I have ordered an iPhone Air. I have not bothered with any eSIM shit yet. I am going to Spain in a few weeks and I want to keep with what I know abroad. I want (and only want) an eSim that keeps my number. Simple enough you would think? NO!!!! This is the most complicated thing known to mankind! Much more complicated than the design of the phone! That is because the children are in charge of eSIMs! And it could just be that O2 are only interested in helping you if they get to sell you the phone and sign you up for two years. I'll get the phone and have plenty of time to play about with it on WiFi. When I get back from Spain, but have the phone in my hand, I will try again with O2 and an eSIM that retains my phone number. Perhaps my patience will have improved by then! I know nothing of Apple, so it will be good to learn something new.
My understanding is the phone SIM and the eSIM cannot share the same phone number. You use the phone SIM with your old number for calls and set up the phone (or iPad) to switch automatically to the eSIM for apps that require data. My phone contract allows European roaming at no extra charge (within my minutes/data allowance). Unlimited minutes and 4 Gig of data is more than enough with the free hotel wifi. Check your contract to see if you have roaming included. Andy
The iPhone Air does not take a physical SIM. You have to use an eSIM, so I cannot just take the SIM from my Android Samsung and put it in the iPhone. I do have an iPad, but have never bothered use it. I am just too lazy. I bought it for reading books and I already have a small eReading device and also my bigger Android tablet for reading. With the iPhone, I will want to get with it, to eventually use it as a phone. I am interested to see how good or bad it is. My current phone is shit. It works with WiFi at home and where I have just been for lunch at Ley Bistro, Out and about, when I was in Plymouth, it was junk. The O2 signal is useless there and in the shopping centre, it tried to tag on to any WiFi in sight, but the WiFi was for staff and required one to sign in. That meant no signal and no WiFi. Plymouth is shit for O2.
I am wary of self-appointed YouTube eggspurts. In the past, I have seen "fix my motorcycle" stuff when the tool of choice is a large club-hammer. I am wary of much that I see, where the conclusion is: if whacking it with a hammer doesn't do the trick, then sell to somebody more stupid than you. A very small market to restrict yourself to when you don't have to.
If your number is currently on a physical SIM You must: Request an eSIM swap from O2 In store (fastest) Or via app / customer service They give you a QR code Scan it on your iPhone Air Your number moves over Your physical SIM will stop working after this
I've never done this either. So basically you go into the shop and ask for an esim and they fix the whole shebang whilst you're there. Sounds easy!
