T-Mobile launches eSIM app for iPhone XR & iPhone XS

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T-Mobile launches eSIM app for iPhone XR & iPhone XS

On Monday the U.S. branch of T-Mobile launched its promised eSIM app, enabling people with an iPhone XR, XS, or XS Max to add a secondary line through the carrier.

After scanning for device compatibility and obtaining an email address, asks customers to choose from one of three prepaid plans. The flagship option is T-Mobile One Prepaid, a fully unlimited plan that costs $70 for 30 days. Simply Prepaid costs $40, but caps 4G data at 10 gigabytes. A $30 Tourist Plan, finally, includes a 1,000-minute ceiling on voice calls, a 2-gigabyte data cap, and a 21-day limit.

Support for postpaid subscriptions is coming, T-Mobile said in its announcement.

T-Mobile is the third major U.S. carrier to add eSIM compatibility, following in the footsteps of AT&T and Verizon. Sprint has promised to add the option, but hasn't set a firm date, which could mean it will have to wait for a if plans aren't already well underway.

iPhone owners must use a nano-SIM for their primary line, but eSIM lines can be particularly useful for people wanting to split work and personal calls, or traveling abroad. T-Mobile's Tourist Plan appears specifically aimed at iPhone owners from Europe and elsewhere who expect to spend a substantial amount of time in the U.S.

10 Comments

“
iPhone owners must use a nano-SIM for their primary line…
”
My hope was that I could move my primary line to the eSIM “slot” (since that won’t be changing), so that I could use the physical SIM slot for prepaid SIMs when I travel. Having it the other way around is pretty inconvenient. Or maybe there’s something I’m not getting. Shouldn’t the physical slot be the one that travelers would keep open?

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If I am reading the information from the 3 US cell providers correctly, it is currently possible to put a plan on an eSIM *only* if you are initiating a *new* plan with them (including moving from another provider). They will not as far as I can tell allow moving an existing plan onto eSIM, and only will allow certain plans to be initiated at that. Does anyone know otherwise?

said:

“
iPhone owners must use a nano-SIM for their primary line…
”

My hope was that I could move my primary line to the eSIM “slot” (since that won’t be changing), so that I could use the physical SIM slot for prepaid SIMs when I travel. Having it the other way around is pretty inconvenient. Or maybe there’s something I’m not getting. Shouldn’t the physical slot be the one that travelers would keep open?

I suspect that you can determine which number is your "primary" one. So just call the eSIM based number your non-primary, and use it how you like.

said:

If I am reading the information from the 3 US cell providers correctly, it is currently possible to put a plan on an eSIM *only* if you are initiating a *new* plan with them (including moving from another provider). They will not as far as I can tell allow moving an existing plan onto eSIM, and only will allow certain plans to be initiated at that. Does anyone know otherwise?

said:

Support for postpaid subscriptions is coming, T-Mobile said in its announcement.

T-Mobile is the third major U.S. carrier to add eSIM compatibility, following in the footsteps of AT&T and Verizon. Sprint has promised to add the option, but hasn't set a firm date, which could mean it will have to wait for a if plans aren't already well underway.

iPhone owners must use a nano-SIM for their primary line, but eSIM lines can be particularly useful for people wanting to split work and personal calls, or traveling abroad. T-Mobile's Tourist Plan appears specifically aimed at iPhone owners from Europe and elsewhere who expect to spend a substantial amount of time in the U.S.

I understood the article to mean that only (new?) pre-paid plans can go on the T-Mobile eSIM at this time. I want my existing post-paid plan on the eSIM, so it looks like I need to wait.