Apple new iPhone lineup - eSIM only

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Apple new iPhone lineup - eSIM only

The new iPhone 17 lineup is eSIM-only, and I am not sure how this affects some usual setups. I have used eSIM for travel before, but I still have a few questions:

What happens if the carrier doesn’t support eSIM at all?
I have another SIM I use abroad - how is that supposed to work now that there’s no SIM slot? Plus, for SIM conversion, lots of carriers require physical presence.
For people who use and rely on multiple phone numbers - personal, work, international, what’s the recommended solution?

This feels like a big transition from the older setup, where the home phone number could be a physical SIM and temporary options (like for travel) could be eSIM.

Posted on Sep 9, 2025 12:00 PM

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Answer 1

ltlnv Author

Level 1

8 points

Sep 9, 2025 12:24 PM in response to KiltedTim

That would be great actually, and looks like I was wrong - just checked landing for a European country and it says that 17, 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max will have Nano-SIM option.

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Answer 2

KiltedTim

Level 10

228,006 points

Sep 9, 2025 12:13 PM in response to ltlnv

My understanding iOS that the iPhone 17 Air will be eSIM only world wide and that other versions will be eSIM only in the US and versions sold elsewhere will be eSIM and Nano-SIM.

The only change from last years models is the eSIM only 17 Air.

The solution would be the same as last year. If you need a physical SIM, do not buy the phone in the US and do not buy an iPhone 17 Air.

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Answer 3

Sep 9, 2025 12:04 PM in response to ltlnv

Everyone in the community forums are other Apple users. This might b something that is addressed in iOS 26 when it’s released a week from Friday, September 19. Until more specs and support articles are released by Apple, your best resource may be your carriers support team.

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Apple new iPhone lineup - eSIM only

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