How to Switch Between eSIM Profiles Without Losing Connectivity

Switching between eSIM profiles is a toggle in your phone's settings, not a delete-and-reinstall. iPhone and Android can both keep several eSIMs stored on one device at the same time; you just choose which one is active for calls, texts and data. On iPhone that's Settings → Cellular, and on Android it's Settings → Network & Internet or Connections → SIM Manager, depending on the brand. This guide walks through both platforms step by step, plus what to check if a switch doesn't take right away.

#Before you start

Confirm both eSIM profiles are already installed on the device; this guide covers switching between them, not installing a new one for the first time. If one of the two is a travel eSIM, such as a co:sim data-only plan for an upcoming trip, it should already show up in your carrier list even while it's turned off.

Check how many eSIMs your device can store versus how many it can run active at once. These are different numbers, and mixing them up is the source of most switching confusion. iPhones from the XS onward can store 8 or more eSIMs, but only run one or two lines active simultaneously, and Apple explains the storage-versus-active distinction directly in its own Dual SIM support guide. Samsung Galaxy phones typically store 10 to 12 profiles while running 1 to 2 active, according to Samsung's own eSIM support page, and newer Pixel phones store up to 8 and can run two eSIMs active at once (Google Pixel support). Have Wi-Fi available too, in case the phone needs to briefly re-verify a profile during the switch.

#Step-by-step: switching between eSIM profiles

#On iPhone

1. Open Settings and tap Cellular (or Mobile Data).
2. Tap the line you want to switch off, then turn off Turn On This Line.
3. Tap the line you want to use instead, then turn on Turn On This Line.
4. Go back to Cellular, tap Cellular Data, and choose which line should handle mobile data.
5. If you want the phone to fall back to the other line automatically when one has no signal, turn on Allow Cellular Data Switching under Cellular Data Options.

Apple documents each of these steps in its official Dual SIM guide, including the exact menu wording used above (source).

#On Android

Menu names vary by brand, but the underlying steps are the same everywhere.

1. Open Settings.
2. On Samsung, tap Connections → SIM Manager. On Pixel and most stock-Android phones, tap Network & Internet → SIMs.
3. Tap the eSIM you want to turn off and switch its toggle to off (on Samsung this is a switch next to the profile; on Pixel it's labeled Use this SIM).
4. Tap the eSIM you want active and switch its toggle on.
5. Set which SIM is used for calls, texts and data separately, since these can each point to a different line. On Samsung this is under Primary SIM; on Pixel it's the same field, listed by task.

Samsung documents the toggle-based enable/disable flow on its own support page (source), and Google documents the Pixel equivalent, including the "Use this SIM" toggle, in its Pixel Phone Help center (source).

If the profile you're switching to is a co:sim data-only plan, its label in your settings list carries whatever destination name it was installed under, and the plan page you bought it from lists the network it rides, the install deadline, and the billing-start rule, so there's nothing extra to look up mid-trip.

#If it doesn't work

#Why did my other line show "No Service" after I switched?

This is expected, not a fault. Most phones can only have one line fully active for calls at a time even if two eSIMs are stored, so the line you just turned off will correctly show no service until you turn it back on. If your carrier supports Wi-Fi Calling on that line and you have it enabled, incoming calls can still reach you over Wi-Fi in the meantime, a behavior Apple documents for exactly this situation (source).

#Why are calls, texts and data still using the wrong line after I switched?

Cellular Data, calls and text messages can each point at a different line independently, so toggling one line on and the other off doesn't automatically move all three. Go back into Cellular Data (iPhone) or Primary SIM (Android) and check each category individually. This is the single most common cause of "I switched but nothing changed" reports.

#My phone only shows one eSIM active even though I stored two

Check the device's actual limit rather than assuming a bug. Some phones, including many Samsung Galaxy models, only support one active eSIM at a time no matter how many are stored, so switching means turning one off as you turn the other on rather than running both together. Two-active-eSIM support depends on the specific model, both Samsung's and Apple's support pages list which devices allow it.

#I deleted a profile instead of just disabling it

This is the mistake worth actively avoiding. Deleting or erasing an eSIM is different from turning off its line, and Apple's own support page is explicit about it: "If you erase an eSIM, you'll need to contact your carrier to get a new one." There's no undo built into the phone. If this happens to a co:sim eSIM, check your account dashboard first to see whether the plan can still be reinstalled; if not, you'll need a fresh QR code from support rather than a quick settings fix.

#FAQ

#What's the actual difference between disabling and deleting an eSIM?

Disabling turns a line off without removing anything; the profile stays stored on the device and switching it back on takes a few taps, with no new QR code needed. Deleting, sometimes labeled "erase" or "remove," takes the profile off the device entirely. Apple's support documentation states plainly that after erasing, "you'll need to contact your carrier to get a new one," and Samsung's SIM manager requires you to disable a plan before the Remove option even becomes available, treating deletion as a distinct, final step rather than something that happens by accident. For a co:sim eSIM specifically, that means switching between it and another line whenever you like costs nothing, but deleting it means going back to your account dashboard to check whether reinstallation is still possible before you can use that plan again.

#Can I run two eSIM profiles active for data at the same time?

On some devices, yes, but it depends on the specific model rather than eSIMs generally. Newer iPhones and recent Pixel and Galaxy S25-series phones can keep two eSIM lines active simultaneously, with Cellular Data set to automatically switch between them based on signal, while many older or mid-range phones only run one line active at a time even though they can store several profiles. Check your specific model's support page before assuming dual-active behavior is available, since assuming it is when it isn't is a common cause of "my data switched to the wrong line" complaints. Either way, switching which single line is active, or which of two active lines handles data, is done from the same settings screen and never requires reinstalling a profile from a QR code.

#Does switching between eSIM profiles affect billing or my install deadline?

No, switching which line is active doesn't touch billing or install deadlines on either profile; those are governed by when the eSIM was installed and, for many travel eSIM providers, when it first connects to a network, not by whether it's currently toggled on. A co:sim plan page states its network, install deadline and billing-start rule up front specifically so this doesn't have to be guesswork later, and toggling the line off to use a different one for a few hours doesn't reset or pause any of those figures. It's a separate concern entirely from the switching itself, which is a device-side setting with no connection to the provider's billing system at all. Deleting a profile is a different story, since a deleted eSIM generally can't be reinstalled without a fresh QR code from the provider, but simply disabling one for a while has no such consequence.

#Will switching profiles interrupt a call or drop my data connection?

Briefly, yes, for the line you're switching away from. Turning off a line during an active call on that line will end the call, and turning off the line currently handling data will interrupt whatever was using it until the other line picks up or you manually reassign Cellular Data to it. Switching to a different line before starting a call or download avoids the interruption entirely; switching mid-session is what causes the brief drop most people notice. This is the same trade-off as switching Wi-Fi networks mid-download: the connection itself doesn't break, it just briefly reroutes, and most apps reconnect automatically within a few seconds once the new line is active. A call is the one exception worth planning around, since a dropped call has to be manually redialed rather than resuming on its own the way a data session does.

Once both profiles are installed, switching between them takes a few taps and doesn't touch either one. If you still need to add a travel eSIM before your next trip, browse co:sim's data-only plans, including options like the Japan eSIM, and have the destination profile ready to toggle on the moment you land.