It looks like the Android eSIM transfer tool, which was previously limited to Google Pixel phones, is now working across different smartphone manufacturers. However, in India, it might take some time before you can transfer your eSIMs from one device to another.
In the last few years, the number of people buying a smartphone has been a huge increase and so has the number of eSIM users. While ditching a physical SIM card in favour of a virtual one might seem handy, transferring eSIM from one device to another is often a tedious task.
Google had acknowledged the issue and at last year’s Mobile World Congress announced that they would soon launch an eSIM transfer tool for Android that let users easily switch their virtual SIMs from one phone to another. The new tool was first spotted by Pixel 8 users who were able to transfer their eSIM from an older Pixel to a new one, giving the impression that the functionality might be limited to Pixel phones.
But as it turns out, this isn’t the case. According to a recent report by Android Police’s Mishaal Rehman, the new eSIM transfer tool was recently spotted by a user who tried to use the Samsung SIM’s transfer tool.
Here’s what the pop-up looks like. (Image Source: Mishaal Rehman/Android Police)
Samsung had introduced the eSIM transfer tool in the One UI 5.1 update last year, but it was limited to a handful of Galaxy devices. However, with the recent Android 14 update, a tipster noted that the tool indicated compatibility with non-Galaxy phones as well.
Rehman also says that the recent move by Samsung is more than just a cosmetic change as when they opened the tool on their Galaxy S24 Ultra, a pop-up powered by Google Play Services opened on the nearby Pixel 8 Pro. This means users will soon be able to transfer their eSIMS from one phone but this functionality currently seems to be limited to United States’ network provider T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telecom. While we haven’t tried it out, the new functionality might take some time before it works with network providers in India.
Source:indianexpress.com