Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 15 support eSIM?

The iPhone 15 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 15 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. Models sold elsewhere keep the tray.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2023

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone 15 does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone 15 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 15 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 15 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 15, and where it will not appear

The iPhone 15 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 15, 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 15 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 15 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 15

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 15 at a glance

Specification	iPhone 15
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 15 eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 15 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 15 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 15?

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 15 by market

United States and Puerto Rico (A2846): The United States and Puerto Rico version of the iPhone 15 is model A2846. With no SIM tray, it relies entirely on eSIM, so adding a travel eSIM is the way to get local mobile data abroad.
Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (A3089): Model A3089 is the iPhone 15 for Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It has a SIM tray on the left side for a nano-SIM card, so a physical home SIM and a travel eSIM can be used together.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A3090): UK buyers of the iPhone 15 have model A3090, which takes one nano-SIM plus an eSIM and also supports Dual eSIM. That leaves room for a travel eSIM whether the home number sits on a card or on an eSIM.
China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao (A3092): In Hong Kong, Apple lists the iPhone 15 as model A3092 with dual nano-SIM slots and no eSIM. A travel eSIM will not install on it, so a local SIM card is needed at the destination.

Networks on the iPhone 15

The iPhone 15 model A2846 for the United States pairs sub-6 GHz 5G with mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261. Its 5G list also includes n14, n29, n53 and n71.
The UK iPhone 15, model A3090, is a sub-6 GHz 5G phone covering bands including n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n77 and n78. LTE bands 14, 29 and 71 and 5G bands n14, n29 and n71 are not on its list.
For the Japanese iPhone 15, model A3089, Apple lists LTE bands 11, 14, 21, 29 and 71 and 5G bands n14, n29 and n71, plus n77, n78 and n79, all on sub-6 GHz 5G.
The iPhone 15 model A3092 sold in Hong Kong lists neither 5G band n53 nor TD-LTE band 53, and it also omits n14, n29 and n71. It covers n1, n3, n28, n41, n77, n78 and n79 on sub-6 GHz 5G.
The iPhone 15 handles Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling, and two of its stored eSIMs can be active together. Apple notes that 5G, VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling depend on the market and carrier, so they vary with the plan you use abroad.
An iPhone 15 with two active lines draws mobile data from one of them at a time. Turning on Allow Cellular Data Switching lets it use data from either plan, depending on coverage and availability.
Apple's specifications for the iPhone 15 list Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance, Messages and Find My via satellite. Emergency SOS, Roadside Assistance and Messages via satellite are free for two years after activation, and SMS by satellite depends on the carrier.
Emergency SOS via satellite reaches responders from an iPhone 15 in the countries on Apple's supported list. Mexico needs iOS 18.4 or later, and Andorra and Iceland need iOS 26.4 or later.
Apple does not offer satellite connectivity on an iPhone 15 bought in China mainland, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Russia, and for phones bought in Hong Kong and Macao it begins only with iPhone 16e.
Satellite connectivity on the iPhone 15 needs an open view of the sky and horizon; hills, canyons, tall buildings and dense trees can block it. It might not work above 62 degrees latitude, such as northern Alaska.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 15

An iPhone 15 must be free of carrier restrictions to use a travel eSIM from another provider. Check Settings, then General, then About: Carrier Lock should read No SIM Restrictions, and if it does not, contact the carrier that sold the phone.
The iPhone 15 needs a Wi-Fi network or hotspot to activate a new eSIM, although in some countries Apple lets eSIM-only iPhone models activate without Wi-Fi.
On an iPhone 15 with iOS 17.4 or later, a travel eSIM can be added by pressing and holding a QR code in an email or web page and tapping Add eSIM, so there is no need for a second screen to scan it.
With iOS 26 or later, an iPhone 15 can turn off a travel eSIM automatically when you get home and turn your home line back on, depending on the country or region.
An eSIM from a China mainland carrier will not work on an iPhone 15 bought outside China mainland. For a trip there, a prepaid data eSIM from a worldwide provider is the supported option.
Apple's list of eSIM models includes the iPhone 15 everywhere except Hong Kong, Macao and China mainland, where the iPhone 15 is not among the models that support eSIM.
The iPhone 15 appears on Apple's list of models compatible with iOS 27, so it keeps receiving the latest major iOS version.

What the iPhone 15 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2023
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 15 compares with other Apple models

iPhone 16e: iPhone 16e, 2025, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 15 Pro Max: iPhone 15 Pro Max, 2023, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 15 Pro: iPhone 15 Pro, 2023, stores 8, 2 active
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