iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 7 to iPhone 13 Pro Migration - SIM versus ESIM

[xenonx]

So I got a blue iPhone 13 Pro last week after waiting for it for almost a month. I have Verizon and their "free" iPhone is not so free with all the things they want me to upgrade. I only pay $50/month for service from Verizon and there is no way that I am going to pay more. So got the iPhone directly from Apple with their credit card.

I am upgrading from an iPhone 7. So its pretty old but I typically use my phones till they are dead and this one is on its way.

The migration of the data/stuff seems straightforward but there seems to be a train wreck around the SIM. My principle concern is that my old phone does not have 5G - do I need a new SIM to access the new features or not?

Apple says use the ESIM, problem is solved. Verizon's documentation on the web is horrible. Its almost like they dont want use to use the ESIM. Verizon says stop by a store and get a new SIM card.

So I call Verzion, the wait time is an hour. So I go to the chat. The rep tells me to stop by a store and they will give me a new SIM card that supports the 5G. Says I can use the ESIM if I have to. I ask what does that mean - she does not reply.

I am at my end with this already. What is the correct way to do this?

Get a new SIM from Verizon or just the ESIM the way Apple says?

 

[Shadowbech]

So I got a blue iPhone 13 Pro last week after waiting for it for almost a month. I have Verizon and their "free" iPhone is not so free with all the things they want me to upgrade. I only pay $50/month for service from Verizon and there is no way that I am going to pay more. So got the iPhone directly from Apple with their credit card.

I am upgrading from an iPhone 7. So its pretty old but I typically use my phones till they are dead and this one is on its way.

The migration of the data/stuff seems straightforward but there seems to be a train wreck around the SIM. My principle concern is that my old phone does not have 5G - do I need a new SIM to access the new features or not?

Apple says use the ESIM, problem is solved. Verizon's documentation on the web is horrible. Its almost like they dont want use to use the ESIM. Verizon says stop by a store and get a new SIM card.

So I call Verzion, the wait time is an hour. So I go to the chat. The rep tells me to stop by a store and they will give me a new SIM card that supports the 5G. Says I can use the ESIM if I have to. I ask what does that mean - she does not reply.

I am at my end with this already. What is the correct way to do this?

Get a new SIM from Verizon or just the ESIM the way Apple says?

Might get different answers But, yes you will need a new SIM card. At least they won't charge you an activation fee if you purchased your phone in full.

When I got the 12 Pro Max last year, I got the text message about needing to get a new SIM card so I ordered one, delivered to me. I didn't know how to activate it via the website so I took it in. I also asked if there was a possibility of having services via esim. Not that they won't do it, they prefer it to be on your SIM card and when you travel that you'd use the esim for those. Not sure why but I went with it.

I believe there is now a way to activate your phone and get your esim working. But I beg the question. What if you had to get your phone replaced and your phone is activated via esim on the old phone, how would you transfer that service over??

 

[now i see it]

From all the threads here on MR complaining, ESIM for the most part for many users is just a source of confusion and headache with no upside.
A physical SIM card is much more versatile cuz you can eject it out of one phone and pop it in another and you’re ready to go.

I’m a firm believer that if you’ve only got one line, and especially if you’ve got a spare iPhone, a physical SIM card is the way to go. No screw ups.

Yes you’ll need a new SIM card for your iPhone 13 to get 5G functionality, but your old sim from your 7 will work fine too - just won’t get 5G.

 

[VineRider]

I am on AT&T, so cannot speak for how Verizon handles ESIM, but it is very easy to transfer an ESIM from one phone to another, as long as you are signed in to iCloud on both phones. When iOS 15 came out, I noticed I had a new feature under cellular settings to convert my SIM to ESIM. I did this and it was very seamless.

Fast forward to last week when I purchased an iPhone 13 Pro. During setup, the new phone prompted me to move my ESIM from my old phone to my new phone. Started the transfer on the new phone, approved the transfer on my old phone, and I was good to go.

So, while I agree that physical SIM is very easy to move from one phone to another, ESIM is becoming easy as long as your phone supports ESIM (as well as the one moving the ESIM to).

AT&T also has a method via my online account to download a new ESIM. I tried it just to test it out and it removes the old ESIM and installs the new ESIM very easily.

I like ESIM for security reasons as if I lose my phone, my SIM card cannot be removed and put in another phone. This can be circumvented with a physical SIM with a SIM PIN, but most people are not doing that I would assume.

Hope this helps. I wanted to share as I had a lot of confusion about ESIM as well before I converted over.

 

[xenonx]

Thanks for the replies, it is appreciated. So I stopped in the Verizon store on my way to the gym, they gave me a new 5G SIM card. They keyed it to my new phone and said it will activate when I boot up the phone.

So I assume the proper sequence is to let the my iPhone 7 and 13 talk to each to transfer the data over and than put in the SIM at which point the will be activated?

I think the ESIM is the future but I want to get the phone activated already as I have been waiting for it for a month (I am beyond excited about the cameras and other things). I read somewhere about moving from SIM to ESIM. I may try that after its up.

The plug on the bottom of my 7 is going bad - I cleaned it out but its loose. Unless I put the cable in a certain way it wont charge. And its also not holding a charge.

 

[now i see it]

A new phone doesn’t have to have an active SIM to setup. It just needs an internet connection. Wi-Fi is fine.

 

[janeauburn]

I am upgrading from an iPhone 7. So its pretty old but I typically use my phones till they are dead and this one is on its way.

Is your iPhone 7 dead? I ask because my friend just put a new battery in her 7 Plus, and she loves it. No desire to "upgrade."

 

[rambo47]

I upgraded on Verizon from the 7 to the 13 Pro Max. I used the eSIM that came with the 13PM and had 5G immediately. The migration tool was fast and easy.

To get cellular service working I had to go to the Verizon site and manually enter the new eSIM number but that took all of about 20 seconds.

 

[xenonx]

Is your iPhone 7 dead? I ask because my friend just put a new battery in her 7 Plus, and she loves it. No desire to "upgrade."

I was going to put a new battery in it.

The real problem is the jack on the bottom for the power. I have to put in the cord just right or it does not charge. Same with the headphones. Apparently its a known problem. I looked into fixing it but they have to tear down the whole phone as the plug component is on the bottom of the hardware stack. I would not attempt it myself and it was going to cost about 150-200. I dont want to sink that kind of money into an old electronic device.

 

[xenonx]

I upgraded on Verizon from the 7 to the 13 Pro Max. I used the eSIM that came with the 13PM and had 5G immediately. The migration tool was fast and easy.

To get cellular service working I had to go to the Verizon site and manually enter the new eSIM number but that took all of about 20 seconds.

How did you get your original number in it?

 

[xenonx]

Allowed the new phone to slurp the data off the old one. The migration was one of the most painless that I have ever had. After that I shut it down and installed the Verizon SIM. Activated and I was in business.

Took some photos, the level of detail is amazing.

Thanks again for all your help. I will be a regular participant going forward as I have been an Apple guy for over 25 years but was a lurker until recently.

 

[shinigamii]

So I got a blue iPhone 13 Pro last week after waiting for it for almost a month. I have Verizon and their "free" iPhone is not so free with all the things they want me to upgrade. I only pay $50/month for service from Verizon and there is no way that I am going to pay more. So got the iPhone directly from Apple with their credit card.

I am upgrading from an iPhone 7. So its pretty old but I typically use my phones till they are dead and this one is on its way.

The migration of the data/stuff seems straightforward but there seems to be a train wreck around the SIM. My principle concern is that my old phone does not have 5G - do I need a new SIM to access the new features or not?

Apple says use the ESIM, problem is solved. Verizon's documentation on the web is horrible. Its almost like they dont want use to use the ESIM. Verizon says stop by a store and get a new SIM card.

So I call Verzion, the wait time is an hour. So I go to the chat. The rep tells me to stop by a store and they will give me a new SIM card that supports the 5G. Says I can use the ESIM if I have to. I ask what does that mean - she does not reply.

I am at my end with this already. What is the correct way to do this?

Get a new SIM from Verizon or just the ESIM the way Apple says?

You should better get a new SIM from Verizon because if the eSIM gets any technical issue you can't have a backup to call or text someone in an emergency situation. Apple recommends we use a dual sim if there are any issues with the eSIM.

Using Dual SIM with an eSIM - Apple Support (CA)

Set up and use Dual SIM.

support.apple.com

 

[xenonx]

You should better get a new SIM from Verizon because if the eSIM gets any technical issue you can't have a backup to call or text someone in an emergency situation. Apple recommends we use a dual sim if there are any issues with the eSIM.

Using Dual SIM with an eSIM - Apple Support (CA)

Set up and use Dual SIM.

support.apple.com

I have to tell my brother and a friend about this dual number ability as as they both carry two phones because of work. This solves a lot of problems.

 

[rambo47]

How did you get your original number in it?

I logged into my Verizon Wireless page and used the site to activate a new phone on an existing line. When I entered the SIM number for the eSIM everything worked like a charm.

 

[Mxyplyzyk]

Upgraded from iPhone X to iPhone 13 Pro Max on Verizon. On the Verizon account page I first entered the new IMEI number, but that requires physical SIM transfer, and as stated above, older SIMs will not support 5G. After restarting the iPhone X to recapture the number which went into limbo, I performed the same process but entered the IMEI2 number instead. That's the one for eSIM--and the service transferred to the new phone once I navigated to Settings-->Cellular. If I had done it correctly the first time it would have taken 2 minutes.

 

[KaliYoni]

I am at my end with this already. What is the correct way to do this?

Get a new SIM from Verizon or just the ESIM the way Apple says?

I don't think there is a "correct" configuration...but I went from a 6s to a 13 and switched to eSIM. I feel eSIM is better for security because if my phone is lost or stolen, there isn't any way to transfer the eSIM to another phone. As well, if I ever need to replace the eSIM, there isn't any need to go to a store or wait for a package to be delivered.