eSIM has been here for a few years now, and the Gear S2 Classic smartwatch was Samsung’s first device to support eSIM back in 2016. However, eSIM’s handling and management are wildly different on Android-powered devices, and there’s still no easy way to transfer it between phones. Google plans to change that later this year with a new tool.
Google announced during the ongoing MWC 2023 event that it is bringing an eSIM transfer tool to Android later this year. It is being reported that it will come with a newer version of Android (Android 14), which will be released in Q4 of 2023. It means we can see this feature on Galaxy phones running One UI 6.0. The feature is based on a standard developed by GSMA, and it allows users to easily and securely transfer an eSIM from one device to another.
Google announced that Deutsche Telekom would be the first carrier to adopt Android’s eSIM transfer mechanism, which means the user won’t have to register for a new eSIM every time they change a device and wait for a few hours before it gets activated. Apple already offers eSIM transfer between iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.
Once this feature is fully rolled out across the world and all carriers start supporting it, we might see all smartphones ditch the physical SIM card slot, similar to removable batteries and the 3.5mm headphone jack. Apple already sells iPhone 14 series in the US without any physical SIM card slot.
