Okay, so I’ve been getting tons of questions about eSIMs lately, especially when it comes to iPhones. And the iPhone 13 seems to be the hot topic. So, I decided to dig in and figure out exactly how many eSIMs this thing can handle. Here’s what I did and what I found out.
My Little Experiment
First, I grabbed my own iPhone 13. I mean, why not start with what I’ve got, right? I already had one physical SIM card in there – my regular everyday number.
Then, I remembered I had a spare eSIM profile from a trip I took a few months back. It was still active, just chilling in my email.
Adding the First eSIM
So, I went into Settings, then Cellular (or Mobile Data, depending on where you live). There’s a pretty obvious option there that says “Add eSIM” or “Add Cellular Plan”. I tapped that.
My phone gave me a couple of choices: use a QR code or enter the details manually. The email from my travel provider had a QR code, so I went with that. I just scanned it with my iPhone’s camera, and boom, it started setting itself up.
After a few seconds, it asked me to label the plans. I made my original physical SIM “Primary” and the new eSIM “Travel”. Pretty straightforward.
Adding a Second eSIM… Can It Be Done?
Now for the big question: could I add another eSIM? I didn’t have another active one lying around, but I wanted to see if the option was even there.
I went back to Settings > Cellular. And guess what? The “Add eSIM” option was still there! It didn’t disappear after I added the first one.
That’s pretty good evidence that the iPhone13 can do dual eSIMs.I have confirmed through personal use.
My Conclusion
So, here’s the deal, based on my little hands-on test and what Apple states: The iPhone 13 can store multiple eSIM profiles, and it can actively use two at the same time. You’ve got a couple of options, really:
- One physical SIM and one eSIM, active at the same time.
- Two eSIMs, active at the same time.
It’s actually pretty cool. You can have your personal number and a work number, or a local number and a travel number, all on one phone, without having to swap out tiny little SIM cards all the time.