Best buy guide: Galaxy Watch 6 or Galaxy S24+. Woo-hoo join SamMobile on WhatsApp or Telegram!

SamMobile has affiliate and sponsored partnerships. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn a commission.

Notifications
    News for you

    Android 12 adds eSIM support to the Galaxy S21 in the USA

    Phone
    By 

    Last updated: September 15th, 2021 at 22:17 UTC+02:00

    Android 12 and One UI 4.0 for the Galaxy S21 series may be light on big new features, but it's packed with more than 60 not-so-big ones that make the user experience a great deal better than it was on Android 11 and One UI 3.0.

    And, for US customers, the first One UI 4.0 beta that Samsung released this week brings a feature that has been available to Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra users in other markets since launch: eSIM support.

    The Galaxy S21 lineup (and other Samsung flagships) comes with a dual SIM tray in most markets and also allows the use of an eSIM, effectively making them triple-SIM phones (though only the second physical SIM or the eSIM can be active at any given moment). But eSIM support doesn't come enabled in some countries, and the USA was one of those until the Android 12-based One UI 4.0 beta came along.

    Samsung also enabled eSIM support on the T-Mobile variant of the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra earlier this year with a random security update. Naturally, since One UI 4.0 is in the beta phase at the moment, most Galaxy S21, S21+, and S21 Ultra owners will have to wait until later this year to receive eSIM functionality when the stable Android 12 and One UI 4.0 update is rolled out publicly.

    Or, if you don't feel like waiting, you can join the One UI 4.0 beta program if you have a T-Mobile, Sprint, or unlocked Galaxy S21 model. The signup process is easy, but be warned that the beta might not be stable enough for day-to-day use yet and it would be a good idea to backup all your important data beforehand.

    Source FirmwarePhone Android 12Galaxy S21Galaxy S21 PlusGalaxy S21 UltraOne UI 4.0T-Mobile

    You might also like

    One UI 6.1 coming in early May with Galaxy AI for 2022 and 2021 flagships!

    One UI 6.1 coming in early May with Galaxy AI for 2022 and 2021 flagships!

    Samsung has finally confirmed that Galaxy AI features are coming to flagship Galaxy smartphones launched in 2022 and 2021. It has also been confirmed that these devices will get One UI 6.1 starting in May. However, there is a catch: devices launched in 2021 will get just two AI features. One will be Google Circle […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 1 day ago
    Galaxy S21 series gets April security update as users wait for One UI 6.1

    Galaxy S21 series gets April security update as users wait for One UI 6.1

    Eagerly anticipating the release of the One UI 6.1 update for your Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21+, or Galaxy S21 Ultra? Well, bad news: that update is nowhere in sight. Instead, Samsung has released a standard security update for its 2021 flagship lineup. One UI 6.1 is currently available only for Samsung's flagship devices launched in […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 4 days ago
    Galaxy S21 series grabs March 2024 security update

    Galaxy S21 series grabs March 2024 security update

    Samsung has started rolling out the March 2024 security update to the Galaxy S21 series in several countries worldwide, including the US. The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S23, and Galaxy S24 series have already received the update. The update could be released in other countries soon. Galaxy S21 gets March 2024 security update in Europe, Latin […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 4 weeks ago
    Galaxy S21 Ultra was used to test Starlink’s satellite-to-phone service

    Galaxy S21 Ultra was used to test Starlink’s satellite-to-phone service

    SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that Starlink achieved peak download speeds for its satellite-to-phone service using a Samsung phone. It was then revealed that the test was done using a Galaxy S21 Ultra and in collaboration with one of the cellular service providers in the USA. Starlink gets 17Mb/s download speeds for satellite-to-phone service on […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 1 month ago
    T-Mobile customers can unlock Galaxy S24 and other Samsung phones early

    T-Mobile customers can unlock Galaxy S24 and other Samsung phones early

    Those who have purchased a Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, Galaxy S24 Ultra, and some other recent Samsung phones from T-Mobile have discovered that they can get rid of the network lock on their phones earlier than they're supposed to. Carrier-locked smartphones in the US are restricted to the carrier they were purchased from to avoid […]

    • By Abhijeet Mishra
    • 2 months ago
    Carrier-locked Galaxy S21 gets February 2024 security update in the USA

    Carrier-locked Galaxy S21 gets February 2024 security update in the USA

    A few days ago, Samsung released the February 2024 security update to the Galaxy S21 series in Europe. A couple of days later, the update was released to the factory-unlocked units of the Galaxy S21 series in the US. The company has now started rolling out the new security update to the carrier-locked units of […]

    • By Asif Iqbal Shaik
    • 2 months ago