-5% on your 1st eSIM
WELCOME5
A virtual SIM card is, in almost every case, another name for an eSIM: a digital SIM stored on a chip built into the phone, set up by downloading a profile instead of inserting a plastic card. Once installed, it connects to mobile networks exactly like a physical SIM. It is not the same thing as a virtual phone number app.
Below: why the technology has so many names, what is actually inside the phone, what a virtual SIM is not, and how to add or remove one.
Key takeaways
- Virtual SIM, digital SIM and eSIM describe the same thing: a SIM profile downloaded onto a chip inside the phone
- There is no card: you install the profile from a QR code, a link or a carrier app
- Apps that give you a second number over the internet, such as Google Voice or TextNow, are virtual numbers, not virtual SIMs
- Most iPhones from the XS, Pixel phones from the Pixel 3 and Galaxy phones from the S20 support it
- The phone must be unlocked to use a virtual SIM from another provider
Virtual SIM, eSIM, digital SIM: one technology, several names
The industry name is eSIM, short for embedded SIM. Apple's eSIM setup page defines it as an industry-standard digital SIM built into the iPhone that removes the need for a physical SIM card. Virtual SIM, digital SIM and electronic SIM are everyday names for the same thing, chosen because the user never handles a card.
One related term is different in its build but not in its use: iSIM, or integrated SIM, puts the SIM function inside the phone's main processor instead of a separate chip. For the person installing a plan, it behaves the same way.
What sits inside the phone: the eUICC chip and its profiles
The chip behind a virtual SIM is called an eUICC (embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card). It is part of the phone and can hold several SIM profiles. Each profile contains what the network needs to recognize you: a subscriber identity and the keys used to authenticate.
When you buy a plan, the provider prepares a profile on a server. Your phone downloads it, using the server address contained in the QR code or link, and writes it to the chip. An iPhone can store eight or more profiles this way, according to Apple's specifications, and switch between them in settings.
Virtual SIM compared with a plastic SIM card
A physical SIM is a removable card that holds one profile. To change carriers you swap the card, and you can move it from one phone to another in seconds.
A virtual SIM has no card and no tray to open. Profiles arrive over the internet, several can sit side by side, and you switch between them in settings. The trade-off is that a virtual SIM stays with the phone it was installed on: it cannot be slipped into another phone.
eSIM vs SIM card — A side-by-side comparison of the embedded virtual SIM and the traditional plastic SIM card
Three things called virtual that are not SIMs
Second-number apps
Google Voice, TextNow, Hushed and similar apps give you a phone number that works over an internet connection. The number is virtual, but no SIM is involved: the app does not connect your phone to a mobile network, and it stops working when you have no Wi-Fi or data.
Apps that claim to replace your SIM
No app can connect a phone to a 4G or 5G network on its own. The credentials always live on a secure chip, either a physical SIM or the eUICC. An app promising a SIM in software is usually selling an internet calling number.
Cloud SIM hotspots
Some pocket Wi-Fi devices are marketed as cloud SIM: the company loads SIM credentials into the device remotely, country by country. It works, but it is a feature of that device, not a kind of SIM inside your phone.
Simsima recommendation
Ready to skip the international roaming charges?
Browse Simsima eSIM plans — activation on arrival, local networks, no contract.
Can your phone take a virtual SIM?
It needs the eUICC chip. Every iPhone from the XS and XR has one, as do Google Pixel phones from the Pixel 3 and Samsung Galaxy phones from the S20, along with many recent mid-range Android phones. Cellular iPads and smartwatches use eSIM too; Apple covers the iPad on its iPad eSIM page.
Two caveats. The phone must be unlocked to accept a virtual SIM from another provider; phones bought directly from Apple, Google or Samsung usually are. And some regional versions differ: Google notes on its Pixel dual SIM page that a Pixel 3a bought in Japan cannot hold two SIMs.
phones that support eSIM — A more complete list of devices that can run a virtual SIM profile
Getting a virtual SIM onto your phone
You buy a plan, and the provider sends the profile. On iPhone, the path is Settings > Cellular > Add eSIM, then the QR code or the link; a Simsima order email also has a Smart Link that installs the eSIM in one tap, on iPhone (iOS 17.4 or later) and on Android. On a Pixel, go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Add SIM; on a Samsung Galaxy, Settings > Connections > SIM manager > Add eSIM, and scan the QR code.
Install a travel virtual SIM at home over Wi-Fi. Installing does not use up the plan: a Simsima plan begins once the eSIM reaches a local network in the country you are visiting.
Removing a virtual SIM from an iPhone
If you only want to stop using it for a while, turn it off: Settings > Cellular, tap the line, then turn off Turn On This Line. To remove it for good, Apple's instructions are to go to Settings > Cellular and tap Delete eSIM if you have one plan, or tap the plan and then Delete Plan if you have several.
Apple adds that after erasing an eSIM you need a new one from the carrier. The same applies to a travel virtual SIM: with Simsima, a deleted eSIM cannot be reinstalled on your own, so turning the line off is usually the better choice.
Where people use virtual SIMs
Travel comes first: a data plan installed before departure, next to the home number, which stays reachable for calls and bank codes. A Simsima virtual SIM is data only, so it does not add a number. Then come work and personal lines on one phone, and connected devices such as watches and tablets that get their own plan without a card.
Simsima's eSIM catalog — Browse virtual SIM data plans for 190+ destinations and pick one before your next trip
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, if your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked. Carriers issue them for your main number, and travel providers sell data plans as virtual SIMs that you install with a QR code or a link.
Yes. It authenticates your phone to the mobile network with the same kind of credentials as a plastic SIM. Only the storage differs: a chip built into the phone instead of a removable card.
When the plan includes voice and SMS, yes. Travel virtual SIMs like Simsima's are data only, so they have no number; you call over data with apps such as WhatsApp or FaceTime while your usual number stays on your main line.
The profile is tied to the phone, so it cannot be moved to a spare phone in seconds. Older or locked phones cannot use it, and a deleted profile has to be reissued by the provider.
No. A virtual SIM uses the same antennas and the same networks as a physical SIM, so reception is identical. Signal depends on the network and where you are.
They are harder to misuse after a theft, because the SIM cannot be taken out of the phone. They do not prevent fraud carried out at the carrier, so protect your carrier account with a PIN.
#Virtual SIM#eSIM#Guide#Explainer
Dimitri MorvanFounder
Founder of Simsima. A passionate traveler based in Barcelona, he helps travelers stay connected without breaking the bank on roaming fees.
LinkedIn
