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iPhone 14 Pro I hate eSIM
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It's how the Apple Watch works, isn't it? ie: I have one phone number but it rings (and can make calls) on both my iPhone and Apple Watch.
Sorta. The Apple Watch technically gets its own phone number from the carrier but it's not shown to you. They are connected on the back end via the carrier, and with Apple, so it appears as one number.
I accidentally found the phone number for my cellular 4th gen and I could call it and the watch would ring but not my phone. I don't have a cellular model anymore so I don't know that would still work.
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It doesn't. You just get an instant hangup.
My experience has differed. I simply go into a store and get a local plan; the rep pulls up a QR code and I have a second line. That becomes my main data line while still allowing me to get texts for free on my other number. I have also found unlimited data is often cheaper at a carrier store than on prepaid cards; which I want because I also use my phone as a hotspot to watch TV.
Not that I am aware of. If you move a SIM to a new phone the old one stops working.
Same here. Between WhatsApp and Facetime I never use a local number; and even low speed data, which my plan often includes for free outside the US, is good enough for those apps. Unless I need a hotspot I don't even bother with a local plan; especially since free wifi is pretty prevalent now.
I hate eSIM (or rather, I hate dual-SIM) for a slightly different reason.
I’m travelling right now and have a local cheap eSIM for calls and data, while still keeping my home SIM active for receiving occasional calls and SMS on my home number.
This all works great, except I just got a massive roaming bill because I accidentally made a local call using my home SIM card, which is charged as a very expensive international call!! 😡
The problem is that any number you’ve called previously from a particular SIM will default to using that SIM in future, even if you’ve set a different default SIM. You have to manually change the SIM for each contact in Contacts, or carefully select the SIM you want to use each time you make a call. There’s no way to set a Primary SIM for all calls, only a default for numbers you haven’t called before. Bad UX!
Perhaps there needs to be a setting to turn off making calls while roaming on a SIM, just like there is an option to turn off roaming data. Or at least a warning that you’re making a roaming call when you have a local SIM available too?
I’m travelling right now and have a local cheap eSIM for calls and data, while still keeping my home SIM active for receiving occasional calls and SMS on my home number.
This all works great, except I just got a massive roaming bill because I accidentally made a local call using my home SIM card, which is charged as a very expensive international call!! 😡
The problem is that any number you’ve called previously from a particular SIM will default to using that SIM in future, even if you’ve set a different default SIM. You have to manually change the SIM for each contact in Contacts, or carefully select the SIM you want to use each time you make a call. There’s no way to set a Primary SIM for all calls, only a default for numbers you haven’t called before. Bad UX!
Perhaps there needs to be a setting to turn off making calls while roaming on a SIM, just like there is an option to turn off roaming data. Or at least a warning that you’re making a roaming call when you have a local SIM available too?
This is why I’m going back to 2 phones again for trips:
- Travel phone with local SIM or roaming SIM while out and about.
- Primary/home phone that stays in hotel room safe and used only with wifi calling in airplane mode.
Isn't this exactly why there is a visual marker against each line to minimise the risk and for you to easily check what you are doing. Can you really expect apple to have a setting for everything that someone might accidentally do ? The fact that you don't check before you make a call isn't a problem for Apple IMHO.
Your network provider can block all outgoing roaming calls if its that much of an issue.
Apple should not limit the dual physical SIM option to China only... It's nearly 6 years since eSIM/dual physical SIM option was introduced but it still has not been available for countries other than China...
Do I really have to spell it out?
There are others that still prefer a single iPhone but want to use dual physical SIM...
Unless you live in the US which you no longer have a physical SIM tray [iPhone 14 series and newer] and you will be happy about it because Apple said so...
You don't have to spell it out but Im interested to know why you make such a bold statement without some kind of rationale. It (dual SIM) has remained in the China market for a specific reason and that's not because people are stamping their feet because they can't have what they want
Has the removal of physical slots in US had any major impact on sales ? (I genuinely don't know) That's probably the only reason that it might return. It seems to me that the majority are quite happy with eSim or will be once they adopt it.
You don't have to spell it out but Im interested to know why you make such a bold statement without some kind of rationale. It (dual SIM) has remained in the China market for a specific reason and that's not because people are stamping their feet because they can't have what they want
Has the removal of physical slots in US had any major impact on sales ? (I genuinely don't know) That's probably the only reason that it might return. It seems to me that the majority are quite happy with eSim or will be once they adopt it.
The majority are sheep without opinion.
Or perhaps people are just generally happy with eSIM and consider it more efficient (I accept some don’t) ….. plastic SIM cards have been around for 30+ years isn’t it time to move on to something more efficient ? ….
esim is a trash product offering. Carriers should just give you SIM cards and apple should just offer it. It's not widely adopted outside the USA and a total pain in the you know what to use elsewhere.
Only approaching 200 carriers in 70+ countries …. I suppose it depends on your definition of ‘widely’
Efficient by what? That every time I want to move the eSIM between my phones I need to get permission form the carrier to do so?
Or that I can’t use my perfectly working “old phones” because they don’t support eSIM, so i’m forced to buy expensive and useless new phone instead?
efficient by the fact that 90+% of people will never change their SIM during their iphone's lifespan, so don't have the issues you're describing.
So apparently you and 90% of these people also don't travel and need to swap to local SIMs…
Why can’t you use your old phone ? Which carrier won’t give you a physical sim ? ….. and as I said some don’t find it efficient…..and there will always be some who don’t want to adopt newer tech ….. much like the drama when floppy disks were phased out.
I travel extensively and never have issues with eSIM but I fully accept there are those who do. But as I asked earlier has it affected sales in the US ? That’s surely a good marker on acceptance and satisfaction.
The technology in itself is great and a revolution for multi e-SIM usage on modern phones. Helps me juggle three numbers on one phone while traveling to different countries. I am touching down and immediately become a local for my friends and customers being able to reach me via calls, texts, etc. while enjoying 5G speeds.
The implementation by many carriers is the problem. Why can’t they implement a flexible system where moving to another phone is instant, and even a physical SIM could be part of the mix? I’d love to just be able to transition between e-SIM and physical SIM on a number so I can use it in modern AND older phones.
Why are the carriers blocking this? If I can’t use the SIM, they don’t generate any business!
The implementation by many carriers is the problem. Why can’t they implement a flexible system where moving to another phone is instant, and even a physical SIM could be part of the mix? I’d love to just be able to transition between e-SIM and physical SIM on a number so I can use it in modern AND older phones.
Why are the carriers blocking this? If I can’t use the SIM, they don’t generate any business!
Now you can still get and use physical SIMs, but it's only a matter of time before the carriers stop providing one, and then what people supposed to do except being forced to buy new phone?
Having options is good, but forcing to use only one not so much...
Fully understand what you say but physical sims won’t vanish overnight and therefore the spare phones will be older and older to the point that perhaps it’s not a big deal although I accept that it maybe an issue for a small number who don’t update their phones for many years AND need a new sim.