URL: https://esimgo.in/help/esim-no-signal/ Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.in) Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.in/author/ Updated: 12 Oct 2026 # eSIM not working abroad: no service, SOS only or no internet ## Short answer: four settings fix most cases Four settings explain most travel eSIMs that show No Service, SOS only or no internet abroad. Data roaming must be on for the eSIM line. The eSIM must be your mobile data line. The host network may need picking by hand. An APN may need typing in. Never delete the eSIM to retry. The table maps each symptom to the first setting to check. | What you see | First setting to check | Section | |---|---|---| | No Service or Searching | Data roaming on for the eSIM line, then the host network | Data roaming; Choose the network | | SOS only | Host network picked by hand | Choose the network | | Signal bars, but pages do not load | Mobile data line, then the APN | Pick the data line; APN | | Plan seems to have started or not started | Validity rule on the country page | Under this table | For almost every destination we sell, the plan days start at the first connection to a network abroad, not at installation. A few plans count from installation. The country page states the rule for each destination. ## Data roaming ON for the eSIM line Turn data roaming on for the travel eSIM line and leave it off on your Indian line. Apple's No Service page tells anyone travelling abroad to check this setting. On a dual-SIM phone the switch is set per line, so pick the eSIM line by name before you change it. On an iPhone, open Settings, tap Mobile Data (or Cellular), then tap the eSIM line, then Mobile Data Options, and turn on Data Roaming (Apple Support India, published 6 Jul 2026). On a Pixel, open Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, pick the eSIM and switch on Roaming (Google, checked 12 Oct 2026). Samsung's page says "Data Roaming is enabled if you are in roaming" but prints no path, so we print none. Keep Data Roaming off on your Indian line. Apple notes that turning data roaming off avoids roaming charges (Apple Support India, published 16 Sep 2026), and that applies to your Jio, Airtel or Vi SIM too. Set-up steps are in the [iPhone install guide](/how-to-install-esim/iphone/) and the [Android install guide](/how-to-install-esim/android/). The [guide to keeping your Indian SIM for OTPs](/help/keep-indian-sim-for-otp/) covers the dual-SIM settings. ## Pick the eSIM as your mobile data line An iPhone "can use one mobile data network at a time", Apple's Dual SIM guide says, and a Pixel takes data from the SIM picked under "Your primary SIMs". If the Indian line is still the data line, the eSIM can sit idle with full bars. This dual-SIM trap makes a working eSIM look dead. On an iPhone, go to Settings, Mobile Data, Mobile Data and select the eSIM line (Apple Support India, published 21 Sep 2026). On a Samsung, go to Settings, Connections, SIM card manager, Mobile data and choose the eSIM (Samsung India, updated 11 Sep 2024). On a [Pixel](/esim-google-pixel/), open Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, then tap Mobile data under "Your primary SIMs". ## Choose the network by hand If the phone shows No Service or SOS only, pick the host network yourself. Each country page names the networks our plan runs on; on our Thailand page they are AIS and True. Choose a network from that list and never guess. On a Pixel, open Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, select the eSIM and tap Network. Google describes it as "Pick your network operator from available networks" (checked 12 Oct 2026). The Apple and Samsung pages we read give no manual-selection steps, so we print no path for them. ## Installed but no internet: the APN An APN (access point name) tells the phone how to reach the data network. If roaming and the data line are right, bars show and pages still fail, enter the APN. On Android, about 3 in 10 of our plan entries need it typed by hand: 107 of 348 entries (our count, 12 Oct 2026). Your order page lists the APN where the plan needs one. On a Samsung, enter it under Settings, Connections, Mobile networks, Access point names (Samsung India, updated 11 Sep 2024). On a Pixel, use Settings, Network & internet, SIMs, then Access point names (Google, checked 12 Oct 2026). Type it exactly as written. The [APN settings guide](/help/apn-settings/) covers iPhone and Android. ## Restart, then contact support with these details Restart the phone once. Apple suggests Airplane Mode on for at least 15 seconds, then off, then a restart (published 6 Jul 2026). Do not [delete the eSIM](/help/delete-esim/). A deleted profile usually cannot be installed again from the same code. If it still fails, the fix may not be on the phone. Send support the e-mail address on your order, your phone model, and a screenshot of the line settings showing data roaming and the data line. Start from the [help centre](/help/). 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. ## Sources Checked on 12 Oct 2026 (IST). 1. [Apple Support India: If you see SOS, No Service or Searching](https://support.apple.com/en-in/120000), published 6 Jul 2026 2. [Apple Support India: Use mobile data on your iPhone or iPad](https://support.apple.com/en-in/109323), published 16 Sep 2026 3. [Apple Support India: Use eSIM while travelling internationally](https://support.apple.com/en-in/118227), published 21 Sep 2026 4. [Apple Support India: Using Dual SIM with an eSIM](https://support.apple.com/en-in/109317), published 18 Sep 2026 5. [Google: Connect to mobile networks on a Pixel phone](https://support.google.com/pixelphone/answer/2926415) 6. [Samsung India: How to troubleshoot mobile data issues](https://www.samsung.com/in/support/mobile-devices/how-to-troubleshoot-mobile-data-issues/), last updated 11 Sep 2024 ## FAQ ### Why is my eSIM not working abroad? Check four settings: data roaming is on for the eSIM line, the eSIM is your mobile data line, the host network is picked by hand and the APN is typed in if your plan needs one. Restart the phone once. Do not delete the eSIM, because a deleted profile usually cannot be installed again. ### My eSIM is connected but has no internet. What now? Make the eSIM your mobile data line and turn data roaming on for it. If bars show and pages still do not load, enter the APN from your order page. By our count, about 3 in 10 of our Android plan entries need the APN typed by hand. ### When does the plan validity start? For almost every destination we sell, the plan days start at the first connection to a network abroad, not at installation. A few plans count from installation. The country page states the rule for each destination.