Device compatibility

Does the iPad Pro M4 support eSIM?

The iPad Pro M4 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4 does with a travel eSIM

The iPad Pro M4 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4, and where it will not appear

The iPad Pro M4 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 Pro M4, 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4

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 Pro M4 at a glance

Specification	iPad Pro M4
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 Pro M4 eSIM questions

Does the iPad Pro M4 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 Pro M4 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 Pro M4?

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 Pro M4 by market

All markets (Wi-Fi models) (A2836, A2925): Apple lists A2836 (11-inch) and A2925 (13-inch) as the Wi-Fi iPad Pro (M4), separate from the Wi-Fi + Cellular models. These two have no cellular connection, so they cannot use a travel eSIM and need Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot.
All markets except China mainland (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (A2837, A2926): The Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Pro (M4), models A2837 and A2926, uses eSIM technology and is not compatible with physical SIM cards. A travel eSIM is how it gets local data abroad, since a SIM card bought on arrival will not fit.
China mainland (Wi-Fi + Cellular) (A3006, A3007): Models A3006 (11-inch) and A3007 (13-inch) support eSIM in China mainland through China Unicom. Outside China mainland they can install eSIM data plans from other carriers, provided Location Services is turned on.

Networks on the iPad Pro M4

The Wi-Fi + Cellular iPad Pro (M4) connects to sub-6 GHz 5G with 4x4 MIMO, on bands including n1, n3, n7, n20, n28, n41, n77, n78 and n79. No mmWave is listed.
One band list covers both worldwide cellular models, A2837 and A2926. It includes LTE bands 11, 21, 28, 32 and 71 and 5G bands n14, n29, n70 and n71 among many others.
The China mainland models A3006 and A3007 list 5G bands including n28, n41, n77, n78 and n79, but their LTE list omits bands 11 and 21, and Wi-Fi calling is not listed for them.
Apple lists cellular on the iPad Pro (M4) as data only. A travel eSIM gives the iPad internet access, not a phone line for ordinary cellular calls, while FaceTime audio and video calls still work over cellular.
An iPad Pro (M4) can store more than one eSIM but uses only one at a time. Switching from a home data plan to a travel eSIM happens under Settings, then Cellular Data, by tapping the plan you want.
The iPad Pro 11-inch and 13-inch (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular are on Apple's list of iPads that use 5G. Under Cellular Data Options you can pick 5G Auto, 5G On or LTE, and Low Data Mode helps reduce data use on a capped travel plan.
An iPad can make and answer calls on an iPhone's number through Wi-Fi Calling on other devices. Turn on Calls from iPhone under Settings, Apps, FaceTime on the iPad; the iPhone's carrier must support Wi-Fi Calling on iCloud-connected devices.

Worth knowing about the iPad Pro M4

iPad Pro (M4) Wi-Fi + Cellular models and later connect to cellular with an eSIM only and do not have a physical SIM card, so every data plan on them, including a travel plan, arrives as an eSIM.
The iPad Pro generation before the M4, the 11-inch (4th generation) and 12.9-inch (6th generation), had a nano-SIM tray and separate mmWave cellular models. The M4 generation has neither, with one cellular model per size outside China mainland.
On iPadOS 17.4 or later, an iPad Pro (M4) can add a travel eSIM by touching and holding a QR code in an email or web page and tapping Add eSIM, or by tapping a setup link from the provider.
Some carriers let an iPad Pro (M4) take over a data plan from another iPad under Settings, Cellular Data, Transfer iPad Plan, or join an existing iPhone plan through Join iPhone Plan, where the carrier supports it.
Apple notes that an iPad is subject to its wireless provider's policies, which can restrict switching providers and roaming even after a minimum service contract ends.
Both sizes of iPad Pro (M4), the 11-inch and the 13-inch, are on Apple's list of iPad models compatible with iPadOS 27, so they can install that release.
An iPad Pro (M4) bought outside China mainland cannot install an eSIM profile from a China mainland carrier. Only the China mainland models A3006 and A3007 can, through China Unicom.

What the iPad Pro M4 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 Pro M4 compares with other Apple models

iPhone SE 3rd generation: iPhone SE 3rd generation, 2022, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 11: iPhone 11, 2019, stores 5, 2 active
iPhone XR: iPhone XR, 2018, stores 5, 2 active
iPad Air M2: iPad Air M2, 2024, stores 8, 1 active