Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 16 Pro support eSIM?

The iPhone 16 Pro 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 16 Pro 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

2024

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone 16 Pro does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone 16 Pro 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 16 Pro 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 16 Pro 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 16 Pro, and where it will not appear

The iPhone 16 Pro 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 16 Pro, 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 16 Pro 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 16 Pro 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 16 Pro

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 16 Pro at a glance

Specification	iPhone 16 Pro
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 16 Pro eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 16 Pro 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 16 Pro 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 16 Pro?

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 16 Pro by market

United States and Puerto Rico (A3083): The iPhone 16 Pro in the United States and Puerto Rico is model A3083, and there is no SIM tray. Lines are added only by eSIM, so a travel eSIM is how this phone gets local data abroad.
Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (A3292): Buyers in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands get the iPhone 16 Pro as model A3292, which has a nano-SIM tray on the left side next to its eSIM.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A3293): In the United Kingdom and most other markets the iPhone 16 Pro is model A3293. It pairs one nano-SIM with an eSIM and also supports Dual eSIM, so a traveller can keep a UK SIM card in place and add a travel eSIM.
China mainland, Hong Kong and Macao (A3294): Model A3294 is the iPhone 16 Pro sold in China mainland. It takes two nano-SIM cards and has no eSIM, so owners of this version cannot use a travel eSIM and need a physical SIM card abroad.

Networks on the iPhone 16 Pro

The iPhone 16 Pro sold in the United States, model A3083, has mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261. A3083 also covers sub-6 GHz 5G bands n14, n29, n71 and n76, and LTE band 71.
The UK iPhone 16 Pro, model A3293, lists LTE bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28 and 32 among others and sub-6 GHz 5G including n77 and n78. It does not list LTE bands 14, 29 or 71.
Model A3292, the Japanese iPhone 16 Pro, lists LTE bands 11 and 21 as well as 5G bands n14, n29 and n71, and supports a nano-SIM with eSIM. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G, with no mmWave.
The China mainland iPhone 16 Pro, model A3294, lacks 5G band n53 and LTE band 53. It supports sub-6 GHz 5G, and both of its SIM slots take physical nano-SIM cards.
The US iPhone 16 Pro supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling, with two eSIMs active at the same time. That setup lets a home number stay live for calls while the travel eSIM is used for mobile data.
Messages via satellite on the iPhone 16 Pro sends iMessage and SMS without mobile or Wi-Fi signal in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan. To use SMS by satellite, the carrier must support it, and iMessage must be on before you go off the grid.
An iPhone 16 Pro bought in Hong Kong or Macao has no satellite features, since Apple offers them there only on iPhone 16e and later. iPhones bought in China mainland, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia have none either.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 16 Pro

The iPhone 16 Pro only accepts a travel eSIM from another provider if it is unlocked. Look under Settings, then General, then About for No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock. Apple cannot unlock it; the carrier that sold the phone can, and it may take a few days.
An iPhone 16 Pro with a SIM tray can use a physical SIM and an eSIM together while travelling. If both lines stay on under iOS 26 or later, the travel eSIM carries the data and roaming fees may still apply on the home line.
Wi-Fi Calling lets the iPhone 16 Pro make or receive voice calls over Wi-Fi where mobile coverage is weak or missing. With a home line and a travel eSIM both installed, it is switched on separately for each line under Settings, then Cellular.
With iOS 26 or later, the iPhone 16 Pro can receive a phone number moved from an Android phone running Android 16 or later, where carriers such as Free Mobile, Orange and SFR in France or Swisscom in Switzerland support it.
Apple's iOS 27 compatibility list includes the iPhone 16 Pro, so it can update to the latest major iOS release.

What the iPhone 16 Pro holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2024
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 16 Pro compares with other Apple models

iPhone 17: iPhone 17, 2025, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone Air: iPhone Air, 2025, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 16 Pro Max: iPhone 16 Pro Max, 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 Max: iPhone 15 Pro Max, 2023, stores 8, 2 active