Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 14 support eSIM?

The iPhone 14 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 14 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.

Worth knowing about this modelUnited States models are eSIM only and have no SIM tray.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2022

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone 14 does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone 14 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 14 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 14 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 14, and where it will not appear

The iPhone 14 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 14, 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 14 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

Tethering is included on every Orbislo plan at no extra charge. The iPhone 14 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 14

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 14 at a glance

Specification	iPhone 14
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 14 eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 14 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 14 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 14?

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 14 by market

United States and Puerto Rico (A2649): Apple's iPhone 14 for the United States and Puerto Rico is model A2649, and it has no SIM tray. A travel eSIM is therefore the only way to add a second line abroad, since a local SIM card cannot be inserted.
Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (A2881): The iPhone 14 in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands is model A2881. It has a SIM tray on the left side for a nano-SIM card, so a travel eSIM can run beside your usual SIM card.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A2882): Model A2882 is the iPhone 14 sold in the United Kingdom. It works with a nano-SIM and an eSIM together, or with two eSIMs, so a travel eSIM fits whichever way your home number is set up.
China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao (A2884): The iPhone 14 on Apple's Hong Kong site is model A2884, which holds two nano-SIM cards and has no eSIM. A travel eSIM cannot be added to it, so a SIM card from a local carrier is needed on a trip.
Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia (A2883): Apple lists model A2883 as the iPhone 14 for Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. Apple says iPhone 14 models outside the United States have a SIM tray on the left side that holds a nano-SIM card.

Networks on the iPhone 14

The iPhone 14 model A2649 for the United States supports mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261 as well as sub-6 GHz 5G, and its LTE list includes bands 14, 29 and 71.
Model A2882, the UK iPhone 14, uses sub-6 GHz 5G on bands such as n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n77 and n78. Its list has no n14, n29 or n71, and no LTE bands 14, 29 or 71.
Apple's Japanese specifications give the iPhone 14 model A2881 LTE bands 11 and 21 plus 5G bands n14, n29, n71 and n79, on sub-6 GHz 5G without mmWave.
The Hong Kong iPhone 14, model A2884, lists no 5G band n53 or TD-LTE band 53, and it also drops n14, n29 and n71. It covers n1, n3, n28, n41, n77 and n78 on sub-6 GHz 5G.
The iPhone 14 supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling, and it can keep two eSIMs active at once out of eight or more stored, so a home number and a travel eSIM can both stay on.
The iPhone 14 lists Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite among its features. The first three are free for two years after activation, and texting by SMS over satellite needs a carrier that supports it.
Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone 14 needs iOS 16.1 in the United States and Canada, iOS 16.2 in France, Germany, Ireland and the United Kingdom, and iOS 17.6 in Japan, so update before an off-grid trip.
An iPhone 14 bought in China mainland, Hong Kong, Macao, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Russia does not get Apple's satellite connectivity, wherever it is used.
From iOS 18, an iPhone 14 with no mobile or Wi-Fi coverage opens satellite features through the Connection Assistant, found in Control Center or under Settings, then Satellite, which gives onscreen instructions to connect.
Roadside Assistance via satellite on the iPhone 14 connects to AAA or Verizon in the United States, and to NRMA, RACV, RACQ, RAA, RAC, RACT and AANT in Australia on iOS 18.4 or later.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 14

To use a travel eSIM from another company, the iPhone 14 must show No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock in Settings, General, About. A locked phone can only be unlocked by its carrier, and the request can take a few days.
Crash Detection on the iPhone 14 can alert emergency services after a severe car crash. If you are unresponsive and outside mobile and Wi-Fi coverage, Apple says the alert may be sent through Emergency SOS via satellite.
On iOS 26 and later, the iPhone 14 can ask on arrival whether to use the travel eSIM only or the travel eSIM with your current line. If both stay on, the travel eSIM carries data, though the home line may still incur roaming fees.
A travel eSIM can go onto an iPhone 14 running iOS 17.4 or later straight from a carrier link, or by pressing and holding the QR code in an email and tapping Add eSIM.
eSIM Quick Transfer can move a phone number onto an iPhone 14 from another iPhone when both run iOS 18.4 or later, sit near each other with Bluetooth on, and share the same Apple Account.
The iPhone 14 is on Apple's eSIM list for every market except Hong Kong, Macao and China mainland, where it is not among the eSIM models.
The iPhone 14 is included in Apple's list of iPhone models that support iOS 27.

What the iPhone 14 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2022
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 14 compares with other Apple models

iPhone 15 Pro: iPhone 15 Pro, 2023, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 15: iPhone 15, 2023, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 14 Pro Max: iPhone 14 Pro Max, 2022, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 13 Pro: iPhone 13 Pro, 2021, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 13: iPhone 13, 2021, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 12: iPhone 12, 2020, stores 8, 2 active