Android is adding support for eSIM transfer between devices

Ben Schoon | Feb 27 2023 - 6:55 am PT

eSIM has been around for several years at this point, but support and handling is wildly different across different Android devices and carriers. Today, Google is announcing a new tool that will help the future of eSIM on Android, with support for eSIM transfer.

Alongside announcements regarding Wear OS 3 and Android, Google revealed that Android is picking up support for an eSIM transfer tool.

Google explained that support for eSIM transfer is coming to Android “later this year,” presumably attached to a later release of Android. The company expands that the new support allows users to transfer their service between devices virtually and works off of the global standard built out by the GSMA, with European carrier Deutsche Telekom among the first to adopt support.

And later this year, building on GSMA’s global standard, we’re bringing a new eSIM transfer capability to Android that allows users to quickly and securely transfer their mobile plan to a new device, without having to swap a physical SIM card. Deutsche Telekom is taking the first step in using this industry standard to enable a simple and secure transfer with eSIM for the Android ecosystem.

Last month, evidence was uncovered within Android’s QPR2 release where Google was laying the groundwork for eSIM transfer. That version of Android should be released in the not-too-distant future, but Google’s phrasing implies we might not see the feature fully debut until a bit later on in 2023.

In any case, it’s great to see Google giving eSIM some attention, as the state of eSIM on Android is certainly ready for improvements.