Looking to upgrade to the iPhone 14? It won’t be as simple as taking the SIM card out of your current phone and putting it in. Apple announced at Wednesday’s “Far Out” event that the company is fully adopting virtual embedded SIMs — also known as eSIMs — as the default, a change it has been gradually moving toward for years. This means there will be no physical SIM card tray on the US models. With eSIMs you’ll still be able to take full advantage of a carrier’s 4G LTE or 5G networks and use your phone the same way you did before. Apple has supported eSIMs in iPhones dating back to 2018’s iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR, and has long supported the technology in recent cellular iPads and Apple Watches. Last year’s iPhone 13 series even allowed multiple eSIMs to be activated at the same time, useful for those who want to have a work number and a personal number on a single device. By embracing eSIMs, Apple and other manufacturers can also begin abandoning the physical SIM card slot, allowing more room for additional functionality in future devices. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon support eSIM use, as do several smaller or prepaid carriers such as Mint Mobile, Google Fi, or Verizon-owned Visible. While the basic experience shouldn’t change, there could be some noticeable advantages if you no longer have to get a physical SIM card from a carrier. If a network adds a new feature, the carrier can simply push an update directly to the phone, whereas in the past you might have had to order a new SIM card.
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Upgrading from 4G to 5G devices, for example, required a new SIM card on some carriers to be able to connect to the new networks. When you buy a phone from a carrier or on an installment plan from the carrier, you usually get the new SIM card in the box, so this isn’t much of a problem. However, if you were buying unlocked directly from Apple, you might need to get a new SIM. The use of eSIMs could also make it easier for consumers to explore or switch mobile providers. T-Mobile and Verizon’s Visible are using eSIMs as a way to let users try out their respective networks on their existing devices. Last week T-Mobile updated its trial program, now giving interested users three months of unlimited data to compare its 5G network with an existing carrier. If you want to switch, eSIM could simplify the process and get you up and running much faster than waiting for a physical card to be shipped or taking your handset into a store.
