How to Activate an eSIM on Android: Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel Steps

2026-10-23 · Flylo

A travel eSIM lets your Android phone connect to local networks abroad without swapping physical SIM cards or paying your carrier's daily roaming rate. The setup takes a few minutes at home, and then your data simply works when you land. The steps below cover Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones. The two brands bury the same settings in slightly different menus, so both paths are spelled out — follow the one for your phone.

Before you start: compatibility and unlocking

Most flagship and mid-range Android phones from the last several years support eSIM: Samsung Galaxy S20 and newer, Galaxy Note 20 and newer, Galaxy Z Fold and Flip models, and Google Pixel 3 and newer. A few region-specific and budget variants omit eSIM, so confirm on your own device: if you find an "Add eSIM" option in the settings below, your phone supports it.

Your phone must also be carrier-unlocked. A locked phone cannot use another provider's eSIM, full stop. On Samsung, check Settings → About phone → Status information or ask your carrier; on Pixel, Settings → About phone → SIM status can help, but the surest test is your carrier's app or support line. If you bought the phone on a payment plan, it is commonly locked until paid off — sort this out before buying any eSIM.

Step 1: Buy before you fly

Purchase your destination data pack while you are home, on a connection you trust. You will receive an email with a QR code for installation plus manual activation details as a backup. Installing an eSIM requires internet access, so doing this on flaky airport Wi-Fi after a long flight is a miserable Plan B.

Check when the pack's validity starts. On most packs the clock begins when the eSIM first connects at your destination, so installing a day or two early costs you nothing. A minority start counting at installation — the pack's description will say which.

Step 2: Install the eSIM

Samsung Galaxy

• Go to Settings → Connections → SIM manager (on older One UI versions: SIM card manager).
• Under eSIMs, tap Add eSIM (older versions say Add mobile plan).
• Choose Scan QR code and point the camera at the code from your email — display it on another screen or print it, since the phone cannot scan its own screen.
• Confirm to add the plan, then give it a clear name like Travel or the destination when prompted.

Google Pixel

• Go to Settings → Network & internet → SIMs.
• Tap Add SIM or the + icon, then choose Download a SIM instead?
• Tap Next and scan the QR code from your email.
• Once downloaded, rename the SIM to something obvious like Travel under its settings.

No QR code? Manual entry works too

Both brands offer a manual route in the same flow — look for Enter activation code (Pixel) or Enter manually (Samsung). Your purchase email includes an SM-DP+ address and an activation code; paste both in exactly as given. It takes an extra minute and works just as well.

Step 3: Tell the phone which SIM does what

Your goal: your US line keeps calls and texts, the travel eSIM handles data abroad.

• Samsung: in SIM manager, set Calls and Messages to your US SIM, and set Mobile data to the travel eSIM once you arrive. Until departure, leave mobile data on your US SIM.
• Pixel: in Settings → Network & internet → SIMs, open the travel SIM and enable Mobile data there, and under Calls preference and SMS preference choose your US line.
• Roaming: open the travel SIM's settings and turn Roaming on for that line — travel eSIMs connect through partner networks, so this is required, and it does not bill you. On your US line, keep roaming off so it never grabs paid data.
• Turn off any "switch data automatically" option (Samsung: Data switching in SIM manager; Pixel: Automatically switch mobile network under advanced settings) so the phone cannot silently fall back to your US line for data.

Step 4: On landing

Turn off Airplane Mode, confirm mobile data points at the travel eSIM, and give it a minute to register on a local network. If nothing happens, toggle Airplane Mode once or restart — registration glitches usually clear immediately. When you order from flylo.co, your eSIM, QR code, and manual codes stay saved in your My eSIMs library, so your install details are always one login away if you need them mid-trip.

Not sure which pack fits your trip? Start from your destination on the destinations page — each destination lists pack sizes and validity windows side by side, so you can match the data to the length of your stay.