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Yes. The iPhone 13, 13 mini, 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max all have an eSIM — and the iPhone 13 generation is the first that can run two eSIMs at the same time. That single change is what makes it the most flexible iPhone ever released for travel: you can keep a home profile and a travel profile both live, without touching the SIM tray.
The exceptions are the same as every recent generation: units sold in mainland China have no eSIM at all, and the standard and Pro bodies sold in Hong Kong and Macao ship with two physical nano-SIM slots instead. Everything below assumes a global model.
· eSIM support: yes, on all four iPhone 13 models.
· Two active eSIMs: yes — a first for iPhone, on iOS 16 or later.
· Other supported combination: one nano-SIM + one eSIM.
· Profiles stored: eight or more; two active at once.
· Time to install: about three minutes over Wi-Fi.
· Blocked by: a carrier lock, or a mainland-China / Hong Kong / Macao model.
To confirm your exact unit, check the iPhone 13 page in our device database or run it through the device checker.
Before the iPhone 13, an iPhone could hold many eSIM profiles but light up only one at a time. With iOS 16 on an iPhone 13, two eSIM profiles can be active simultaneously — both registered, both able to receive calls and texts, with one of them carrying data.
Why that matters when you travel:
· Multi-country trips. A regional plan for the whole journey plus a local plan for the country with the best coverage — live at the same time, switched with two taps instead of a reinstall.
· Phones without a SIM tray. If you later move to an American iPhone 14 or newer, which has no physical slot at all, the dual-eSIM habit is already yours.
· Digital home lines. Many carriers now issue the home number as an eSIM. On an iPhone 13 you can keep that and a travel eSIM together, and leave the tray empty.
· Work and personal. Two numbers, one phone, no juggling.
Two things the feature does not do: it does not let both lines use data at once (the iPhone is still Dual SIM Dual Standby — one data line at a time), and it does not require iOS 16-specific hardware, just the OS. If your iPhone 13 is still on iOS 15, update before the trip.
Both work. The right answer depends on where your home number lives.
Setup | Best for | Watch out for |
Nano-SIM (home) + eSIM (travel) | Most travelers. Your existing physical SIM stays exactly where it is; nothing about your home line changes. | Remember to turn data roaming off on the home line. |
eSIM (home) + eSIM (travel) | Carriers that issue a digital SIM; people who hate losing tiny plastic cards; anyone converting the tray to a spare. | Converting a physical home SIM to eSIM is a one-way step your carrier controls — do it a week before departure, not the night before. |
Two travel eSIMs | Multi-country itineraries — for example a Japan–Korea regional plan alongside a local top-up plan. | Only one carries data at any moment; set the right one as the data line before you need it. |
A practical recommendation from the tickets our support team sees: if your trip is one country and under three weeks, keep it simple — home nano-SIM plus one travel eSIM. Add the second eSIM only when there is a reason for it.
An iPhone 13 holds eight or more eSIM profiles. Old plans from previous trips stay in the list and cost nothing to keep. Switching is manual and instant:
1. Settings > Cellular shows every installed plan.
2. Tap a plan → Turn On This Line / Turn Off This Line.
3. With two lines on, set which one carries data under Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data.
Two housekeeping habits save a lot of confusion: rename every profile at install time ("Japan Nov 10GB" beats "Travel"), and don't delete a plan that still has validity left — you may be able to top it up instead of buying again. See How many eSIMs can I store on one phone? and When should I delete my eSIM?
Do this at home, on Wi-Fi, before you fly. Installing the profile needs an internet connection; the plan itself usually starts counting only when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination. Activation rules differ by plan type, so check When does my eSIM plan start? for the plan you buy. So there is no cost to being early, and there is a real cost to being late — see Can I install my eSIM before my trip?
4. Open Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM.
5. Choose Use QR Code and scan the code from your order email on a laptop or second screen.
No second screen? Tap Enter Details Manually and type the SM-DP+ address and activation code from the same email — the result is identical.
Fastest of all: install straight from the Gohub app, which skips codes entirely.
6. Give the line a clear label when iOS asks.
7. Cellular Data → travel eSIM.
8. Allow Cellular Data Switching → OFF. This is the setting that prevents surprise roaming: left on, iOS can fall back to your home line whenever the travel line dips.
9. Default Voice Line → home number, so calls and SMS behave as usual.
10. Home line → Data Roaming OFF.
11. Travel eSIM → Data Roaming ON. Counter-intuitive but required: a travel eSIM works by roaming onto partner networks.
After landing, switch off airplane mode and give the phone 30–60 seconds to find a partner network. If nothing appears, restart once. A step-by-step version with screenshots is at How to install an eSIM and How do I install my eSIM on iPhone?
iOS 16 can move an eSIM between two nearby iPhones over Bluetooth without a QR code. It is useful when you upgrade your handset and want the home line to follow. Note that carrier support decides whether it works, and most travel eSIM profiles cannot be transferred this way — a travel profile is tied to the device it was installed on. Plan an upgrade for before the trip, not during it.
The iPhone 13 gives you three levels of protection, in increasing order of paranoia:
12. Data Roaming off on the home line (Settings > Cellular > [home line] > Data Roaming). Calls and SMS still arrive.
13. Cellular Data Switching off (Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data). Stops iOS quietly borrowing the home line.
14. Turn the home line off entirely (Settings > Cellular > [home line] > Turn Off This Line). Nothing gets through except over the internet — iMessage, WhatsApp, Zalo and FaceTime all keep working over the travel data.
Level 1 + 2 is what most travelers want: bank OTPs still arrive on the home number while every byte of data comes from the travel plan. Details in Will I still receive calls and SMS on my main number? and How do I choose which SIM handles calls and which handles data?
This is the single most common message our support team gets, and in the large majority of cases it is one of six things. Work down the list in order — it takes two minutes.
15. Is the line switched on? Settings > Cellular > [travel eSIM] > Turn On This Line.
16. Is Data Roaming ON for the travel eSIM? Without it, the profile cannot attach to a partner network. This is the number-one cause.
17. Is the travel eSIM selected under Cellular Data? A line can be on and still not be the data line.
18. Airplane mode on for 15 seconds, then off. Forces a fresh network search.
19. Restart the iPhone. Clears a stale registration more often than it should.
20. Select the network by hand. Settings > Cellular > [eSIM] > Network Selection → off automatic → pick a partner network from the list.
Still nothing? Two specific cases have their own fixes: signal bars but no internet (an APN or data-line problem, not a coverage problem) and a plan stuck on "Activating". Everything else is indexed by symptom in the eSIM troubleshooting guide, and Gohub support answers around the clock — worth knowing before you need it, as is our 1-hour eSIM replacement policy.
Settings > General > About > Carrier Lock must read No SIM restrictions. A locked iPhone 13 has working eSIM hardware but will refuse an outside profile. If you bought it second-hand or on a carrier instalment plan, check now — unlocking can take a carrier several days. Walkthrough: Carrier lock: how to check and unlock your device.
Scroll to Available SIM / EID in the same screen. No EID means a regional variant without eSIM — typically mainland China, or a Hong Kong/Macao standard or Pro body. The iPhone 13 mini keeps eSIM in Hong Kong and Macao, mirroring the 12 mini. Background: Does it matter where I bought my phone?
Expect 500MB–1.5GB per active travel day for maps, messaging, rideshare, social media and a couple of video calls — more if you stream video away from Wi-Fi. The iPhone 13's larger battery makes people use it more, which shows up in the data bill as well as the battery graph.
Three settings worth ten minutes before departure: Low Data Mode on the travel eSIM, iCloud Photos set to Wi-Fi only, and automatic app updates off. Then check usage occasionally — here is how. If you are not sure what size plan to buy, the travel data calculator turns trip length and habits into a number, and topping up mid-trip takes about a minute if you underestimate.
The iPhone 13's dual-eSIM talent only pays off if the plan behind it is cheaper than roaming, which it almost always is. Home-carrier roaming is priced per day or per megabyte; a travel eSIM is priced per gigabyte at local rates. We put real numbers side by side in eSIM vs international roaming cost, compared it with buying a local plastic SIM on arrival in eSIM vs local physical SIM, and listed the alternatives in 5 alternatives to expensive roaming charges.
The best use of a free eSIM is not saving a few dollars — it is proving that your phone, with your lock status and your iOS version, installs a profile cleanly. Do it on the sofa tonight rather than in an arrivals hall at midnight.
Claim the Gohub free eSIM — no credit card — install it, and watch the line appear under Settings > Cellular. If you want to compare what is really on offer across the market first, read Best free eSIM trials with no credit card and 12 signs of a free eSIM scam.
Disclosure: Gohub is our own product, so treat the recommendation accordingly. The device facts on this page are independent of that — they hold whichever provider you choose.
Buying for a specific destination? Start at Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Europe or the full country list.
Yes, and it is the one iPhone 13 body that keeps eSIM in Hong Kong and Macao, where the standard and Pro models ship with two physical SIM slots instead.
Yes, on iOS 16 or later — two profiles active and registered simultaneously. Only one of them carries data at a time.
No. Keep it in the tray as your home voice line and let the eSIM handle data. See Can I use an eSIM and my physical SIM at the same time?
Yes. A data-only travel eSIM adds internet, not a number — full explanation here.
Installation needs a connection. If you are already at the gate, use airport Wi-Fi or a companion's hotspot, or enter the SM-DP+ details manually over any connection you can get. Far better: install before leaving home.
No. The hardware is capable but the lock rejects outside profiles. Check Carrier Lock under Settings > General > About first.
Yes, via Personal Hotspot — details here.
21. EID present under Settings > General > About, Carrier Lock = No SIM restrictions.
22. iOS 16 or later if you want two active eSIMs.
23. Travel eSIM installed over home Wi-Fi and labeled.
24. Cellular Data = travel eSIM · Data Switching OFF · Default Voice = home number.
25. Home line Data Roaming OFF · travel eSIM Data Roaming ON.
26. QR code and SM-DP+ details saved offline as a backup.
Six lines, two minutes, and your iPhone 13 is connected before you reach baggage claim. Start with the free eSIM, then pick the plan for your destination. Comparing generations? See the iPhone 12 guide and the iPhone SE guide.
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Written by the Gohub editorial team and reviewed by Gohub eSIM Support, who handle iPhone activation tickets daily. Device behaviour is checked against Apple's published Dual SIM and eSIM documentation and against the Gohub compatible-device database, maintained per model and region. Last updated: September 2026.
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