Device compatibility

Does the Pixel 8 support eSIM?

The Pixel 8 is what decides whether a travel eSIM installs, not the Google 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 Pixel 8 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.

Profiles stored

Active at the same time

2023

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the Pixel 8 does with a travel eSIM

The Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8, and where it will not appear

The Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8, 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 Pixel 8 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, Network and internet, SIMs, the Orbislo line, Roaming on. Then set Orbislo as the SIM for mobile data and turn off automatic 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 Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8

Open the Orbislo app and tap Install
Confirm the eSIM download prompt
Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, select Orbislo
Turn on Roaming and set Orbislo as the SIM for mobile data

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 Pixel 8 at a glance

Specification	Pixel 8
Takes an eSIM	Yes
Profiles stored	5
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.

Pixel 8 eSIM questions

Does the Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8 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 Pixel 8?

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 Pixel 8 by market

United States and Canada (G9BQD): The Pixel 8 model G9BQD is sold in the United States and Canada. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G only and has one nano-SIM slot plus an eSIM, so a home SIM card can stay in the tray while a travel eSIM carries data.
United States (Verizon, AT&T and Google Store) (GKWS6): Model GKWS6 is the Pixel 8 with mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261, sold only through Verizon, AT&T or the Google Store. Its LTE and sub-6 GHz 5G bands match those of the G9BQD model.
Europe, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Singapore and Taiwan (GPJ41): Across Europe, the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, India, Singapore and Taiwan, the Pixel 8 is model GPJ41. It uses sub-6 GHz 5G only, with no mmWave, which covers the 5G that travel data plans use.
Japan (GZPFO): The Pixel 8 made for Japan is model GZPFO, the only Pixel 8 with FeliCa for Japanese contactless payments and transit cards. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G and takes a nano-SIM alongside an eSIM.

Networks on the Pixel 8

The Pixel 8 model GPJ41 lists 5G bands n1, n3, n7, n8, n20, n28, n38, n40, n41, n75, n76, n77 and n78 among others, plus LTE bands 32 and 42. It does not list 5G bands n29, n48 or n70.
The North American Pixel 8 models G9BQD and GKWS6 add 5G bands n29, n48 and n70 and LTE band 29, but they do not list 5G bands n75 and n76 or LTE bands 32 and 42, which appear on the international GPJ41.
Among the Pixel 8 models, only the Japanese GZPFO lists 5G band n79 and LTE bands 21 and 39. Band n79 is used by some Japanese networks, and the model keeps common bands such as n1, n28, n77 and n78.
The Pixel 8 supports two active eSIM profiles, or an eSIM with a physical SIM, when the carrier allows it. That means a travel eSIM can run next to a home eSIM without taking out any SIM card.
If a call is in progress on one line of a Pixel 8, calls to the other line go to voicemail. Turning on Data during calls under Network and internet, then SIMs, keeps the travel eSIM handling data while the other line is on a call.
Satellite SOS is offered on Pixel phones from the Pixel 9 onward, so the Pixel 8 cannot reach emergency services by satellite. It relies on mobile or Wi-Fi coverage for emergency calls and texts.

Worth knowing about the Pixel 8

Google counts the Pixel 8's seven years of Android OS and security updates from the date it first became available on the Google Store in the United States.
The Pixel 8 first went on sale on the Google Store in the United States in October 2023, which puts the end of its update window in October 2030.
A Pixel 8 bought on the Google Store is SIM unlocked, but one bought from a carrier can stay SIM locked for up to two years. A locked phone only works with that carrier's service, so it rejects a travel eSIM until the lock is removed.
Some older SIM cards are not supported on the Pixel 8 and later, and the phone reports that the SIM is no longer supported. Using a travel eSIM sidesteps this, and an old home SIM may need replacing before a trip.
A SIM or eSIM from an older Android phone can be moved to a Pixel 8 during setup, or later under Settings, SIMs, Add SIM. Both phones need Android 12 or later, current Google Play Services and a screen lock set up.
On a Pixel 8, a physical SIM can be converted into an eSIM on the same phone where the carrier supports it, over Wi-Fi, under Network and internet, then SIMs. After the conversion the physical card no longer works.
The Pixel 8 is on Google's list of Pixel phones that can install Android 17, the current major release, so it keeps the latest eSIM and SIM settings.

What the Pixel 8 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 5
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 Pixel 8 compares with other Google models

Pixel 9: Pixel 9, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 9a: Pixel 9a, 2025, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 8 Pro: Pixel 8 Pro, 2023, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 8a: Pixel 8a, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 7 Pro: Pixel 7 Pro, 2022, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 7: Pixel 7, 2022, stores 5, 2 active