Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 17 support eSIM?

The iPhone 17 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 17 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 modelModels sold in the United States, Canada, Japan, Mexico and the Gulf states are eSIM only and have no SIM tray. Models sold elsewhere keep the tray.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2025

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone 17 does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone 17 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 17 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 17 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 17, and where it will not appear

The iPhone 17 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 17, 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 17 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 17 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 17

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 17 at a glance

Specification	iPhone 17
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 17 eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 17 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 17 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 17?

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 17 by market

United States and Puerto Rico (A3258): The iPhone 17 for the United States and Puerto Rico is model A3258. It has no SIM tray at all, so a data plan for travel has to be an eSIM rather than a card picked up at the airport.
Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (A3519): Model A3519 is the iPhone 17 sold in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Like the US version, it has no SIM tray and runs on eSIM alone.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A3520): Across the United Kingdom and most other markets, the iPhone 17 is model A3520 with a nano-SIM slot and eSIM, plus Dual eSIM support. A home SIM card can stay in the phone while a travel eSIM is added for the trip.
Hong Kong (A3520): Apple sells the iPhone 17 in Hong Kong as model A3520, listed with Dual SIM using a nano-SIM and an eSIM, and with Dual eSIM support. A travel eSIM can be installed on the Hong Kong version.
China mainland (A3521): Model A3521, the iPhone 17 for China mainland, has two nano-SIM slots and no eSIM. It cannot take a travel eSIM, so owners travelling abroad need a physical SIM card from a local carrier.

Networks on the iPhone 17

Model A3258, the United States iPhone 17, supports mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261 as well as sub-6 GHz 5G. It also lists 5G bands n14, n29 and n71, and LTE bands 14, 29 and 71.
The iPhone 17 model A3520 sold in the United Kingdom covers sub-6 GHz 5G bands such as n1, n3, n7, n20, n28, n41, n77 and n78, and LTE bands such as 3, 7, 8 and 20. Bands n14, n29 and n71 are not on its list.
The Japanese iPhone 17, model A3519, lists LTE bands 11 and 21 and 5G bands n14, n29 and n71, along with common bands such as n1, n3, n28, n77 and n78. It supports sub-6 GHz 5G without mmWave.
The iPhone 17 model A3521 for China mainland omits 5G band n53 and LTE band 53. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G only and is built for two nano-SIM cards.
The iPhone 17 keeps two eSIMs active together and supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling. A traveller can leave the home line on for incoming calls and texts while setting the travel eSIM as the data line.
If you turn on Allow Cellular Data Switching on an iPhone 17 with two lines, a call on the voice-only line can use data too. Apple notes this switching does not work while data roaming is in use.
Emergency SOS via satellite on an iPhone 17 needs no mobile or Wi-Fi signal and is available in 20 countries, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Japan and New Zealand. It is free for two years after activation.
Messages via satellite on the iPhone 17 works in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Japan, and needs iOS 18 or later, or iOS 18.4 in Mexico. iMessage must be turned on before you go off the grid.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 17

To use a travel eSIM from another seller on an iPhone 17, the phone must be unlocked. Settings, then General, then About shows No SIM Restrictions next to Carrier Lock on an unlocked phone. Only the carrier that sold it can remove a lock.
On iOS 26 and later, an iPhone 17 can offer to switch on a travel eSIM when you land and let you choose Travel eSIM Only or Travel eSIM and Current eSIM. You are also offered Low Data Mode at that step.
The eSIM-only iPhone 17 models can be activated with carriers all over the world once unlocked. Apple advises anyone moving abroad with one to confirm eSIM support with the new carrier and check the phone's cellular bands first.
On an iPhone 17 with more than one line, Wi-Fi Calling is set per line: open Settings, then Cellular, pick the line, and turn on Wi-Fi Calling on This Phone. Where the service is available, calls on that line then go over Wi-Fi.
An iPhone 17 bought outside China mainland cannot install an eSIM profile from China Mobile, China Telecom, China Unicom or any other China mainland carrier. In China mainland, only a handful of newer iPhone models support eSIM at all, and the iPhone 17 is not one of them.
The iPhone 17 appears on Apple's list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 27, the latest major version of iOS.

What the iPhone 17 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 8
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2025
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 17 compares with other Apple models

iPhone 17 Pro Max: iPhone 17 Pro Max, 2025, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 17 Pro: iPhone 17 Pro, 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 Pro: iPhone 16 Pro, 2024, stores 8, 2 active