How to install your eSIM, step by step
You install it at home, on Wi-Fi, in a couple of minutes. Installing it uses no data and doesn’t start the plan. Your plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects to a network in your destination country.
Before you start
- Connect to Wi-Fi. The eSIM profile downloads over the internet. Do it at home, before you leave: if you wait until you land and the airport has no Wi-Fi, you won't be able to install it.
- Have the email with the QR code to hand. It's the one you get when you buy. If you can't find it, you can ask us to resend it from My eSIM.
- Enough battery. Activation takes a few minutes and you don't want it to stop halfway.
- An unlocked phone. Even if it supports eSIM, a phone locked to a network won't accept another line.
The steps for your phone
iPhone
- Connect to a Wi-Fi network.
- Open Settings → Mobile Data and tap Add eSIM. (On US iPhones this menu is called Cellular instead of Mobile Data.)
- Tap Use QR Code and scan the QR code in the email. If you're reading the email on the same iPhone, tap the installation link in it instead.
- Tap Continue and wait for it to finish activating. It can take a few minutes.
- Give the new line a label, for example “Glowi”.
- Under Default Line, choose your usual line: that way calls and texts still go out from your own number.
- Under Mobile Data, keep your usual line for now. You'll switch to Glowi when you arrive.
- When you arrive, go to Settings → Mobile Data → Mobile Data, choose the Glowi line and turn off Allow Mobile Data Switching.
- Tap the Glowi line in Settings → Mobile Data and turn on Data Roaming.
Stuck on a step? Write to us and we'll sort it out with you.
Android
On Android, the menus aren't called the same thing on every brand. Below you'll find the path for Samsung and for Google Pixel; if your phone is another brand, the steps are the same even if the menus have different names.
- Connect to a Wi-Fi network.
- Open the SIM menu and tap Add eSIM.
Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM.
Google Pixel: Settings → Network & internet → SIMs → Add SIM. - Choose Scan QR code and scan the QR code in the email.
- Confirm the download and wait for it to finish. It can take a few minutes.
- Give the new line a name, for example “Glowi”.
- In the same SIM menu, keep your usual line for Calls and Messages, and for Mobile data too for now.
- When you arrive, switch mobile data to the Glowi line.
Samsung: SIM manager → Mobile data → Glowi.
Google Pixel: tap the Glowi SIM and turn on Mobile data. - Turn on data roaming for that line.
Samsung: Settings → Connections → Mobile networks → Data roaming.
Google Pixel: on the Glowi SIM, turn on Roaming.
Stuck on a step? Write to us and we'll sort it out with you.
Menu names can vary depending on the model and the software version.
If you can't scan the QR code
The QR code is just a convenient way of entering two pieces of information. Both are also in the email, below the code: the SM-DP+ address and the activation code. With them you can install it by hand.
On iPhone: Settings → Mobile Data → Add eSIM → Use QR Code and, on the camera screen, tap Enter Details Manually. Enter the SM-DP+ address and the activation code there.
On Android: on the scanning screen, look for the option to type the code in by hand. Depending on the brand it appears as “Enter manually”, “Need help?” or “Enter activation code”.
Paste the values exactly as they are, with no extra spaces at the start or end: that's the most common mistake when doing it by hand.
When you arrive
Installing the eSIM isn't enough: you have to tell your phone to use that line for data. Three things, in this order.
Set mobile data to the Glowi line. Your usual SIM stays on calls and texts; data has to go through Glowi.
Turn on Data Roaming. Turn on data roaming for that line (it’s normal and costs nothing extra).
Wait a few minutes. The eSIM has to latch on to a local network. If it takes a while, turn Aeroplane Mode on and off once.
Your plan doesn't start until that first connection, so there's no harm in taking your time.
If something doesn't work
At this stage, “it doesn't work” is almost always one of these three, and all three can be fixed in your phone's settings:
- Data Roaming is off on the Glowi line. It's the number one cause.
- Data is still going through your home SIM, even though the eSIM is installed and visible.
- The APN is missing, which only happens on some Android phones.
How to fix each one, step by step — with the APN for each destination, what to check when you have signal but no internet, what to do if the QR code won't scan and what happens if the eSIM has expired.
Would you rather we took a look? Write to us: a real person will reply.
Frequently asked questions
Does installing it use data or start the plan?
Installing it uses no data and doesn’t start the plan. Your plan starts counting when the eSIM first connects to a network in your destination country.
Do I need internet to install it?
Yes, to download the profile. The easiest way is on your home Wi-Fi before you leave.
Do I have to remove my current SIM?
No. Both lines live side by side on your phone. Yours for calls and texts, Glowi's for data.
How many times can I use the QR code?
Once. The profile downloads once and, from then on, that QR code is used up. If you delete the eSIM from your phone, you need a new one.
Can I move it to another phone?
Not directly: once you delete it from a phone, it can't be reinstalled with the same QR code. Write to us before you delete it and we'll look into it with you.
What if my phone asks for an APN?
It happens on some Android phones. The value depends on the destination and is on your country's page: how to enter it, and the values for the most popular destinations, are in the troubleshooting guide.