Device compatibility

Does the iPhone 17 Pro support eSIM?

The iPhone 17 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 17 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 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 Pro does with a travel eSIM

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

The iPhone 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 Pro at a glance

Specification	iPhone 17 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 17 Pro eSIM questions

Does the iPhone 17 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 17 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 17 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 17 Pro by market

United States and Puerto Rico (A3256): Model A3256 is the iPhone 17 Pro for the United States and Puerto Rico. There is no SIM tray, so a plan for travel abroad goes on as an eSIM, and a prepaid SIM card from a shop at the destination cannot be used.
Canada, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands (A3522): Buyers in Canada, Japan, Mexico, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands get model A3522. This iPhone 17 Pro also has no SIM tray, so it takes a travel eSIM but no physical card.
Other countries and regions, including the United Kingdom and Europe (A3523): The iPhone 17 Pro sold in the United Kingdom is model A3523, which combines a nano-SIM slot with eSIM and supports Dual eSIM as well. A traveller can run a travel eSIM beside either a physical home SIM or a home eSIM.
Hong Kong (A3523): Apple Hong Kong sells the iPhone 17 Pro as model A3523, with a nano-SIM slot, eSIM and Dual eSIM support. It accepts a travel eSIM, so there is no need to swap out the local SIM card for a trip.
China mainland (A3524): In China mainland the iPhone 17 Pro is model A3524, which takes two nano-SIM cards and offers no eSIM. Owners of this version cannot add a travel eSIM and will need a physical SIM card when they travel.

Networks on the iPhone 17 Pro

Model A3256, the iPhone 17 Pro for the United States, supports mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261. Its sub-6 GHz 5G list includes n14, n29, n53 and n71 alongside the widely used n77 and n78.
The iPhone 17 Pro model A3523 sold in the United Kingdom supports sub-6 GHz 5G only. It lists LTE bands such as 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 and 28, and does not list LTE bands 14, 29 or 71 or the matching 5G bands.
Model A3522, the Japanese iPhone 17 Pro, covers LTE bands 11 and 21 in addition to bands such as 1, 3, 8, 18, 19, 26, 28 and 41. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G, with no mmWave.
The iPhone 17 Pro model A3524 from China mainland lists TDD 5G bands n38, n40, n41, n48, n77, n78 and n79, leaving out n53, and has no LTE band 53. It supports sub-6 GHz 5G without mmWave.
On the iPhone 17 Pro in the United States, two eSIMs can be active at the same moment, and the phone supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling. Apple notes these calling features depend on market and carrier, so check them with the plan you use abroad.
With two lines active, an iPhone 17 Pro can make and receive calls and messages on both numbers, but only one line carries mobile data at a time. You pick that line under Settings, then Cellular, then Cellular Data.
Roadside Assistance via satellite on the iPhone 17 Pro works in the United States, including Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Australia. Visitors to those countries can use it too, reaching providers such as AAA in the US and Green Flag in the UK.
An iPhone 17 Pro bought in Hong Kong or Macao has Apple's satellite features, which Apple offers there on iPhone 16e and later. The China mainland model does not, since satellite connectivity is not offered on iPhones bought in China mainland.

Worth knowing about the iPhone 17 Pro

Before buying a travel eSIM for an iPhone 17 Pro, check Settings, then General, then About. If Carrier Lock shows No SIM Restrictions, the phone accepts eSIMs from any provider. If not, ask the carrier that sold it to unlock it, which can take a few days.
With iOS 26 or later, an iPhone 17 Pro that already has a travel eSIM can prompt you on arrival to turn it on, using it alone or with your current line. If both stay on, the travel eSIM is used for data.
When you get home, iOS 26 and later can switch the travel eSIM off and your home line back on automatically, depending on your country or region. If no notice appears, check under Settings, then Cellular that your main line is turned on.
On iOS 17.4 and later, a travel eSIM can be added to the iPhone 17 Pro by pressing and holding the QR code in an email or browser and choosing Add eSIM, or by tapping a setup link, without a second device to scan from.
If the carrier supports eSIM Quick Transfer, a number moves from an older iPhone to an iPhone 17 Pro without calling the carrier, as long as both phones run iOS 18.4 or later, share an Apple Account and have Bluetooth on. From iOS 26, several numbers can move at once.
Apple lists the iPhone 17 Pro among the models compatible with iOS 27, so it can run the newest major iOS release and its travel eSIM features.

What the iPhone 17 Pro 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 Pro compares with other Apple models

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