Device compatibility

Does the iPad Air M2 support eSIM?

The iPad Air M2 is what decides whether a travel eSIM installs, not the Apple name on the box. Storage, radio and market variant all change from one model to the next, so every figure below was checked on this model.

Yes. The iPad Air M2 stores up to 8 eSIM profiles and can keep 1 active at the same time. Installing a travel eSIM takes about 40 seconds and does not touch your normal SIM.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2024

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPad Air M2 does with a travel eSIM

The iPad Air M2 is a tablet, so there is no voice line to protect. Nobody rings a tablet. Install the Orbislo profile as the only cellular line, turn roaming on, and let it carry the data with no second number to keep alive.

Installing writes the profile. Nothing is spent until it attaches to a network at the destination, so an install three weeks early costs exactly the same as one at the gate. Do it at home, on wifi, while you still have a connection to fix anything.

Storage and active lines

The iPad Air M2 holds 8 profiles, which is enough that most people never reach the limit. It still fills up if a provider issues a fresh disposable eSIM for every trip.

Active is how many lines run at the same time, and on the iPad Air M2 that is 1. Storage is how many profiles sit on the device waiting, and that is the number that runs out without warning.

Each destination's line installs in one tap from the Orbislo app, and while it is valid every refill lands on that same line. Most of Europe runs on a single line, so a trip through several neighbouring countries takes one slot rather than one per country.

Home line: calls and texts, so bank codes still arrive on your usual number.
Orbislo line: mobile data, with roaming switched on.
Automatic data switching: off, or the phone borrows the expensive line in a tunnel.

5G on the iPad Air M2, and where it will not appear

The iPad Air M2 has a 5G radio and the travel profile uses it. Where a partner network runs 5G, you get 5G, on the same profile and at no extra cost.

88 of our 197 destinations are 4G only on the networks we buy from. On those the icon reads LTE whatever the handset can do, and no setting changes it.

Speed belongs to the network rather than to the profile.

What goes wrong on the iPad Air M2, and the fix

Data roaming has to be switched on for this line. Your profile is issued outside the country you are standing in, so the device treats every attachment as roaming. Leave it off and the iPad Air M2 finds a network and then refuses to use it.

If the profile will not download at all, the order refunds automatically inside 60 seconds, with no ticket. Install again from the same order, because the profile is reissued to your account rather than lost.

On this device the sequence is Settings, Cellular, tap the Orbislo line, turn on Data Roaming. Then Settings, Cellular, Cellular Data, choose Orbislo, and turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching.

No service on the Orbislo line: roaming is off on that line.
Connected but nothing loads: mobile data still points at the home line.
Works, then stops after an hour: automatic data switching moved you back.
Still searching: airplane mode on for 20 seconds, off, then restart.

Your SIM tray, and tethering

The iPad Air M2 has no SIM tray at all, so there is nothing to remove. Both lines are eSIM profiles, and the travel profile is added beside whatever is already installed.

Tethering is included on every Orbislo plan at no extra charge. The iPad Air M2 can share the travel data with a laptop, a tablet or a watch, and nothing behind the hotspot needs a profile of its own.

What an Orbislo plan does once it is installed

Data never expires. A gigabyte you do not use in Lisbon is still there in Bangkok next year, metered plans have no throttle, and every customer gets 100 MB of free rescue data once a month on the line in use when the balance runs out. Unlimited runs full speed to 2 GB a day and then 1 Mbps.

One balance pays in all 197 destinations, and most of Europe runs on a single line, so a rail trip through three neighbouring countries is one install and one balance rather than three of each. Refills arrive on the line you already have, with no new plan or expiry date. Where a destination has more than one partner network, the line can move between them without you touching a setting.

How to install a travel eSIM on the iPad Air M2

Open the Orbislo app and tap Install
Confirm in the Add Cellular Plan sheet iOS shows you
Leave the label as Orbislo
Turn on Data Roaming for the Orbislo line

Data roaming sounds like it will cost you money. On the Orbislo line it cannot, because it is how that line reaches partner networks abroad and there is no charge beyond the data you already bought.

The iPad Air M2 at a glance

Specification	iPad Air M2
Takes an eSIM	Yes
Profiles stored	8
Active at the same time	1
5G on partner networks	Yes, where the network runs it
Physical SIM tray	None, both lines are eSIM
Voice on the travel line	Data only
Tethering	Included, no extra charge

Stored is how many profiles the device keeps. Active is how many run at the same time. Checked on this model rather than assumed from the brand.

iPad Air M2 eSIM questions

Does the iPad Air M2 support eSIM?

Yes. It stores 8 profiles and runs 1 at the same time. Installing an Orbislo profile takes about 40 seconds and does not touch the SIM you already have.

How many eSIMs can the iPad Air M2 hold?

8 stored, 1 active at once. Storage is the number that runs out, because a provider that issues a new profile for every trip fills it in a few holidays.

Will I lose my own number?

No. Keep the home line as the voice line and point mobile data at Orbislo. Calls and texts keep arriving on your usual number, as long as your home carrier delivers them abroad.

Do I have to turn roaming on?

Yes, on the Orbislo line only, and it cannot cost you anything. The profile is issued outside the country you are in, so every attachment counts as roaming.

Can I install before I fly?

Yes, and you should. The plan starts counting when the profile first attaches to a network abroad, so an install three weeks early costs the same as one at the gate.

Does tethering work on the iPad Air M2?

Yes, on every plan and at no extra charge. Share the travel data from the hotspot with a laptop, a tablet or a watch. Nothing behind it needs a profile of its own.

Pick the destination, then install its line in one tap

Take the metered wallet for maps and messaging, because the balance never expires. Take unlimited if you tether a laptop or stream, and read the 2 GB a day figure before you do.

Get an eSIM for your trip Full install guide See pricing Check coverage

The iPad Air M2 by market

All markets (Wi-Fi models) (A2902, A2898): The Wi-Fi iPad Air (M2) is model A2902 at 11 inches and A2898 at 13 inches. Apple lists separate Wi-Fi + Cellular models, and only those can take a travel eSIM; the Wi-Fi versions rely on Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot.
All markets except China mainland (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (A2903, A2899): Models A2903 and A2899 are the Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Air (M2). They use eSIM technology and are not compatible with physical SIM cards, so a travel plan has to come as an eSIM.
China mainland (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (A2904, A2900): The iPad Air (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular for China mainland is model A2904 (11-inch) or A2900 (13-inch). It also supports eSIM only, with no physical SIM, and Apple refers buyers to China Unicom for eSIM availability on these models.

Networks on the iPad Air M2

The iPad Air (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular runs sub-6 GHz 5G and Gigabit LTE, both with 4x4 MIMO. Its 5G bands include n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n28, n38, n40, n41, n77 and n78.
Both sizes of the iPad Air (M2) share one band list for models A2899 and A2903, with LTE bands 11 and 21 and 5G bands n75 and n76 alongside bands such as n14 and n71.
Models A2900 and A2904 for China mainland list 5G bands including n28, n75, n76, n77, n78 and n79, but their LTE list leaves out bands 11 and 21.
Apple lists the iPad Air (M2) cellular connection as data only, so a travel eSIM on it carries internet traffic rather than a phone number for voice calls. FaceTime audio and video still work over the cellular connection.
You can store several eSIMs on an iPad Air (M2), but only one is in use at any moment. To move to a travel eSIM, open Settings, tap Cellular Data and choose that plan below SIMs.
Apple lists the iPad Air 11-inch and 13-inch (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular among iPads that work with 5G. If a home carrier does not support 5G roaming, a local eSIM with 5G is Apple's suggested alternative.
The spec sheet for models A2899 and A2903 lists Wi-Fi calling, and Apple notes that 5G, Gigabit LTE and Wi-Fi calling are offered only in select markets and through select carriers.

Worth knowing about the iPad Air M2

Apple states that iPad Air (M2) Wi-Fi + Cellular models and later, bought anywhere in the world, connect to cellular only through eSIM and have no physical SIM card.
The iPad Air (5th generation) before it had a nano-SIM tray on its cellular models. The iPad Air (M2) has no nano-SIM tray, so a SIM card from a kiosk on arrival is not an option.
On an iPad Air (M2), Settings, then Cellular Data, then Find a New Plan lists local carriers once Location Services is on, and a provider's QR code can be scanned with the Camera app to add a travel eSIM.
An iPad Air (M2) from China mainland, model A2900 or A2904, can install eSIM data plans from carriers outside China mainland when used abroad, as long as Location Services is enabled.
Apple notes that an iPad is subject to its wireless provider's policies, and a data plan may carry restrictions on transfer. If you are unsure which carrier to ask, Settings on the iPad shows it under Carrier.
The iPad Air 11-inch and 13-inch (M2) both appear on Apple's list of iPad models compatible with iPadOS 27, so either size can install that release.

What the iPad Air M2 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 1
Released: 2024
Form factor: Tablet
Network generation: 5G capable where the network carries it
Physical SIM tray: No tray, eSIM only

How the iPad Air M2 compares with other Apple models

iPhone 11: iPhone 11, 2019, stores 5, 2 active
iPhone XR: iPhone XR, 2018, stores 5, 2 active
iPad Pro M4: iPad Pro M4, 2024, stores 8, 1 active