eSIM has been around for a long time, and many smartwatches already support it. but eSIM handling and management is very different on Android devices, and there’s still no easy way to manage and switch between phones. Google plans to use a new tool later this year to change that.
Google announced at the MWC 2023 event that it will bring an eSIM switching tool to Android later this year. It will come with a newer version of Android (expected to be Android 14), which will be released in the fourth quarter of 2023. The feature is based on a standard developed by the GSMA and allows users to easily and securely transfer eSIMs from one device to another.
Google announced that Deutsche Telekom will be the first carrier to adopt Android’s eSIM switching mechanism, meaning users won’t have to sign up for a new eSIM and wait hours for it to activate each time they change devices. Apple already offers eSIM card transfers between iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Once the feature is fully rolled out globally and all carriers begin to support it, expect more smartphones to drop their physical SIM slots. Apple already sells the iPhone 14 series without any physical SIM slots in the United States.
eSIM or eUICC is considered the next iteration of the SIM card, offering the ability to change service provider profiles via OTA without physically replacing the SIM card itself.
