Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 15 Pro Max support eSIM?

The iPhone 15 Pro Max 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 Pro Max 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 Pro Max does with a travel eSIM

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

The iPhone 15 Pro Max 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 Pro Max, 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 Pro Max 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 Pro Max 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 Pro Max

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 Pro Max at a glance

Specification	iPhone 15 Pro Max
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 Pro Max eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 15 Pro Max 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 Pro Max 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 Pro Max?

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 Pro Max by market

United States and Puerto Rico (A2849): In the United States and Puerto Rico the iPhone 15 Pro Max is model A2849, which has no SIM tray. It runs on eSIM alone, so a travel eSIM is how you add a local data plan abroad, and a SIM card bought on arrival cannot be used.
Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (A3105): Model A3105 covers Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Outside the United States the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a nano-SIM tray on its left side, so your home SIM card can stay in while a travel eSIM handles data.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A3106): Sold in the United Kingdom as model A3106, the iPhone 15 Pro Max pairs one nano-SIM with an eSIM and also supports Dual eSIM. A travel eSIM can therefore run next to a physical home SIM or next to a second eSIM.
China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao (A3108): Apple's Hong Kong specifications list the iPhone 15 Pro Max model A3108 with two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM. A travel eSIM cannot be installed on this version, so owners need a physical SIM card at their destination.

Networks on the iPhone 15 Pro Max

The United States iPhone 15 Pro Max, model A2849, connects to both sub-6 GHz 5G and mmWave 5G, with mmWave on bands n258, n260 and n261. Its sub-6 GHz list also includes bands n14, n29, n53 and n71.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max model A3106 sold in the United Kingdom connects to sub-6 GHz 5G only. Its 5G bands include n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n75, n76 and n78, while n14, n29 and n71 and LTE bands 14, 29 and 71 are absent.
On Apple's Japanese specifications, the iPhone 15 Pro Max model A3105 adds LTE bands 11 and 21 and keeps 5G bands n14, n29 and n71, alongside n77, n78 and n79. It uses sub-6 GHz 5G, with no mmWave listed.
The Hong Kong model A3108 of the iPhone 15 Pro Max leaves out 5G bands n14, n29, n53 and n71 and TD-LTE band 53. It still covers common 5G bands such as n1, n3, n28, n41, n77 and n78, on sub-6 GHz only.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling, and it can hold two active eSIMs while storing eight or more. A home number can stay on for calls and texts while a travel eSIM supplies mobile data.
With two lines active on an iPhone 15 Pro Max, both numbers take calls and messages, but only one line carries mobile data at a time. If the other line's carrier supports Wi-Fi calling, you can answer calls on it while already on a call.
Emergency SOS via satellite on the iPhone 15 Pro Max works in countries on Apple's supported list, among them the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and Spain. Visitors can use it there unless the phone was bought in certain countries.
Satellite features are not offered on an iPhone 15 Pro Max bought in China mainland, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Russia. For phones bought in Hong Kong and Macao, satellite support starts with iPhone 16e, so a 15 Pro Max from there has none.
Messages via satellite lets an iPhone 15 Pro Max send iMessage and SMS texts with no signal in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. While it connects, the Dynamic Island shows dots for signal strength and arrows telling you which way to turn.
Roadside Assistance via satellite on the iPhone 15 Pro Max reaches AAA or Verizon in the United States, Green Flag in the United Kingdom, and NRMA and other motoring clubs in Australia. International visitors to those three countries can use it too.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Before buying a travel eSIM, open Settings, then General, then About on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and look for No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock. If the phone is locked, only the carrier that sold it can unlock it, which may take a few days.
Crash Detection on the iPhone 15 Pro Max 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.
Apple notes that eSIM on the iPhone 15 Pro Max needs a carrier that supports eSIM, and that a carrier plan may restrict switching providers or roaming even after the contract expires.
Installing a travel eSIM on the iPhone 15 Pro Max needs a Wi-Fi network or hotspot, so set it up at home or on any Wi-Fi connection. Apple notes that eSIM-only iPhones can activate without Wi-Fi in some countries.
From iOS 26, an iPhone 15 Pro Max can prompt you to turn on a travel eSIM when you land, either on its own or together with your current line. Back home, it can switch the travel eSIM off and your home line on again.
eSIM Quick Transfer moves a number from an older iPhone to an iPhone 15 Pro Max without calling the carrier, provided both phones run iOS 18.4 or later, use the same Apple Account and have Bluetooth on.
Moving an eSIM from an Android phone straight to an iPhone 15 Pro Max needs iOS 26 or later, an Android phone on Android 16 or later, and a supporting carrier such as EE in the United Kingdom or Telekom in Germany.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is on Apple's list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 27, so it can run the current major version of iOS and the eSIM features that come with it.

What the iPhone 15 Pro Max 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 Pro Max compares with other Apple models

iPhone 16 Pro: iPhone 16 Pro, 2024, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 16: iPhone 16, 2024, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 16e: iPhone 16e, 2025, stores 8, 2 active
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