esim on an old iPhone

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Level 1

4 points

esim on an old iPhone

I'm an Android user who wishes to keep in touch with my son while he's walking to and from school. Even though I have an Apple ID I'm not allowed to utilize the feature that's only available in iPhones so that my son can share his location with me. So I'm on a quest to get an old iPhone and purchase myself an eSim card which I just heard about recently. Of course I don't want to lise money on a dead end, so I'm reaching out to the Apple Community here to find out whether or not this is possible. I'm further excited about the idea of an eSim because I don't have to register another telephone number if I'm not mistaken. Any comments about my quest here? Again it's just for checking locations so I'm sure I don't need anything greater than iPhone XS, but really it's not about the phone it's about whether I can do this with an eSim card. Thanks for listening.

iPhone XS

Posted on Apr 19, 2024 11:47 AM

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Answer 1

Apr 19, 2024 12:01 PM in response to ratzorizzo

iPhone XS is eSim capable, so this should work. An eSim is not a physical card as you may be used to. It is an electronic Sim, which your carrier needs to set up for you, which means you'll be paying monthly for a phone line on the XS if you buy one.

And since there are no new iPhone XS phones sold, please read this because you'll be buying a used one --> The All Too Common SAD Reality of Buying … - Apple Community

If I were you, I'd buy the phone from the Apple Refurbished Store. You'll get a full one year warranty and be assured it has a new authentic battery, case and screen on it --> https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished?

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Answer 2

Kurt Lang

Level 9

58,272 points

Apr 19, 2024 11:56 AM in response to ratzorizzo

An eSIM is just an electronically embedded version of a regular SIM card. But, you can transfer the phone number you're using with the Android phone to the iPhone. Then you won't need to purchase another line.

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Answer 3

ratzorizzo Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 19, 2024 6:39 PM in response to Kurt Lang

Thank you both for your quick responses. I see there are limitations clearly, but still some possibilities. Yes if there's some way I could just transfer as you've mentioned, even if it's only temporary. I would be satisfied with that. There's still another angle I have to try with an Android and Google, but this is a good information. Thank you.

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esim on an old iPhone

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