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Swapping SIM cards used to be easy, and then came eSIM.
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It depends on what you change more often.
If you change your provider more often, than eSIMs are fine. You don’t have to wait for anything in the mail, or go to a store.
If you (me) keep your provider for a couple decades, a physical SIM card can be moved to any new phone at any time, without even needing to talk to your provider. Never mind asking them to approve your new niche little phone they’ve never heard of, and don’t know will work (it will)
Out of curiosity, what sort of reasons do people have to switch out their SIM? I haven’t done that in a long time myself, but I might not be the typical user.
I switch mine out fairly often. I can’t use a phone with a camera at work, so i just swap it out for my normal phone on Friday. Alternatively I’d either need 2 lines, 2 providers, or whatever. Instead i just toss the work phone in the drawer and use the phone i had from before.
I travel internationally semi-regularly. I use an eSIM when not traveling, and will buy a local physical SIM if I’m visiting somewhere where local service is cheaper than my roaming rates.
If you are a phone reviewer, you would have to swap it frequently. For the average person, maybe if they have two devices, one each for work and personal, with just a single line. Not very common tho.
For the average person, maybe if they have two devices, one each for work and personal, with just a single line. Not very common tho.
I’ve never heard of anybody doing that, and I work in an industry where separate work phones are extremely common. 99% of them are company-supplied.
I do that exact thing. My shop doesn’t supply a phone, just a small stipend (like $30) and they lock they ever loving shit out of any phone you use that for. We can’t have cameras for example, and require specific mobile apps.
It might be useful to switch phones when you’re going somewhere with a high risk of loosing your phone or the phone getting stolen.
I have 5 esims and swap betwen them offten, click and done. SIMs are a pita.
Seems to be migration to phones every other week for reviews is an issie but not one most people are going to have ? I’ve had the same phone for years now
I think the nightmare starts when your phone stops working completely, I experienced this without eSim and it was already complicated for a switch, I guess eSim adds some problems, but overall I think it still makes things easier, especially when you travel and the roaming fees are too expensive
What are your use cases for all those SIMs?
Three uses I could see:
- Personal
- Work (if no work phone)
- Travel (providers like Saily allow you to take a temporary sim for a country you’re visiting, basically what used to be the people selling sims at the airport. eSIM makes it less shady and basically one-click) [maybe multiple of these if they travel often because different providers are better in certain regions]
Extrajudicially unlicensed medication dispenser.
Rug Realer
Swapping sims is easier now. You scan a QR code, wait 30 minutes, restart phone and you’re good to go. No need to wait for a sim card to be mailed to you. No need to purchase a sim card in the local store.
But if I am trying to debug some mobile connection related thing I can’t be waiting 30 minutes to swap it back and forth every time. Then I won’t be able to solve the problem in a timely fashion.
I used an eSIM a few years ago, but it always felt iffy and reminded me too much of Verizon’s old CDMA networks where the phones had no SIMs and were permanently tied to the carrier no matter what. Then my phone (Pixel 7 Pro) decided to take a shit, leaving me with no phone number for several days while I waited for the replacement SIM.
eSIMs have their place for secondary lines, like a different carrier for certain low-service situations that pop up here and there in my area, but otherwise I now only run a physical SIM for my main line.
I personally like eSIM. I have an app by my phone provider where I can just create or move a eSIM in minutes.
And additionally, I can just create a new eSIM with a new number in just about the same time. When my wife got a new phone, I just created a new eSIM for her old phone. This way, she could use them both for a week or two.
Have you had to recover from a failed device yet? Managing the SIM with the app will work great as long as the app is in fact working, but it’s not obvious how you would go about connecting a new device when the old device is not available.
I did not do it yet myself, but I would just install the app on the new device, and register it again - exactly the way I did it the first time. Anytime a new eSIM is created, the old profile will revoked. At least, thats what the FAQ says.
So you’re now fully bound to your ISP, their proprietary shit app, and their servers providing you a new SIM instead of just swapping a physical piece of hardware in seconds. Getting new SIMs in an ideal condition is the only advantage.
So you’re now fully bound to your ISP
Do you think you can only use an eSIM on a locked phone? Physical SIM or not, a carrier locked phone is a locked phone. You can use eSIMs on unlocked phones just fine
their proprietary shit app, and their servers providing you a new SIM instead of just swapping a physical piece of hardware in seconds
The difference is you don’t have to physically go someplace to get a card or have one shipped to you. You just need the Internet and an app.
You’re complaining about semantics with no real difference, just convenience 99% of the time.
Only if your phone is locked to your carrier. On which case, you were already bound to them and their policies.
I have esims from an international provider when I travel. My phone is unlocked.
For me wanting to switch to a Linux phone in the future it seems less than ideal to have esim instead of physical.
You’re right, i need to use this specific app to change my eSIM. But I’m not bound in any way that I can’t change providers. In fact, eSIM makes switching to another provider even simpler.
I wouldn’t be so dramatic. Transferring an eSIM is only a few clicks, there is no need for searching the little thingie to open SIM compartment, no searching for the right hole to stick it into, no fear of losing the tiny SIM card during the process. I would say the transfer process is pretty hard, mainly for older people or people with bigger fingers. On the other hand, you still need the operator and his servers and proprietary code for the SIM to be useful (unless you are building your own network).
Unless your carrier requires you to go down to their physical store and pay a fee to move your eSIM to another device.
You’re complaining about a carrier policy, not eSIMs in general. Most carriers don’t have that requirement.
In fact I never even heard of that before, and I’m an American where that’s exactly the type of nickel and dime bullshit they’d do.
I moved to eSIM a few years ago and I had to switch back to physical.
Why did you switch back?
If I recall correctly my service provider was unable to transfer my esim to a new phone unless I switched to physical.
