It seems to me that Europe can be a little heavy handed with the Digital Markets Act, some of it is fantastic, but some is awful. America seems to just hate any regulation which I don’t think is great. Canada seems to find a happy medium.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 14 Pro I hate eSIM
- Thread starter nStyle
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The US is monopolized, with lack od deregulation to increase competition and people just are not informed by not having access to i.e. foreign content. Take for example the telecoms which are of horrible quality and poor coverage as they are not required to demonstrate compliance to criteria serving the interest of customers as it is the case in the EU. Significantly better and cheaper with wide choices in EU. I live on 3 continents and its not difficult to notice a wide spectrum of differences.
Normal people don't switch phones every month so the OP problem is very niche. Normally, once you set the eSIM, you're good for years. Some people have to stop using phones like a toy and then complaining about problems.
Or maybe you should not tell people how to spend their money? I have 2 phone and esim restricts me from swapping them. I like ios and Android equally. Esim works for some but not for all
Seriously, its beyond me why some people buy 2 phones if its not their work that give them a secondary phone. In the end of the day, both Android and iOS will be the same for all your communications needs. It's just a total waste of money. You want another portable device for gaming? The steam deck is made for that. Another device for just your entertainment? Buy a tablet. My point is, why buying two phones that cost more than 1k each? In my book it's clearly wasting money. It's just something I can't understand, and yes the problems you have related to this is indeed very niche and reflect an unusual practice. The only time when I understand eSIM can be an issue is when you traveling but other than that, it just work very well for most people.
Although I agree that it is a niche situation, your opinion doesn't have more value than his. Some people have their reasons to own two or more phones and even if you don't accept it, telling that "it's a waste of money" is your opinion only and shouldn't be forced on other. Who are you exactly to tell people how they can spend their hard earn money?
To come back to the discussion, I think the issue is not an e-sim issue in this case but more of an mobile carriers issue. From my experience, some make switching phone very painful and some don't. For example in my case, I was given a QR code that I can reuse as many time as I want to switch my e-sim from one phone to an other.
Last edited:
People have 2 phones for many reasons. I have 2 phones because I need 3 active lines from different countries. Living in a country full of expats this is not unusual. I buy both of them.
The process just sucks and in typical apple fashion not leaving an option for a regular SIM card is silly.
I understand that billions of SIM cards are out there and likely don't want to keep producing this much garbage all across the globe, but at least force a process in where the only place to get a sim would be directly through a service provider upon request.
I understand that billions of SIM cards are out there and likely don't want to keep producing this much garbage all across the globe, but at least force a process in where the only place to get a sim would be directly through a service provider upon request.
And then Apple didn't give iphones and ipads USB-C because consquences be damned Apple want the licensing fees for accessories.
I think USB-C was a good choice because it was inevitable to be ubiqutous. But the reason they did it (eSim) was probably because it simplifies it for them one less thing to support that can break or whatever.
(eSim) for me, just got back from vacation ( Philippines Island) purchased and setup eSim here (california) before my flight, arrived at Philippines International Airport and activated eSim 5-10 minutes, i was given a local phone number, 80gb data, unlimited local calls and unlimited local text for only $30 , expired in 30 days, Very cheap and convenient to use, having a local number was very useful for Uber, Grab etc.
Attachments
Honestly, that’s tourist priced. You can get Globe service for less than $2 (P99) for 7 days in the Philippines.
I think DITO even has a <$2 (P99) for 30 days promo. Alas, no eSIM and their coverage isn’t as wide as Globe or Smart.
Globe started offering generic prepaid eSIMs around March 2024, I think. Smart’s had eSIMs available for email delivery since September 2023. Smart’s eSIM automatically goes on roaming so that one you can actually activate and register while still overseas.
The future?
I believe people recoiled when they started rolling out the first ever telephones. They did not want that invasion of privacy in their houses. Now look where we are....
But ok, Apple's decision to remove the physical SIM from the iPhone is an odd one. Like with the Mini range, if/when sales of eSIM only phones tank they may change their mind.
However, if you live in the USA right now and really need an iPhone with physical SIM, just order one from Europe. If you pick the right country in Europe the prices are comparable with the USA. Start with Amazon, then append .es .de .nl .com.be etc to the domain for the various countries. Yes, in many cases you can view Amazon Europe stores in English.
Why do I like eSIM? Well if you pick the right carrier some really do make it that easy. I've ported my primary number 6 times in the last 15 years, and porting is never a problem if you only do pre-paid or monthly subscriptions.
An eSIM from Orange Belgium, never again. I now have my primary number on an eSIM with BASE Company, 100% self-service online. This frees up the physical for my Spanish SIM. I'm still trying to figure out how to get an eSIM from a Spanish carrier as a non-resident. They are not big on English down there. I know, just learn Spanish. I'm working on that.
To the best of my knowledge, even if a carrier now offers eSIM they will still offer physical. So no, I don't think eSIM is being forced down anyones throat just yet.
If/when you are planning a trip to South Africa, take a look at Airmobile.co.za As a tourist you can download and install an eSIM with local number before you get there. At least it appears you can. I installed one while in Belgium, but I used my South African ID.
I'm so confident about the future of eSIM I'm busy building a 100% affiliate based eSIM comparison store. A load of work to set up as a 1-man-band, but I'm sure it'll be worth it.
Last edited: