Delete or turn off a travel eSIM: when and how

Turn off vs delete: what each does

Turning a line off stops the phone using it and leaves the profile installed, so you can switch it back on later. Deleting removes the profile from the phone, and it usually cannot come back from the same code. The first is reversible and costs nothing; the second usually is not.

The cost of getting it wrong is a new plan. Delete the eSIM on day 3 of a 7-day trip and you may have no data for the other 4 days. Your Indian SIM or eSIM is a separate line. Removing the travel eSIM does not touch it, but check the name of the line before you tap Delete if your phone holds two eSIM lines.

Two cases need a pause before you delete. If the eSIM never connected to any network, you can still ask for a refund inside the window below, and a deleted profile cannot be undone. If the plan shows no data abroad, deleting also removes your chance to retry the settings. Apple’s advice is plain: “Don’t erase an eSIM as a troubleshooting step unless directed to by your network provider.” Turn the line off, restart the phone and read the no-signal checklist first.

Remove a travel eSIM on iPhone

How to remove eSIM from iPhone: during the trip, turn the line off instead of deleting it. Turn your Indian line on first, so calls and SMS on your Indian number keep working. Then open Settings, Mobile Service, tap the travel plan and switch off Turn On this Line. The profile stays on the phone.

The guide to keeping your Indian SIM for OTPs covers the dual-SIM settings. With iOS 26 or later, Apple says the iPhone turns the travel eSIM off and your home SIM back on when you return, “depending on your country or region” (Apple Support India, published 21 Sep 2026). If that does not happen, switch the travel line off yourself.

To delete after the trip, open the same plan and tap Delete Plan. With only one plan, the button reads Delete eSIM. Apple’s help pages call this menu Mobile or Cellular; the erase steps are on Apple’s erase page (Apple Support India, published 5 Oct 2026).

Remove a travel eSIM on Android

On a Pixel, Google’s help gives both paths. To turn the line off: Settings, Network and Internet, Mobile network, tap the travel eSIM, then turn off Use this SIM. To delete it after the trip: the same menu, select the eSIM, then Erase eSIM. Google notes that some of these steps work only on Android 11 and up.

On a Samsung, eSIM lines sit under Settings, Connections, SIM manager. Samsung India’s eSIM page gives no steps for turning a line off or erasing it, so we print no Samsung click path. Other makers label these menus differently; use the maker’s own help page. We read the Google and Samsung pages on 12 Oct 2026.

Pick the travel eSIM by its label, not the Indian line. A line you never renamed may show only a number or a carrier name, so the two are easy to mix up. If you cannot tell which is which, leave both and write to us.

Can I install it again?

A deleted profile usually cannot be installed again from the same code. We make no promise that a deleted eSIM can be restored or that the QR code works twice. If you deleted one by mistake, write to us with your order number before you buy another plan.

Apple says the same for any eSIM: “If you erase an eSIM, you’ll need to contact your network provider to get a new one.” For a travel eSIM bought here, that means writing to us.

The eSIM activates on first connection to any network, and that first connection also ends the full-refund window. Full refund within 30 days of purchase, as long as the eSIM has not connected to any network. If the eSIM doesn’t work and it isn’t your phone’s fault, we refund the payment whether or not it was installed. Ask first, then delete. Start from the help centre, or see how to install an eSIM.

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