Does iPhone 13 Have eSIM? Everything You Need to Know

eSIM Guides · July 29, 2026 · 10 min read · By AirCarta Team

Photo via Pexels

Short answer: yes. Every iPhone 13 supports eSIM, including the mini. The phone shipped with the chip built in, and no upgrade, carrier visit or accessory is needed to use it.

There is one exception, and it catches people out every year. It has nothing to do with the model you bought and everything to do with where it was bought.

This guide covers what the iPhone 13 can actually do with eSIM, how to confirm it on your own handset in about 30 seconds, the Dual SIM combinations Apple allows and the one it does not, and how to get a travel data plan running before you land.

⚡ Quick Answer: Does the iPhone 13 Support eSIM?

Yes. All four models released in September 2021 support eSIM:

The iPhone 13 generation also introduced something the iPhone 12 could not do: two eSIMs active at the same time, with no physical SIM involved at all. More on what that means below.

The exception: iPhone 13 units sold in mainland China have no eSIM chip. Apple ships a different hardware configuration there, replacing the eSIM with a second physical nano-SIM slot to meet local regulations. That is a hardware difference, not a software one, so no iOS update will ever add eSIM to those units. Hong Kong and Macao models differ too and are worth checking individually.

If you bought your iPhone 13 anywhere else, you have eSIM.

🔍 How to Check Your Own iPhone 13 in 30 Seconds

Do not take a spec sheet's word for it, including this one. Check the handset in your hand, because a second-hand phone can come from anywhere.

Method 1: The dial code

Open the Phone app and dial:

*#06#

The screen fills with identifiers immediately, with no need to press call. Look for EID, a 32-digit number. If it is there, your phone has an eSIM chip. If you only see IMEI and a serial number, it does not.

Method 2: Through Settings

Go to Settings → General → About and scroll down. The EID sits alongside the IMEI. On some iOS versions it also appears under Settings → Cellular.

Method 3: Look for the Add eSIM option

Go to Settings → Cellular. If Add eSIM (or Add Data Plan on older iOS) is listed, the feature is present and enabled. If the option is missing entirely, treat that as a strong signal and confirm with the dial code.

The EID is simply the serial number of the eSIM chip. It never changes, it carries no personal information, and its presence is the single most reliable proof that your phone supports eSIM. We wrote a full guide to the EID number if you want the detail.

👉 Check your exact model against our compatibility list →

📱 What Dual SIM Actually Means on iPhone 13

This is where most confusion lives. "Dual SIM" describes three different arrangements, and the iPhone 13 supports two of them.

What works

What does not work

Stored versus active

You can store far more eSIM profiles than you can run. Apple does not publish a hard limit, but in practice an iPhone holds eight or more, and you switch between them in Settings without deleting anything. That matters for frequent travellers: last year's Japan plan and this year's Italy plan can both sit on the phone, and only one needs to be switched on.

The practical version, for a trip: keep your home SIM in the tray for calls and 2FA texts, put the travel plan on the eSIM, and set the eSIM as your data line. You keep your number and stop paying roaming rates.

🔒 The Catch Nobody Mentions: Carrier Locking

Having an eSIM chip is necessary but not sufficient. A carrier-locked iPhone 13 will refuse a foreign eSIM profile even though the hardware is perfectly capable.

This affects phones bought on contract or subsidised through an operator. If yours came free or heavily discounted with a monthly plan, assume it may be locked until you confirm otherwise.

How to check: Settings → General → About, scroll to Carrier Lock. If it reads No SIM restrictions, you are fine. Anything else means calling your operator before you buy a travel plan. Most will unlock a device once the contract is paid off, usually free of charge.

This one check saves the most common support ticket we see: a perfectly compatible phone that rejects a valid eSIM.

Photo via Pexels

📲 Installing a Travel eSIM on iPhone 13

The whole point of the eSIM chip, for most people, is landing abroad with working data instead of hunting for an airport kiosk.

The sequence is short:

Your plan starts counting when the phone first connects to a network at the destination, not when you bought it or installed it.

We keep the full walkthrough, with screenshots and the fixes for each step that commonly goes wrong, on a dedicated page rather than repeating it in every article.

👉 Full step-by-step installation guide →

🆚 iPhone 13 vs iPhone 14, 15 and Later

The iPhone 13 sits on the useful side of a hardware line Apple drew in 2022.

US models of the iPhone 14 and later have no SIM tray at all. They are eSIM-only. The iPhone 13 keeps the tray everywhere, which makes it more flexible than its successors in one specific way: you can still fall back on a physical SIM in a country where eSIM support is thin.

So if you are wondering whether to upgrade purely for eSIM: you do not need to. Your iPhone 13 already does everything an iPhone 16 does on this front, including running two eSIMs at once.

🌍 Where an iPhone 13 eSIM Is Worth It

Roaming charges are the reason most people go looking for this. A single week abroad on a carrier roaming package routinely costs more than a month of local data.

Current AirCarta starting prices give a sense of the gap:

Prices are the current lowest available per destination and move with the market. Coverage runs to 190+ countries.

Travelling across several countries in one trip? A regional Europe plan covers 40+ countries on a single profile, which saves juggling one eSIM per border.

The comparison that matters is not eSIM against a local SIM card, it is eSIM against doing nothing and letting your home operator bill you. If you want that broken down properly, we compared them in international roaming vs eSIM.

👉 Browse eSIM plans for 190+ countries →

🛠️ Common iPhone 13 eSIM Problems, and What Causes Them

"Add eSIM" is missing from Settings

Either the phone is a mainland China model with no eSIM chip, or iOS is badly out of date. Check for an EID first with *#06#.

The QR code will not scan

Usually a screen glare or resolution problem. Every provider gives manual details as a fallback: enter the SM-DP+ address and activation code by hand under Add eSIM → Enter Details Manually.

"Unable to Complete Cellular Plan Change"

Most often a carrier lock, occasionally a QR code already used on another device. An eSIM profile can normally be installed once, so it cannot be moved between phones by rescanning.

Installed, but no data

Three things to check, in order: the line is switched on, data roaming is enabled for that line, and it is selected as the mobile data line. The second is the culprit nine times out of ten.

Data works but calls do not

Expected behaviour. Travel eSIMs are data-only. Your calls and SMS continue on your home number through the physical SIM, and voice apps work normally over the eSIM data. If you want a deeper look at what data-only really means in practice, we covered data-only eSIMs, WhatsApp, SMS and calls separately.

The battery question

Running two active lines uses slightly more power, since the phone maintains two network connections, but the effect is small next to screen and camera use. We measured the claim properly in does an eSIM drain your battery faster.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Does the iPhone 13 have eSIM? Yes. All four models, including the mini, support eSIM out of the box. The only exception is units sold in mainland China, which ship with two physical SIM slots and no eSIM chip.

Does the iPhone 13 mini support eSIM? Yes. The mini has exactly the same eSIM capability as the Pro Max. Screen size makes no difference to the chip inside.

Can the iPhone 13 use two eSIMs at the same time? Yes, and this was new to the iPhone 13 generation. Two eSIMs can be active simultaneously on iOS 16 or later, provided the physical SIM tray is empty. Apple does not allow a physical SIM plus two active eSIMs.

How many eSIMs can an iPhone 13 store? More than you will need. Apple does not publish a hard figure, but iPhones typically hold eight or more profiles, with two active at a time. You switch between stored plans in Settings without deleting them.

Does the iPhone 13 still have a SIM card slot? Yes, in every region. Removing the tray began with US models of the iPhone 14, so the iPhone 13 gives you both options everywhere.

Do I need to remove my normal SIM to use a travel eSIM? No. That is the main benefit. Your physical SIM keeps your number active for calls and 2FA texts while the eSIM handles data abroad.

Will an eSIM work on a carrier-locked iPhone 13? No. The chip exists but the phone rejects foreign profiles. Check Settings → General → About → Carrier Lock and contact your operator if it does not say No SIM restrictions.

Does the iPhone 13 need iOS 16 for eSIM? Not for basic eSIM use, which worked from launch on iOS 15. Two simultaneously active eSIMs need iOS 16 or later.

Can I install a travel eSIM before I travel? Yes, and you should. Install on home Wi-Fi and it sits dormant until you arrive. Most plans start counting on first connection at the destination, not at purchase.

Does using an eSIM drain the iPhone 13 battery faster? Not meaningfully on its own. Running two active lines does use slightly more power, since the phone maintains two network connections, but the difference is small compared with screen and camera use.

🏁 The Short Version

If your iPhone 13 has an EID and is unlocked, it is ready for a travel data plan today.

👉 Confirm your device, then pick a plan for your destination →

Related reading: What is an EID number and where to find it · How to set up an eSIM on iPhone · International roaming vs eSIM · Full installation guide · Browse plans for 190+ countries

Browse eSIM plans for 190+ countries