Google's choice to go eSIM-only in the US for the Pixel 10 might actually be a well-timed move by the company. While I was initially concerned that an eSIM-only phone might be a frustrating roadblock for the Pixel 10, several advances in how the US carriers support eSIM, along with a new iOS 26 feature, might actually make it easier than ever to switch your phone.
And it's a good thing too, as despite being available for years and being required for the iPhone in the US since 2022's iPhone 14 line, eSIM has garnered a frustrating reputation among the tech reviewer community that switches phones regularly. I should note that the size of this community is rather minuscule compared with the general public.
In an ideal world, changing an eSIM from one phone to another should be as simple as a couple of taps during your new phone's setup process. And instead of needing to find a paperclip or another tool to eject your SIM card and move it to another phone, that same information would simply transfer over, whether over a local wireless network or by scanning a QR code.
But instead I've seen several colleagues encounter horrifying dead-ends when switching devices over eSIM while the technology and the wireless carriers work out its bugs. For instance, when my colleague David Lumb swapped to the eSIM-only iPhone 15 Pro Max last year, he accidentally transferred his line to the wrong device and found himself without phone service until he could make the trip to a Verizon store. My former colleague Lisa Eadicicco reported losing access to MMS during her own eSIM swap between an iPhone and Android, also on Verizon. I even hear eSIM complaints among idle chatter. A man sitting near me at Starbucks last week was telling his friends about his own issues getting an eSIM to download while in another country.
But these quirks might just be in the past. I reached out to several wireless carriers about how they plan to help move customers over to eSIM, and while we will need to see how these steps work in practice, it's possible that eSIM might become as universal as physical SIM cards.
Watch this: The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL's Camera Is So Smart, It Almost Took the Photos for Me 07:57
iOS 26 might make it easy to switch to Android and back again
Enlarge Image The iOS 26 beta has screens that give instructions for transferring an eSIM from the iPhone to Android. Screenshot by Zach McAuliffe/CNET
Apple's iOS 26 beta is providing a welcome -- and somewhat unexpected -- feature that could make it quite easy to swap from iPhone to Android. The beta includes the ability to transfer an eSIM to Android, which until now required assistance from your wireless carrier.
While we will have to wait for iOS 26's public release this fall to try it out, it's a big move to make it clear that eSIM is meant to be as accessible as the physical SIM card. Currently, Apple's iOS supports converting a physical SIM to eSIM and transferring it, but only if you're moving to a new iPhone. According to a Reddit post spotted by MacRumors, this new feature would generate a QR code that can be scanned on an Android phone to start the transfer. My colleague Zach McAuliffe has been testing the iOS 26 beta and found that tapping into this feature brings up a screen that offers to transfer an eSIM by placing an Android phone next to an iPhone. While features in beta may or may not make it into the official public release, this inclusion bodes well for simplifying an eSIM transfer.
And iOS 26 is also set to include the ability to transfer an eSIM to an iPhone from Android. So, ideally, the future of eSIM is one where you can swap devices as you want, without any carrier assistance.
Apple and Google didn't respond to a request for comment about these eSIM transfer tools.
Carriers are automating eSIM as much as possible
A once-required phone call to your wireless carrier's customer service line to move an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android might be an annoyance of the past -- for those who had to go through that process. All three major wireless carriers I reached out to point to either apps or online portals that can be used to move your eSIM from one device to another. This includes My Verizon, T-Life for T-Mobile or logging into an AT&T account to set up an eSIM for a new phone. You'll likely need to follow instructions like entering your device's IMEI number, and afterward, your phone should be able to download your eSIM information.
While the most ideal method is to not involve your carrier at all -- even opening my T-Life app for T-Mobile shoves multiple sponsored offers in my face -- it's a relief that eSIM exchanges won't require tapping through a customer service phone call in order to get a representative.
AT&T plans to have eSIMs ready to download for customers who purchase the Pixel 10 through the carrier's website. The eSIM will be downloaded as part of the setup process. All three carriers and other retailers can help program phones with eSIMs as part of the purchase.
Internationally, the Pixel 10 series will continue to have a physical SIM slot. Pictured here is a UK model of the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which does include the option to use physical SIM or eSIM. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
eSIM will still have some issues, especially when traveling
Removing the need to call up your wireless carrier to swap phones will make eSIM much easier to use, but there are still situations where having an eSIM-only phone could become challenging.
If your phone's display breaks, for instance, you'll still need to rely on your wireless carrier to help you transfer your line to another device if you can't access these software menus to do so.
International travel in particular could require some advanced planning, as you won't always be able to buy a prepaid SIM card to install it for temporary service. That's long been the method in other countries for buying a short-term prepaid cellular plan, and depending on where you're going, setting up service with eSIM might not be as accessible. You could research to see if you can download an eSIM for your destination ahead of travel, or if you can hop onto a Wi-Fi network at the airport in order to assist with setting up a cellular plan. I should note that my CNET colleague Katie Collins, who is based in the UK, swears by eSIMs for travel and praises the convenience and speed of setup they provide for vacations and business trips.
While there are still situations where eSIM might not be as straightforward as installing a physical SIM, it's quite possible that the Pixel 10's requirement of eSIM might prove whether it's ready to be considered ubiquitous. The hope is that eSIM could be just as universal to phones as the USB-C cable has now become to charging, and if so, it could reduce the pains that sometimes come with moving from one phone to another.