The iPhone Air is officially on sale. 9 things you need to know before activating eSIM.

Yesterday, the iPhone Air was finally officially launched in the Chinese mainland. It is also the first mobile phone product in the mainland that supports eSIM. You probably have many questions about this phone without a physical SIM card slot, such as the support situation and how to insert the card...

Taking advantage of the first day of its launch, we went to the China Unicom Hankou Road Business Hall in Huangpu District, Shanghai, and applied for an eSIM phone card. Through communication with the on - site staff and by organizing various existing information on the Internet, we have compiled some questions that you may be interested in, hoping it can be helpful to you.

It should be noted in advance that since the eSIM service has just been launched in the mainland, there may still be imperfections in the application process and methods. The content listed in this article is for reference only. If you need to apply for the eSIM service, please consult the local business hall in advance to understand the relevant information before going.

Which operators support the eSIM service?

Currently, China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile in the Chinese mainland all support the eSIM service for the mainland - version iPhone Air. To apply for this service, you need to bring your ID card to an offline business hall in person, and the staff will assist you. China Broadcasting Network does not support the eSIM service for now.

It should be noted that not all offline business halls support the eSIM service. Taking China Unicom as an example, currently only China Unicom's self - owned business halls support this service, while cooperative business halls do not. We strongly recommend that you consult the business hall you plan to visit in advance or check through online channels such as the operator's app before going to apply.

Previously, Shenzhen Unicom posted an article on its WeChat official account, stating that it would launch a home - delivery eSIM service in Shenzhen. As of the time of writing, this article has been deleted from Shenzhen Unicom's WeChat official account, but the relevant collection form is still accessible. It is unclear about the support status of this service.

Finally, only the iPhone Air (Model: A3518) launched in the Chinese mainland supports the eSIM service of China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile in the mainland. Other versions of the iPhone Air do not support it.

What are the requirements for applying for an eSIM?

The requirements for applying for an eSIM are similar to those for applying for a traditional physical SIM card. The applicant is required to have no more than 5 valid phone cards under the same operator's name and no more than 10 valid operator phone cards in total in the Chinese mainland.

▍Are there any restrictions on the operator packages for applying for the eSIM service?

After inquiring with the customer service staff of the three operators, we learned that the eSIM service currently supports new applications and the transfer of existing phone cards, and there are no restrictions on the packages.

▍Is it convenient to apply for the eSIM service?

I applied for the eSIM service at the China Unicom Hankou Road Business Hall in Shanghai. Since I was switching a physical SIM card registered in Shanghai to an eSIM card, it was a local eSIM application. And the staff was quite proficient in the business. Overall, the application process was very convenient. I handed over my eSIM - enabled phone and ID card to the business hall staff, and it only took about 10 minutes to complete the application and successfully activate the eSIM. After the eSIM was activated, the original physical SIM card immediately became invalid.

▍Is it possible to apply for the eSIM service across regions?

Since the eSIM service has just been launched in the Chinese mainland, the relevant application process and technical details are still being continuously improved, and the application policies are also constantly being adjusted. The following information is for reference only. For actual application, please consult the local business hall in detail before going.

According to the staff of the China Unicom Hankou Road Business Hall in Shanghai and the Lujiazui Flagship Business Hall, currently, China Unicom's eSIM service supports cross - region applications nationwide. The cardholder needs to bring their ID card to the business hall to apply.

However, I then called the staff of the China Unicom Xiaoshan Tonghui North Road Business Hall in Hangzhou and was told that currently, China Unicom's eSIM service does not support cross - province applications. It is uncertain whether it supports cross - city applications, and I was advised to go to the business hall and ask the store manager for confirmation.

Regarding China Mobile, according to the "Introduction to China Mobile's eSIM Mobile Phone Service Application", currently, it does not support new cross - region eSIM applications, but it supports cross - province eSIM card replacement services. You can bring your eSIM - enabled phone and your ID card to an offline business hall to convert your existing physical SIM card into an eSIM card. China Mobile also only supports eSIM - related services at its self - owned business halls.

Regarding China Telecom, after consulting the online customer service through the mobile client, we learned that China Telecom supports cross - province eSIM card transfer services, but you need to make an appointment first and then go to the designated business hall of the operator in the appointed province to apply.

▍Can residents from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as foreigners, apply for the eSIM service?

According to the staff of the China Unicom Hankou Road Business Hall in Shanghai and the No. 1 China Mobile Business Hall in Wuxi, residents from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan can use their permits to enter and exit the Chinese mainland to apply for the eSIM service, but cross - region applications are not supported. Foreigners can use their passports or permanent residence permits to apply for the eSIM service.

It should be emphasized again that when the above - mentioned people apply for the eSIM service of China Unicom and China Mobile, they can only do so through the iPhone Air (Model: A3518) launched in the Chinese mainland. Currently, iPhone Air models launched in other regions do not support writing in phone cards.

By asking the online customer service in the China Telecom app, we learned that China Telecom currently does not support residents from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, as well as foreigners, to apply for the eSIM service.

▍Can I apply for an overseas eSIM card?

According to the Apple support document, when in the Chinese mainland, the iPhone Air only supports writing in eSIM cards from local operators, namely China Unicom, China Telecom, and China Mobile.

When you take the mainland - version iPhone Air to Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, or overseas, you can write in eSIM services provided by operators from other countries and regions.

▍How many eSIM cards can be written in?

According to the Apple support document:

On the same iPhone Air purchased in the Chinese mainland, you can have a maximum of two eSIMs. If your iPhone Air already has two eSIMs, when you need to activate another travel eSIM overseas, you must first delete one of them. If you want to re - activate the deleted eSIM after returning to the mainland, you must go to the operator's offline business hall to handle it.

In contrast, the technical specifications of the Hong Kong - version iPhone Air clearly state that "it can store eight or more eSIMs". It can be seen that the mainland - version iPhone Air has stricter restrictions on writing in eSIM cards.

However, according to the content posted by the Xiaohongshu user @eSIM Global Roaming Guide, they wrote 11 eSIM cards from Hong Kong on their mainland - version iPhone Air in Hong Kong, but the phone had not written in eSIM cards from the three major domestic operators.

The above information about writing in cards is only for reference and does not constitute any rule explanation or purchase advice. Please refer to Apple's official support documents or the introductions of domestic operators regarding such situations.

▍How to cancel/switch the applied eSIM?

Similar to the Apple Watch, the eSIM card written in the iPhone Air can be directly deleted in the system settings so that the phone can write in other cards.

In addition, when erasing the iPhone Air, the system will prompt you whether to keep the eSIM number. So you don't have to worry that similar operations or other unexpected situations will cause the eSIM number to be lost from the device, requiring you to frequently go to the offline business hall to handle it.

However, deleting the eSIM does not mean canceling the card or unbinding it from the device. If you want to convert the deleted eSIM card back to a physical card or write it into another device, you still need to bring your ID card or the relevant documents mentioned above to the offline business hall to handle it.

▍Conclusion

The above are some precautions we have compiled regarding the application for the eSIM service. It should be reminded again that currently, the eSIM service in the mainland is in its infancy, and many details and operation processes are constantly changing. If you have a need, please consult the local business hall in advance to understand the details before going to apply.

The official launch of the iPhone Air can be said to have truly opened the door to the era of domestic eSIM cards. We are glad to see this first step taken by domestic operators and look forward to more brands and products responding in the future, making the application and development of the domestic eSIM service more perfect and truly providing more convenience for users.

This article is from the WeChat official account “Sspai” (ID: sspaime), author: waychane, published by 36Kr with authorization.