iOS 26 Adds Support for Transferring an eSIM to and From Android

With iOS 26, Apple is adding support for transferring an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android device, and vice versa. The new functionality will make it easier for smartphone users to move their numbers between platforms, alleviating the need to contact a carrier for help with a transition between ‌iPhone‌ and Android.

ios 26 android transfer esim
Some ‌iOS 26‌ users have noticed a "Transfer to Android" option in their cellular settings, though it is not an option for all plans at the current time. On Reddit, an ‌iPhone‌ user with US Mobile's Dark Star eSIM found a cellular option to transfer an eSIM to an Android device.

When adding an eSIM in ‌iOS 26‌, there's also a "Transfer From Android" option. Tapping on it provides a QR code that can be scanned with an Android device to start the transfer process, and that's also how the ‌iPhone‌ to Android transfer process works.

Apple appears to have implemented the new functionality alongside Google. Prior to when ‌iOS 26‌ debuted, an Android 16 beta featured a reference to a "Transfer to Android" feature that hinted at the new cross-platform transferring options.

In iOS 18, it is simple to transfer an eSIM from ‌iPhone‌ to ‌iPhone‌, but it is not easy to transfer an eSIM from an ‌iPhone‌ to an Android device. It typically requires contacting a carrier to get a QR code, as there is no automated way to make the transition. With ‌iOS 26‌, many ‌iPhone‌ users who want to move to Android should have an easier time doing so.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...

Top Rated Comments

platinumaqua Avatar
22 weeks ago

It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Never had to run to a carrier store to replace a bad eSIM. Easy to add. I've got a Verizon work iPhone that I added my personal Xfinity line to. One phone, two active lines from two different carriers. All done from the privacy of my own home.
I can count on one hand how many times my physical SIM has failed and I still have all fingers unused.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Apple$ Avatar
22 weeks ago
Finally! This is the most annoying thing about eSIM. Glad it’s being fixed now for the frequent Android and iOS switchers. I may try eSIM next time I get another Android phone.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
22 weeks ago

With iOS 26, Apple is adding support for transferring an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android device, and vice versa.
This could be handy for me at some point.

Thx Apple!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
22 weeks ago
Personally I like a device that has eSIM + Physical SIM onboard for maximum flexibility.

I run dual SIM that way on my 13 Mini.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TechRunner Avatar
22 weeks ago
Man, it's going to make it hard for me to resist grabbing a Pixel 10 Pro (to go with my 16PM) when my wife gets hers if I can do the swap that easily. Poverty, here we come!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
firefuze Avatar
22 weeks ago

........they use different plans and are provisioned differently....... why would they add that? And why would anyone want that hassle?
Where’s the ‘hassle’ in having the ability? The hassle is not being able to. With physical SIM cards you could move between devices, now you can’t.

I can use the data component of my phone plan in my iPad and vice versa if I wish and have done so many times in the past, commonly when I have a friend/family from overseas visit, I give them my iPad SIM card to use in their phone to avoid roaming charges - as all they need is data. Rarely need to make cellular calls or SMS these days, so there are use cases even if they are niche.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)