Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 13 support eSIM?

The iPhone 13 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 iPhone 13 stores up to 8 eSIM profiles and can keep 2 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

2021

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone 13 does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone 13 is a phone, so the travel profile is a data line and your existing line stays the voice line. Calls and texts to your usual number keep arriving while Orbislo carries the browsing.

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 iPhone 13 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 iPhone 13 that is 2. 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 iPhone 13, and where it will not appear

The iPhone 13 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 iPhone 13, 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 iPhone 13 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

Your physical SIM stays exactly where it is. Adding an eSIM does not touch the tray, does not wipe the card and does not need it taken out. Remove it and you lose your own number, which is the opposite of the point.

Tethering is included on every Orbislo plan at no extra charge. The iPhone 13 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 iPhone 13

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 iPhone 13 at a glance

Specification	iPhone 13
Takes an eSIM	Yes
Profiles stored	8
Active at the same time	2
5G on partner networks	Yes, where the network runs it
Physical SIM tray	Yes, and it keeps working
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.

iPhone 13 eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 13 support eSIM?

Yes. It stores 8 profiles and runs 2 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 iPhone 13 hold?

8 stored, 2 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 iPhone 13?

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 iPhone 13 by market

United States (A2482): The iPhone 13 for the United States, model A2482, has Dual SIM with a nano-SIM and an eSIM, plus Dual eSIM support. US owners can keep a physical SIM card in the tray and still add a travel eSIM.
Canada, Japan, Mexico and Saudi Arabia (A2631): Model A2631 is the iPhone 13 sold in Canada, Japan, Mexico and Saudi Arabia. It has a SIM tray on the left side that holds a nano-SIM card, so a home SIM and a travel eSIM can run together.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A2633): The UK iPhone 13 is model A2633. It combines a nano-SIM with an eSIM and also supports Dual eSIM, so a traveller can add a travel eSIM whether the home line is a card or an eSIM.
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia (A2635): On Apple's Russian site the iPhone 13 is model A2635, listed with a nano-SIM and an eSIM and with Dual eSIM support, so it can take a travel eSIM.
China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao (A2634): Apple's Hong Kong site lists the iPhone 13 as model A2634, with two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM. This version cannot install a travel eSIM and needs a physical SIM card at the destination.

Networks on the iPhone 13

The iPhone 13 model A2482 for the United States adds mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261 to sub-6 GHz 5G. Its LTE bands include 11 and 21 as well as 14, 29 and 71.
Model A2633, the UK iPhone 13, supports sub-6 GHz 5G on bands including n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n77 and n78. It does not list 5G bands n29 or n71, or LTE bands 11, 14, 21, 29 or 71.
The Japanese iPhone 13, model A2631, lists LTE bands 11 and 21 and 5G bands n29 and n71 next to n77, n78 and n79. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G, with no mmWave.
The iPhone 13 supports VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling. Apple notes on its specifications that eSIM is not supported in all regions, and that 5G, VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling depend on the market and carrier.
Apple supports Dual SIM with two eSIMs from the iPhone 13 onward, in addition to a nano-SIM plus an eSIM. That lets an iPhone 13 run a home eSIM and a travel eSIM with no card in the tray.
Both numbers on an iPhone 13 with two lines can make and receive calls and FaceTime calls and send iMessage, SMS and MMS messages, though only one line provides mobile data at any moment.
Messages via satellite needs an iPhone 14 or later, so the iPhone 13 cannot send iMessage or SMS texts by satellite when there is no mobile or Wi-Fi coverage.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 13

The iPhone 13 accepts a travel eSIM from another provider only when unlocked. Settings, General, About shows No SIM Restrictions beside Carrier Lock if it is; otherwise the selling carrier has to unlock it, which can take a few days.
Apple warns that eSIM on an iPhone 13 bought from some carriers may be disabled, and that a plan may restrict roaming or switching providers even after the contract ends.
Apple's list of dual nano-SIM iPhones bought in China mainland, Hong Kong or Macao includes the iPhone 13, while the iPhone 13 mini from Hong Kong or Macao is listed as using an eSIM.
From iOS 26, the iPhone 13 can turn a travel eSIM off automatically when you get home and switch your home line back on, depending on the country or region.
You cannot use an eSIM from a China mainland carrier on an iPhone 13 bought outside China mainland. A prepaid data eSIM from a worldwide provider can be used there instead.
An iPhone 13 can take part in eSIM Quick Transfer once it runs iOS 18.4 or later, moving a number to or from another iPhone nearby without calling the carrier.
The iPhone 13 is on Apple's iOS 27 compatibility list, so it can install the current major version of iOS.

What the iPhone 13 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2021
Form factor: Phone
Network generation: 5G capable where the network carries it
Physical SIM tray: Has a tray as well as eSIM

How the iPhone 13 compares with other Apple models

iPhone 14 Pro Max: iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2022, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 14: iPhone 14, 2022, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 13 Pro: iPhone 13 Pro, 2021, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 12: iPhone 12, 2020, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone SE 3rd generation: iPhone SE 3rd generation, 2022, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 11: iPhone 11, 2019, stores 5, 2 active