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iOS 26 Adds Support for Transferring an eSIM to and From Android

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With iOS 26, Apple is adding support for transferring an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android device, and vice versa. The new functionality will make it easier for smartphone users to move their numbers between platforms, alleviating the need to contact a carrier for help with a transition between iPhone and Android.

ios-26-android-transfer-esim.jpg

Some iOS 26 users have noticed a "Transfer to Android" option in their cellular settings, though it is not an option for all plans at the current time. On Reddit, an iPhone user with US Mobile's Dark Star eSIM found a cellular option to transfer an eSIM to an Android device.

When adding an eSIM in iOS 26, there's also a "Transfer From Android" option. Tapping on it provides a QR code that can be scanned with an Android device to start the transfer process, and that's also how the iPhone to Android transfer process works.

Apple appears to have implemented the new functionality alongside Google. Prior to when iOS 26 debuted, an Android 16 beta featured a reference to a "Transfer to Android" feature that hinted at the new cross-platform transferring options.

In iOS 18, it is simple to transfer an eSIM from iPhone to iPhone, but it is not easy to transfer an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android device. It typically requires contacting a carrier to get a QR code, as there is no automated way to make the transition. With iOS 26, many iPhone users who want to move to Android should have an easier time doing so.

Article Link: iOS 26 Adds Support for Transferring an eSIM to and From Android
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2025/06/13/ios-26-esim-android/
HighwaySnowman said:
eSIM is one of the stupidest things Apple has ever done.

Physical SIM cards just work. eSIM is fundamentally broken.
Click to expand...

It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Never had to run to a carrier store to replace a bad eSIM. Easy to add. I've got a Verizon work iPhone that I added my personal Xfinity line to. One phone, two active lines from two different carriers. All done from the privacy of my own home.
 
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BuffaloTF said:
........they use different plans and are provisioned differently....... why would they add that? And why would anyone want that hassle?
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Where’s the ‘hassle’ in having the ability? The hassle is not being able to. With physical SIM cards you could move between devices, now you can’t.

I can use the data component of my phone plan in my iPad and vice versa if I wish and have done so many times in the past, commonly when I have a friend/family from overseas visit, I give them my iPad SIM card to use in their phone to avoid roaming charges - as all they need is data. Rarely need to make cellular calls or SMS these days, so there are use cases even if they are niche.
 
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MrWillie said:
It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Never had to run to a carrier store to replace a bad eSIM. Easy to add. I've got a Verizon work iPhone that I added my personal Xfinity line to. One phone, two active lines from two different carriers. All done from the privacy of my own home.
Click to expand...
I can count on one hand how many times my physical SIM has failed and I still have all fingers unused.
 
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MrWillie said:
It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Never had to run to a carrier store to replace a bad eSIM. Easy to add. I've got a Verizon work iPhone that I added my personal Xfinity line to. One phone, two active lines from two different carriers. All done from the privacy of my own home.
Click to expand...
Never had a SIM card fail on me personally. I haven’t left the us since getting an eSIM phone but a lot of people seem to say it’s a pita when abroad. Also now I’m forced to pay the activation fee when getting a new phone
 
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goobot said:
Never had a SIM card fail on me personally. I haven’t left the us since getting an eSIM phone but a lot of people seem to say it’s a pita when abroad. Also now I’m forced to pay the activation fee when getting a new phone
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Especially when there are counties that won’t adopt to eSIM and you can only get a physical SIM card. Apple can’t dictate that easily if at all. Such a dumb move to limit US iPhone users overseas travel options.
 
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goobot said:
Never had a SIM card fail on me personally. I haven’t left the us since getting an eSIM phone but a lot of people seem to say it’s a pita when abroad. Also now I’m forced to pay the activation fee when getting a new phone
Click to expand...

I've had to go in three or four times in 25 years or so. Mostly to upgrade to a new SIM for whatever performance reasons.

Forced to pay an activation fee ??? Switch carriers. I spent 20 plus years with AT&T/BellSouth. Left them several years ago and haven't looked back.

More and more countries are switching to eSIM. But what I really don't understand, is why would you put an overseas sim in your phone while traveling abroad. I always used a second phone as a data hotspot and used my primary phone for wifi calling back home and other day to day stuff. I only used voice or text on the other phone when I had to talk to locals.
 
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MrWillie said:
It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Never had to run to a carrier store to replace a bad eSIM. Easy to add. I've got a Verizon work iPhone that I added my personal Xfinity line to. One phone, two active lines from two different carriers. All done from the privacy of my own home.
Click to expand...
I haven't gone to a carrier store since I got a Motorola flip phone from Cingular. And I have NEVER had a SIM card fail, even when I've put them through a hole punch to cut them down from mini-SIM to micro-SIM, then again when I punched them down from micro-SIM to nano-SIM and sanded them to fit in the thinner nano-SIM tray.

They're INCREDIBLY robust, my current SIM has been moved into at least a dozen phones, it's even been in a couple iPads, all without having to futz with some stupid software nonsense, just a paperclip.

Did you know there's such a thing as a phone with dual physical SIM trays? It's what Apple sells in (i think) China to this day.
 
HighwaySnowman said:
What is this, opposite day? I've seen eSIM take multiple phone calls. Physical SIM just takes a paperclip.
Click to expand...
I've been using eSim since the iPhone 13, and when I upgrade, it's to an iPhone. Will never go back to Android, personally. These are my own experiences and I've never once had to call... Sorry that you've had issues.
 
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