THE JOURNAL

Straight answers for travelers who need to be online

Fixes when an eSIM will not connect, comparisons with dated prices, and the basics explained once. Each article answers one question people actually search.

  • Problemfixes, in the order support tries them
  • Decisioncomparisons with dated prices and sources
  • Basicshow it works, which phones, what to expect
PROBLEMeSIM not working on Samsung? What to check, in order

On a Samsung Galaxy, a travel eSIM that shows no data is usually switched off in SIM manager, has Data roaming off, or is not set as the mobile data SIM. Fix those three first, then toggle Airplane mode and pick the network by hand. Check the APN, restart, update and, as a last step, reset network settings. Never delete the eSIM while troubleshooting.

10 min readRead the answer →
BASICSWhich iPhones support eSIM (XR to 18 Pro) and which are eSIM-only

Every iPhone from the XS, XS Max and XR (2018) up to the iPhone 18 Pro, 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo (2026) supports eSIM; the iPhone X and older do not. The iPhone Air and Duo have no SIM tray anywhere, the iPhone 14 to 16e have none in the US, and the 17 range, 17e and 18 Pro have none in the US, Canada, Japan, Mexico and six Gulf countries. Phones sold in China mainland and many sold in Hong Kong or Macao are the main exceptions.

8 min readPROBLEMeSIM not working on iPhone? 9 fixes that actually work

When a travel eSIM shows no signal or "No Service" on an iPhone, the cause is almost always one of three settings, not a broken eSIM: Data Roaming is off for that line, the eSIM is not the line chosen for Cellular Data, or the phone is still clinging to the wrong network. Work through the nine checks below in order; most phones are online by step 3, and steps 4 to 7 cover carrier settings, a network reset and a carrier-locked iPhone. Checked on October 22, 2026 against Apple's own support pages.

8 min read