Device compatibility

Does the Pixel 9 support eSIM?

The Pixel 9 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 9 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

2024

Released

Seconds to install, median

What the Pixel 9 does with a travel eSIM

The Pixel 9 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 9 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 9 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 9, and where it will not appear

The Pixel 9 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 9, 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 9 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 9 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 9

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 9 at a glance

Specification	Pixel 9
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 9 eSIM questions

Does the Pixel 9 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 9 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 9?

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 9 by market

United States (including AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile) (G2YBB): The Pixel 9 sold in the United States is model G2YBB, the only Pixel 9 model with mmWave 5G. Like every Pixel 9, it has one nano-SIM slot and an eSIM, so a travel eSIM can run alongside a physical SIM card.
Europe, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan (GUR25): Model GUR25 is sold across Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Norway, India, Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. This model connects to sub-6 GHz 5G only, with no mmWave, which covers the 5G that travel data plans use.
Japan (G1B60): The Pixel 9 sold in Japan is model G1B60. It connects to sub-6 GHz 5G, supports one nano-SIM plus eSIM, and is the only Pixel 9 model listed with FeliCa, the contactless chip standard used in Japan.

Networks on the Pixel 9

The Pixel 9 model G2YBB for the United States supports mmWave 5G on bands n258, n260 and n261, plus sub-6 GHz 5G on bands including n29, n48 and n70 that the other models do not list.
The Pixel 9 models GUR25 and G1B60 support 5G bands n75, n76 and n79, which the United States model G2YBB does not, and add LTE bands 21, 32, 39, 42 and 75 to the list.
To see which Pixel 9 model you have, open Settings, then About phone, then Regulatory labels. The model ID shown at the top tells you whether your phone is the US, Japanese or international version.
The Pixel 9 can have two eSIM profiles active at once, or one eSIM and one physical SIM, when the carrier allows it. That lets a traveller keep a home line on for calls and texts while a travel eSIM handles mobile data.
A Pixel 9 in dual SIM mode can still connect to 5G networks. Only one SIM can be the default for mobile data, and you choose it in Settings under Network and internet, then SIMs.
The Pixel 9 can place or answer a call on its second SIM while the first line is already on a call. For this, both SIMs need mobile data on, automatic data switching must be on, and the second SIM's carrier must support Wi-Fi calling.
Satellite SOS on the Pixel 9 lets you text emergency services where there is no mobile or Wi-Fi signal, in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway and most of the European Union. It requires Google Messages as the default messaging app.

Worth knowing about the Pixel 9

Every Pixel 9 bought from the Google Store comes SIM unlocked and accepts a travel eSIM from any provider. A Pixel 9 bought from a mobile carrier can be SIM locked for up to two years, and only that carrier can remove the lock.
The Pixel 9 gets seven years of Android OS and security updates, counted from the date it first went on sale on the Google Store in the United States.
The Pixel 9 first went on sale on the Google Store in the United States in August 2024, which places the end of its seven-year update window in August 2031.
Google advises using a prepaid eSIM from an international provider on the Pixel 9 and activating it when you arrive, to avoid roaming charges. The phone can store several eSIM profiles and switch between lines while you travel.
A physical SIM on a Pixel 9 can be converted into an eSIM on the same phone, under Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, Convert to eSIM. The phone needs a Wi-Fi connection, and the old card stops working once the conversion is done.
Moving a SIM or eSIM from another Android phone to a Pixel 9 during setup requires Android 12 or later on both phones, the current Google Play Services, and a screen lock. Transfer can also be started later from Settings, SIMs, Add SIM.

What the Pixel 9 holds

eSIM profiles it can store: 5
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 Pixel 9 compares with other Google models

Pixel 10: Pixel 10, 2025, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 9 Pro XL: Pixel 9 Pro XL, 2024, stores 5, 2 active
Pixel 9 Pro: Pixel 9 Pro, 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 8: Pixel 8, 2023, stores 5, 2 active