Setting up a Samsung eSIM is fairly easy and is often more convenient than using a secondary physical SIM card. Of course, you must first know if your phone is unlocked and capable of using an eSIM.
In this article, we’ll go over how to set up eSIM on Samsung phones. First, we’ll cover the initial steps of checking whether your phone is compatible.
As mentioned, the first step is checking whether your Samsung supports eSIM functionality. The process is as follows:
Although this method isn’t complicated, it might just be easier to refer to this list of Samsung eSIM phones:
In short, most flagship Galaxy phones from the last 2-3 years support eSIM. If you don’t see your phone model on this list, it likely doesn’t have eSIM functionality. However, you can use the method above to double-check.
The next important step is to check whether your Samsung is network locked. Granted, this isn’t always necessary to set up eSIM, but having a locked phone limits your options for an eSIM provider.
Here’s how to check if your phone is network locked:
An alternative method is to call your current carrier and ask them. They might not be able to tell you over the phone, so you could also try visiting a physical store if you have one nearby.
Finally, some Samsung phones let you dial a code in the dialer to check. Type in *#7465625#
If it works, 3 bits of information will pop up on the screen:
Providing these all show as Off, your phone is unlocked. If not, you’ll probably need to get a code from either your carrier or the service provider.
Having an unlocked phone means you can set up eSIM from a different provider. While this isn’t necessary, it gives you more options for plans.
You can usually get your phone unlocked when your original plan term ends. This will often be 24 or 36 months, but it’ll say in your contract. To unlock your phone once your contract ends, you’ll need a code from your carrier. Give them a call or go to a store and they should be able to do it for you.
Setting up a Samsung eSIM is pretty simple. Below, we’ll show the steps for getting an eSIM Samsung S21 plan, but the process is basically the same for a Samsung S20 eSIM and above.
Note, to set up eSIM in this way, you need an internet connection. It’s easiest to do this over Wi-Fi, as it’ll prevent your phone from trying to set primary and secondary SIM cards while registering the eSIM.
Also, this method is for setting your Samsung eSIM up as your primary number. However, you can use it as a dual SIM instead, providing you change the relevant settings.
Having a Samsung eSIM as your secondary SIM is useful for work purposes, as you can have both numbers in the same phone. Similarly, you might find it useful when traveling, as you can set up international phone plans.
Textr will soon launch its eSIM plans for Samsung and iPhone. It’ll offer a wide range of plans at much lower prices than the standard carriers. Importantly, Textr eSIMs are tailored to traveling around the world, giving you competitive international calling and data usage rates.
Until it launches, be sure to use the Textr Team app for convenient communication. You can text and call in the same app using multiple phone numbers for different countries. You also get unlimited text and high-quality call minutes.
So, download today on Android, iOS, and web browser to start your 7-day free trial.