I am an American living in Hungary for the Summer. I have an Unlocked iPhone 12 mini (A2176) with T-Mobile on the hard SIM.
I was hopeful to add European Service via eSIM. When I went to the Hungarian TELEKOM Store, and inquired about the eSIM, they informed me it was impossible to do this. I was told that any eSIM added to my phone had to come from the same carrier as the hard SIM. (?)
Is this truly the case?
iPhone 12 mini, iOS 14
I wanted to follow-up on my question above. I have achieved a fantastic result, and wanted to share my experience. As noted above, I have an unlocked iPhone 12 Mini (A2176). In the United States, my Cellular plan is a post paid account with T-Mobile via a hard SIM. I am visiting Hungary for the summer of 2021, and wanted to operate on Dual SIMs - A) T-Mobile and B) Hungarian Telekom.
I visited a Telekom Shop, and was told that they could not provide me an eSIM. So, I purchased a Hard SIM - and switched between the two. This was an extremely cumbersome process. Switching back & forth - also played havoc with my contacts in iMessage & FaceTime.
So, after some research, I decided to change my T-Mobile SIM to an eSIM. This was a simple process that I was able to perform on my own via T-Mobile's Website while in Hungary.
I am now running Dual SIMs with T-Mobile (eSIM) and Hungarian Telekom (Hard SIM). Everything is running smoothly.. and it's just another reason that I love my iPhone 12!
Thanks for reaching out, Josh Trent.
We can definitely help figure out your options for using dual SIM features. Before we get started, we do want to let you know that there are a few considerations upfront, which may or may not apply in your personal situation:
"To use two different carriers, your iPhone must be unlocked. Otherwise, both plans must be from the same carrier. If a CDMA carrier provides your first SIM, your second SIM won't support CDMA. Contact your carrier for more information. If you have an enterprise or corporate cellular service plan, check with your company administrator to see if they support this feature."
If that checks out for you, you can review the features and requirements here: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM.
Hope that helps!
Take care.
Dual SIM - T-Mobile and Telekom Question
