Squatch Connect · Guide

How eSIMs work on iPhone and Android

The four things that actually matter before you fly: your phone supports it, it's installed before you need it, only the travel line roams, and your home number keeps working.

Check your phone is eSIM-capable and unlocked

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into your phone instead of a physical card you swap in — but it only works if two things are true: your phone model supports eSIM, and your phone is unlocked from your current carrier.

Most iPhones from the XS/XR generation onward, and most recent flagship Android phones, support eSIM. A phone bought on an installment plan or carrier contract is sometimes locked even if it's eSIM-capable — check with your carrier if you're not sure, since a locked phone can't add a second carrier's eSIM.

Install the eSIM before you fly

Install your travel eSIM while you still have Wi-Fi or your home data connection — arriving and discovering you need connectivity to set up connectivity is the exact problem an eSIM is supposed to solve.

On iPhones running iOS 17.4 or later, Squatch Connect can install the eSIM in one tap through Apple's own provisioning link. Older iOS versions, and most Android phones, install via a QR code the app shows you, or by entering the activation details manually in your phone's cellular settings.

Turn on data roaming for the eSIM line only

Installing the eSIM adds it as a second line — it doesn't activate on its own. Go into your phone's cellular or SIM settings, select the new eSIM line, and turn on data roaming for that line specifically.

This is also the point to set your eSIM as the line used for cellular data (while keeping your home SIM as the default for calls and texts, see below) so your phone actually uses the local data plan instead of racking up roaming charges on your home carrier.

Keep your home SIM active for calls and texts

You don't need to remove or disable your home SIM to use a travel eSIM — most phones run both at once. Keep your physical SIM or home eSIM active for calls and texts on your usual number, and let the new travel eSIM carry the data.

This is exactly the setup Squatch Connect is built around: a second data-only line you add for a trip and can leave installed for the next one, without touching your primary number.

Where Squatch Connect fits

Squatch Connect sells the eSIM data plan itself — pick a destination, pick a plan, and install it using the steps above. No account, no subscription, and prices with the per-GB math already done for you. Browse destinations, see exactly how the no-account checkout works, or see how Squatch Connect works.