and rightfully the only one listed on Apple website), but you still have to purchase it in a physical store. Talk about such backwardness from a supposedly most developed country in SE Asia.

That's the nature of these telcos. They're are huge, fat, and lazy as they're ultra comfortable in a regulated market with controlled "competition."
As someone who has worked in Singapore and for StarHub, I'm pretty sure once Apple starts selling eSIM-only phones in China, carriers in Singapore will quickly add support as this is where a majority of their phones come from. I bet even once people start getting off the plane from UK or Australia with eSIM-only iPhones they will move quickly to support them. All it takes is one to move first and the others will follow. Right now they can be lazy because there is physical SIM support but it's not 2007 anymore and in 2022 no carrier anywhere wants to be known and the one that doesn't support iPhones.
 
To read your posts is really a bit shocking. I guess I am very spoiled. 🙁

For me I wondered for a while, why Apple is still have this old-fashioned SIM-card slot. An eSIM is so easy to use! No need to call the carriers, all can be done inside the account within a few minutes. Why do we need to use this strange pin to open some tray of the iPhone to insert a SIM card. The SIM tray needs too much precious space inside an iPhone. And another opening less is another step into the full waterproof world.

Besides that it was years ago since I had to worry about data and phone costs when I am on vacation. When travelling around the European Union I can use my data plan with no extra costs. No need for a second SIM anyway. So easy.

But well - it seems it is not so easy for everyone. Which is really sad in 2022.

But yeah... probably someone has to do the first step so all carriers will support eSIM.
 
So your carrier charges you a fee if you remove the physical SIM from one phone and put it in a different phone?

No, they only charge for new physical SIMs. They never charge for eSIM at all. I can swap devices every few minutes and they wouldn’t care at all.

And I am glad you mentioned this but I do remember AT&T back in the day doing IMEI locks on the SIM card so you couldn’t just move it to another device and this alone proves a carrier will do what it wants and if they want to charge you for something they’ll always find an excuse to stick it to you. eSIM or not.
 
No, they only charge for new physical SIMs. They never charge for eSIM at all. I can swap devices every few minutes and they wouldn’t care at all.

And I am glad you mentioned this but I do remember AT&T back in the day doing IMEI locks on the SIM card so you couldn’t just move it to another device and this alone proves a carrier will do what it wants and if they want to charge you for something they’ll always find an excuse to stick it to you. eSIM or not.
Many countries it is the law and you must have your passport or national ID associated with your physical sim and in the case of an esim it also includes the IMEI

This is why device swapping with esim is much more problematic in many countries as the IMEI changes
 
You already can transfer the eSIM between devices during the OOBE.
Only if the carrier allows it and has enabled the device-to-device esim transfer.
I have experienced first hand two carriers that hadn’t. Especially to make money. Apple need to make it compulsory.
 
I decided to buy my iPhone 14 Pro Max in Singapore instead of the US because of the sim card slot. It's about $100 more.
 
I’m based in Southeast Asia, although I still keep a T-Mobile line on my eSim. I’ve read T-Mobile is committed to expanding their band 71 5G network over mmWave, so I’m ok.
Not sure if I am not understanding you - or you are missing what I am saying! :)

But the Singapore version 14 Pro Max A2894 does not cover 5G band 71!
 
Am I the only one noticing low demand this year? This is unprecedented.

40 minutes in and almost all Pro (not Max) Model still offer September 18 delivery. Even Pro Max still has it for some models. Low demand on Purple, highest demand on Space Black. Better demand on Gold than Silver.
 
My husband got a 13 Pro Max go go with the 13 Pro Max he got from me. Nobody will get the 14 anything. I don't want another iAnything but my husband uses two iphones. I got spoiled with features between us. Perhaps I'll just replace the battery in this old 32GB iPhone 7 he has.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.