Originally Posted by
fbcooper
Can multiple people activate the same esim. Like we have a google fi sim that we just pass around when someomes traveling abroad or have people visiting us in the states. We'd swap sims between our phone if someones phone was dying.
Originally Posted by
draver
According to Apple you can, but I don't have a non Apple phone with esim to test this with. I have transferred esims between iPhones with no issues for the past few years reliably however. This can be done prior to travel, however you would be at the mercy of the support service of the carrier if there is a problem and it doesn't work as planned.
Just like a physical SIM, an eSIM can only be "installed" in one phone at a time. In iOS 16, you can transfer eSIMs between iPhones but only if the carrier involved supports it. For Android, iOS 15 and earlier, or carriers without that support, you have to have the carrier send you a new QR code to switch phones. Depending on the carrier that can be as easy as accessing your account online or sending an SMS, or it can require sitting on hold waiting for a customer service rep.
I'm sure that sooner or later there will be a standard(ish) procedure to transfer eSIMs but until then I wouldn't use eSIM for a line I was going to pass around between phones. Having to deal with the carrier to switch phones reminds me of the bad old days of analog and CDMA phones, or of crappy carriers like MetroPCS that look for new ways to charge pointless fees.