How to Delete an eSIM From iPhone or Android (and When Not To)

Quick answer

To delete an eSIM on an iPhone, open Settings > Cellular and tap Delete eSIM (with several plans, tap the plan first, then Delete Plan). On a Samsung Galaxy it is Settings > Connections > SIM manager, then the eSIM, then Remove, and on a Google Pixel it is Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network (shown as SIMs on many Pixels), then the eSIM, then Erase eSIM. Before you tap, know that deleting is permanent and turning the line off is not. A deleted eSIM usually has to be issued again, and deleting it does not cancel the plan.

Turning an eSIM off vs deleting it

Turning an eSIM off is reversible. Deleting it is not.

An eSIM is a digital SIM built into the phone, so there is no card to pull out. Your plan sits on it as a profile, which is the downloaded data that ties the phone to a carrier account.

Turning the line off keeps the profile stored on the phone and stops the phone from using it. Apple's switch is named Turn On this Line, Google's is Use this SIM, and Samsung puts a switch next to each SIM in SIM manager. Google describes this as turning a SIM off temporarily.

Deleting erases the profile from the phone. Apple's support page gives only one way back: contact your carrier for a new eSIM, then set it up again.

If there is any chance you will use the plan again, turn it off. Our dual SIM travel setup guide shows how to keep a home line and a travel eSIM side by side.

When you should not delete an eSIM

Do not delete an eSIM that still has data, days or a phone number you need.

A travel eSIM with data, days or top-ups left

Travel eSIMs are usually installed from a QR code or the provider's app, and with some carriers a QR code is good for one install only. O2's eSIM help page says its QR codes can download an eSIM only once, and that a customer who deletes the eSIM by accident needs a replacement. Telstra in Australia says its QR code works only one time and recommends not deleting an eSIM once it is installed. Travel eSIM providers set their own rules. Airalo's help center, for example, says its eSIMs typically cannot be reinstalled once removed, and that you would need to buy a new one. Assume a deleted travel eSIM is gone unless the provider tells you otherwise.

The same caution applies if you plan to top up for a later trip. Ask the provider whether the top-up needs the eSIM that is installed now.

Your main carrier line

Deleting your home eSIM does not cancel the plan or stop the bill. Samsung, Verizon and AT&T each state that removing an eSIM from the phone leaves the plan in place, and Apple's erase instructions tell you to contact your carrier if you want to cancel. Delete it and you keep paying for a plan your phone cannot use.

An eSIM that is not working

Apple tells iPhone owners not to erase an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless the carrier directs it. Verizon does list removing the eSIM as a possible fix for connection issues on Pixel and Motorola phones, with a reminder that you then have to download a new one. Either way, deletion comes last. Start with our eSIM troubleshooting steps.

A number you are moving to a new phone

Deleting is not transferring. Apple's instruction is to erase the eSIM after its plan or number has been transferred to another device. iPhones use eSIM Quick Transfer and Galaxy phones have a Transfer SIM from another phone option, both only with supported carriers. Otherwise the carrier has to move the line for you.

How to delete an eSIM from an iPhone

To delete or remove an eSIM from an iPhone, start in Settings > Cellular. Apple's Dual SIM instructions say to tap either Cellular or Mobile Data, so your iPhone may show the second name.

Turn the line off instead

1. Open Settings and tap Cellular.
2. Tap the line you want to stop using.
3. Switch off Turn On this Line.

Apple's guide to using eSIM while traveling recommends this for the trip home: turn off any travel eSIM lines you no longer use.

Delete one eSIM

These steps follow Apple's guide to erasing an eSIM. Apple's list stops at step 4. The confirmation prompts in step 5 are shown in Verizon's iPhone instructions.

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Cellular.
3. If you have a single plan, tap Delete eSIM.
4. If you have several plans, tap the plan you want to erase, then tap Delete Plan.
5. Confirm when the iPhone asks.

Sources differ on the button name. Apple's page uses Delete Plan when there are several plans. Verizon's iPhone instructions, written for phones with two lines, use Delete eSIM and show the phone asking you to confirm more than once. On an iPad the menu is called Cellular Data.

This is also how to remove a secondary number from an iPhone: tap that number in the list, then delete it. If two plans look alike, name them first with Cellular Plan Label, which you reach by tapping the number in Settings > Cellular.

Delete every eSIM at once

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Delete All eSIMs. Apple's page on resetting iPhone settings says this deletes all eSIMs stored on the iPhone, and that you then need to set up a new eSIM or a physical SIM to connect to a cellular network. Use it only when you want every eSIM gone and the rest of the phone left as it is, not to clear one old travel plan.

How to remove an eSIM from Android

Android menus differ by brand, but the pattern is the same: open the SIM list in Settings, tap the eSIM, then tap the remove or erase button.

Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's eSIM instructions give these steps.

1. Go to Settings > Connections > SIM card manager.
2. Select the eSIM plan you want to remove.
3. Switch the plan's toggle off.
4. Tap Remove.

Your phone may say SIM manager instead. Samsung's US support page and Verizon's steps for Samsung phones both use that shorter name. In Verizon's version you tap the eSIM, tap Remove, enter your PIN, password or pattern if asked, then tap Remove again. Samsung adds that screens can vary by carrier, software version and model.

To pause a plan without removing it, use the switch next to the eSIM in SIM manager. To clear every eSIM, Samsung's instructions list a Remove all mobile plans option in the same menu.

Google Pixel

Google's Pixel help page on using dual SIMs covers both options. To turn a SIM off temporarily, go to Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network (or SIMs), tap the SIM, and turn off Use this SIM.

To delete an eSIM:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Network & internet > Mobile network. The same Google page calls this menu SIMs in its other steps, so your Pixel may show SIMs instead.
3. Select the eSIM you want to delete.
4. Tap Erase eSIM.

The same page describes a lock against accidental deletion: under Settings > Security > Advanced > Confirm SIM deletion, the phone can require your password before it deletes an eSIM. Google notes that some of these steps work only on Android 11 and up.

Verizon's Pixel instructions take a different route: Settings > System > Reset options > Erase eSIMs, then tap the eSIM and tap Erase.

Other Android phones

Other brands use their own labels. Verizon's instructions for Motorola phones are Settings > Network & internet > SIMs & mobile network (or Mobile network), tap the SIM, tap Advanced if needed, then Erase SIM and Erase to confirm.

What deleting an eSIM does not do

Deleting an eSIM changes the phone, not your account. Five things stay as they were.

• It does not cancel the plan. Samsung, Verizon and AT&T each say so, and point you to the carrier to cancel.
• It does not refund unused data. Whether unused data or days can be refunded depends on the provider's terms, so ask before you delete.
• It does not unlock the phone. A carrier lock, which ties a phone to one carrier, is lifted by that carrier, and Apple says to contact the carrier for authorization. On an iPhone, Settings > General > About shows No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock when the phone is unlocked.
• It does not move your number. A number moves by transfer or through the carrier.
• It may not stop iPhone Handoff charges. Apple says that if the erased eSIM was set up on a device using iPhone Handoff, you must ask your carrier to turn that off, and the carrier may keep charging until you do.

What a reset or erase does to your eSIM

It depends on which reset you choose. On an iPhone, only two of the options are described as touching eSIMs, and one of them asks you first.

iPhone

Apple's description of Reset Network Settings covers previously used networks, VPN settings, the device name and manually trusted certificates, and says cellular data roaming may also be turned off. It does not list eSIMs. After a network reset, check that data roaming is still on for a travel eSIM.

To erase an iPhone without removing the eSIM, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, tap Continue, and choose to keep your eSIM when asked. Apple warns that if you erase the eSIM here, you need to contact your carrier to reactivate the plan.

Android

Android is less clearly documented. Google's factory reset page for Pixel gives the path Settings > System > Reset options > Erase all data (factory reset) and does not say what happens to eSIMs. Samsung's US factory reset guide, Settings > General management > Reset > Factory data reset, does not mention eSIMs either, and neither does its description of Reset mobile network settings.

What the sources do show is that erasing eSIMs is treated as its own step. Verizon lists Erase eSIMs as a separate entry under Reset options on Pixel, and Google's US trade-in checklist says to erase any downloaded SIMs as well as factory reset the phone.

So do not rely on a factory reset in either direction. If you want the eSIM gone, remove it yourself first. If you want to keep it, read every screen of the reset before you confirm, and ask your carrier what to expect.

Before you sell, trade in or give away a phone

Erase your eSIMs before the phone changes hands, but move your number first.

1. Move your main line to the new phone, by transfer or through your carrier, and make a test call on the new phone.
2. Ask the provider of any travel eSIM that still has value whether it can be moved or issued again.
3. Erase the old phone and the eSIMs with it.

On an iPhone, Apple's checklist for selling or giving away a device says to choose the option that erases both the device and the eSIM profile when you are asked. On a Pixel, Google's US trade-in instructions are to factory reset the phone and erase any downloaded SIMs. On a Galaxy, remove each eSIM in SIM manager first (Samsung's UK page also lists a Remove all mobile plans option, which your phone may not show), then run the factory data reset.

If the phone is already gone, Apple's advice is to ask the new owner to erase all content and settings. Then contact your carrier about the line.

If you deleted an eSIM by mistake

With a carrier line, the plan still exists and only the copy on your phone is gone, so the carrier can issue a new eSIM. With a travel eSIM it depends on the provider: some will issue it again, and some say a deleted eSIM cannot be reinstalled and you may have to buy a new one.

1. Do not buy a replacement plan yet. Ask the company that issued the eSIM first.
2. For a carrier line, use the carrier's app or support line. Verizon, for example, lets account owners and account managers on its standard monthly plans request a new eSIM profile in the My Verizon app: open the Mobile tab, select the device, then choose Activate or get SIM.
3. For a travel eSIM, contact the provider's support with your order details and ask for the eSIM to be issued again. Whether that is free, and whether your remaining data carries over, depends on the provider.
4. Get online another way. Apple's travel page lists a Wi-Fi network or hotspot as a requirement for setting up an eSIM, except on some eSIM-only iPhone models in some countries and regions.
5. Install the new eSIM as you did the first, using our walkthrough on how to install an eSIM on iPhone and Android. If the provider sends the details as text instead of a QR code, the guide to the SM-DP+ address and activation code shows where each part goes.

Do not keep retrying the download. Telstra warns its own customers that downloading a profile too many times can lock the activation process for 24 hours.

Cleaning up after a trip

Delete travel eSIMs that have expired and that you will not top up. Keep the ones with data or days left, switched off.

Apple's eSIM setup page says an iPhone lets you manage "up to eight or more" eSIMs and gives no exact limit. Fewer can be active together. Apple says supported iPhone models can have two eSIMs active at the same time, and its Dual SIM page says iPhone 13 models and later support Dual SIM with two eSIMs. Google says a Pixel 7 or later can use two eSIM profiles at once if the carrier allows it. Neither its dual SIM page nor the Samsung pages used for this guide say how many can be stored.

When you land back home, check which line is on. Apple says that with iOS 26 and later, an iPhone using a travel eSIM will automatically turn it off and turn the home SIM back on when you return, depending on your country or region. If that does not happen, do it by hand in Settings > Cellular.

Before you delete any travel eSIM, run three checks.

• The plan has expired, or its data is used up and you will not top it up.
• It is not a number your bank or messaging apps rely on.
• You are deleting the right entry, so read the label first.

FAQ

Is there a way to delete an eSIM?

Yes. On iPhone it is Settings > Cellular > Delete eSIM. On Samsung it is Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Remove. On Pixel it is Settings > Network & internet > Mobile network (or SIMs) > Erase eSIM. Deleting removes the plan from the phone only. It does not cancel the plan with the carrier.

How many eSIMs can an iPhone hold?

Apple's eSIM setup page says "up to eight or more" and gives no exact limit. Storing and using are different limits, though. Apple says supported models can have two eSIMs active at the same time, and that iPhone 13 models and later support Dual SIM with two eSIMs. The rest stay stored until you switch one on.

How do I remove a secondary number from my iPhone?

Open Settings > Cellular, tap the number you no longer want, and tap Delete eSIM or Delete Plan, whichever your iPhone shows. That removes the line from the phone only. To stop paying for it, contact the carrier. If you might want the number again, switch off Turn On this Line instead.

How do I erase my iPhone without removing the eSIM?

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings and tap Continue. Apple's steps then have you choose to keep or delete your eSIM. Choose to keep it. Verizon's walkthrough of this screen labels that choice Keep eSIMs and Erase Data. If you delete the eSIM instead, the carrier has to reactivate your plan.

Does resetting an iPhone delete the eSIM?

Apple describes only two options as affecting eSIMs. Delete All eSIMs removes every eSIM, and Erase All Content and Settings asks whether to keep or delete it. Apple's descriptions of Reset Network Settings and Reset All Settings do not mention eSIMs, though a network reset may turn data roaming off.

Does deleting an eSIM cancel my plan or stop the charges?

No. Samsung, Verizon and AT&T all state that removing an eSIM from the phone does not cancel the plan, and Apple tells you to contact your carrier if you want to cancel. Until you do, the plan stays active. Deleting also does not unlock the phone or act as a refund request.

Can I reinstall a travel eSIM after deleting it?

Often not. O2 and Telstra say their QR codes work only once, and Airalo says its eSIMs typically cannot be reinstalled once removed, so you may have to buy a new one. Policies differ between providers. Ask yours before you delete anything that still has data or days left.

Next step

Once the old plans are cleared out, line up the next one: eSIMAdvice compares travel eSIM plans from 93 providers, with prices re-checked weekly. Open the country directory to see plans for your destination listed cheapest-first. Each provider's unconditional coupon is already in the price we show, but confirm the final price on the provider's site.