Apple is adding an easy method to switch your eSIM to a new iPhone in the upcoming iOS 16 release. Twitter user Carson Waldrop spotted (via MacRumors) that iOS 16 supports transferring eSIM cards from an existing iPhone to a new one via Bluetooth. The switch looks effortless, so you can easily transfer your phone number when purchasing a new iPhone.
Currently in iOS, if you buy a new iPhone and you are using an eSIM, you will need to contact your carrier to reissue the eSIM. While some carriers do this effortlessly via QR codes in their mobile apps, others force you to go to a store to transfer an eSIM. Apple’s new eSIM swap support in iOS 16 seems to eliminate some of these issues, but MacRumors points out that it is only possible to transfer eSIMs via Bluetooth if a carrier supports the function.
@MacRumors it seems that in iOS 16 you can transfer eSim cards from one iPhone to another using Bluetooth. Previously this was not the case and you simply had to get a new esim card from the relevant carrier. pic.twitter.com/emWz6F7ObP
— Carson (@carsonwaldrop) June 8, 2022
Since iOS 16 is still in beta, carrier support for this new feature is likely to be incomplete at this point, so we won’t know how many carriers and countries will fully support it until iOS 16 is available this fall. iOS 16 is currently in developer preview and includes customizable lock screens with widgets, support for editing and undoing iMessage sending, a shared iCloud Photo Library, and much more.