Android expands eSIM transfer tool, but it’s still pretty limited

Ben Schoon | Jan 29 2024 - 5:25 am PT

After announcing the feature last year, Google appears to be more widely rolling out support for eSIM transfer across devices on Android.

eSIM support on Android is relatively limited, but continues to improve slowly with time. In 2023, Google announced that it would bring support for eSIM transfer in Android that works across devices, but the functionality didn’t quite make its debut before the year’s end. Quietly, though, it seems to be available now.

As spotted by Android Police, Samsung’s new Galaxy S24 series seems to be able to trigger support for Android’s eSIM transfer tool during its setup process.

When moving from an older Android device using an eSIM to the Galaxy S24, users are able to transfer their eSIM without setting it back up from scratch. As reported back in August, this whole process works over a QR code that’s shown on the new device, and scanned with the old one. The UI doesn’t seem to have changed since it first appeared a few months ago. Android Police managed to get the feature to show up from a Pixel 8 Pro (in both directions, too), while another user saw it show up on an LG V60, which implies this works on Android 13 too.

We were also able to find this option on the Galaxy S24 Ultra after setup, through the “SIM Manager” portion of the Settings menu. A reworked page includes “Transfer SIM from another device” which appears to be Google’s cross-device option. Apparently, that’s supported on Samsung devices running One UI 6.1 and above.

Samsung explains:

Make sure your other device has a secure screen lock. If the other device is a Galaxy, it needs to have One UI 6.1 or above.

Unlock your other device and place it next to this one. Tap Transfer on your other device to transfer your SIM to this phone.

There are also options for scanning a QR code provided by your carrier, or to “Search for eSIMs.” These options add a new eSIM versus transferring from another device.

The big catch here, though, is that this option is still exclusive to T-Mobile eSIMs. There’s no word on when, or if this will make its way to other carriers. Apple, notably, offers eSIM transfer on iPhone that works across virtually all carriers.

On Pixel, the transfer option shows up and explicitly shows that it only works with T-Mobile.

As we also reported earlier this month, Android is readying support for eSIM conversion, which also seems to only work with T-Mobile.