Device compatibility

Does the iPhone XR support eSIM?

The iPhone XR 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 XR stores up to 5 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 modelThe oldest iPhone that supports eSIM. It stores fewer profiles, so delete old ones before installing.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2018

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the iPhone XR does with a travel eSIM

The iPhone XR 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 XR holds 5 profiles, which is at the low end of everything we have checked. Delete the dead profiles from old trips before you install, or the sheet will simply refuse.

Active is how many lines run at the same time, and on the iPhone XR 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 XR, and where it will not appear

The iPhone XR is a 4G device. It will show LTE everywhere, and that is the handset rather than the plan. Nothing in settings will produce a 5G icon on it.

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 XR, 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 XR 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

Your physical SIM stays exactly where it is. Adding an eSIM does not touch the tray, does not wipe the card and does not need it taken out. Remove it and you lose your own number, which is the opposite of the point.

Tethering is included on every Orbislo plan at no extra charge. The iPhone XR 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 XR

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 XR at a glance

Specification	iPhone XR
Takes an eSIM	Yes
Profiles stored	5
Active at the same time	2
5G on partner networks	No, this device is 4G only
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 XR eSIM questions

Does the iPhone XR support eSIM?

Yes. It stores 5 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 XR hold?

5 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 XR?

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 XR by market

Most countries, including the United States (A1984, A2105, A2107): Apart from the Japanese model A2106 and the China mainland model A2108, the iPhone XR was sold as models A1984, A2105 and A2107. Every iPhone XR has a nano-SIM tray on the right side, with the IMEI etched on the tray.
Japan (A2106): The iPhone XR sold in Japan is model A2106. It supports Dual SIM with one nano-SIM and one eSIM, so a traveller can keep a home SIM card in the tray and add a travel eSIM as the second line.
China mainland (A2108): The iPhone XR sold in China mainland is model A2108, which takes two physical nano-SIM cards and has no eSIM. A travel eSIM cannot be installed on this model, so a physical SIM card is the only option abroad.

Networks on the iPhone XR

The iPhone XR model A1984 supports Dual SIM with one nano-SIM and one eSIM, and connects to 4G LTE Advanced networks with no 5G. Wherever you travel, it uses the LTE part of a data plan, with 3G UMTS and 2G GSM as fallbacks.
The iPhone XR model A1984 supports LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66 and 71, plus TD-LTE bands 34, 38, 39, 40 and 41. It does not list LTE band 28.
The Japanese iPhone XR model A2106 supports LTE bands 11, 21 and 28 and TD-LTE band 42, and it does not list LTE bands 32 or 71. It has one nano-SIM slot and an eSIM.
The iPhone XR models A2107 and A2108 support LTE bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29, 30, 32, 66 and 71, and add TD-SCDMA at 1900 and 2000 MHz for older 3G networks.
The iPhone XR supports Voice over LTE and Wi-Fi calling. Apple notes that LTE, VoLTE and Wi-Fi calling are offered only in select markets and through select carriers, so they depend on the plan you use abroad.
The iPhone XR supports Dual SIM with one physical SIM and one eSIM. Using two eSIMs at the same time needs an iPhone 13 or later, so on the XR a travel eSIM runs alongside a physical SIM card, or on its own.
Apple's satellite features, including Emergency SOS via satellite and Messages via satellite, need an iPhone 14 or later. The iPhone XR has no satellite connection, so it cannot text emergency services by satellite outside mobile and Wi-Fi coverage.

Worth knowing about the iPhone XR

iOS 18 is the latest major version of iOS that runs on the iPhone XR. The XR is on Apple's list of models compatible with iOS 18 but does not appear on the list for iOS 26.
Apple's list of iPhone models compatible with iOS 26 starts at iPhone 11, so the iPhone XR cannot install iOS 26 or any feature that needs it.
The prompt that switches on a travel eSIM on arrival, and turns it off again when you return home, needs iOS 26 or later. On the iPhone XR, a travel eSIM is turned on and chosen for data by hand under Settings, then Cellular, then Cellular Data.
eSIM Quick Transfer needs iOS 18.4 or later on both iPhones. Because the iPhone XR can run iOS 18, an XR updated to iOS 18.4 or later can take part in a Quick Transfer, provided the carrier supports it.
To use a travel eSIM from another provider, the iPhone XR must be unlocked. Under Settings, then General, then About, the Carrier Lock line should read No SIM Restrictions. Apple cannot unlock an iPhone; only the carrier that sold it can.
Apple notes that eSIM on the iPhone XR may be disabled when the phone is bought from some carriers, and that the plan may restrict roaming or switching providers even after the contract ends.
An eSIM from a China mainland carrier cannot be used on an iPhone bought outside China mainland, but a prepaid data eSIM from a worldwide provider can be used on an iPhone XR while visiting China mainland.

What the iPhone XR holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 5
Active at the same time: 2
Released: 2018
Form factor: Phone
Network generation: 4G only, this model has no 5G radio
Physical SIM tray: Has a tray as well as eSIM

How the iPhone XR compares with other Apple models

iPhone 12: iPhone 12, 2020, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone SE 3rd generation: iPhone SE 3rd generation, 2022, stores 8, 2 active
iPhone 11: iPhone 11, 2019, stores 5, 2 active
iPad Pro M4: iPad Pro M4, 2024, stores 8, 1 active
iPad Air M2: iPad Air M2, 2024, stores 8, 1 active