URL: https://esimgo.in/help/esim-qr-code/ Source: eSIM Go (esimgo.in) Author: Nadezhda Semenova, entrepreneur, co-founder of the Trippy travel service, https://esimgo.in/author/ Updated: 20 Oct 2026 # eSIM QR code: scan it, install it on the same phone, fix "invalid" or "already used" An eSIM QR code is a picture of the activation code that downloads your eSIM profile to the phone. Scan it with the phone you are installing on, at home on Wi-Fi: an iPhone with the Camera app, a Samsung or Pixel from its SIM settings. ## What an eSIM QR code is and what it holds GSMA's SGP.22 defines the activation code as "Information issued by an Operator/Service Provider to an End User", used "to request the download and installation of a Profile". Scanning it asks the provider's server to send your eSIM to the phone. SGP.22 builds the code from a format digit (1), the SM-DP+ address of the provider's server and a token it calls the MatchingID, with a dollar sign between the parts. Only in a QR code does "LPA:" go in front. Our order page shows the same data as text: "SM-DP+ address", "Activation code" (the MatchingID) and "Full activation string". A fourth row on that page, ICCID, names the profile itself; our [page on the ICCID number](/help/iccid-number/) says when support needs it. ## Scanning the QR code on an iPhone or Android phone An iPhone scans the code with the Camera app; Samsung and Pixel scan it from their SIM settings. Our order page says to install the profile at home, on Wi-Fi; the table gives each maker's dated path. | Phone | Scan path | Source | |---|---|---| | iPhone | During setup, tap Use QR code. After setup, open Camera, scan, tap the "Mobile Plan Detected" notification | [Apple Support India 118669](https://support.apple.com/en-in/118669), published 18 Sep 2026 | | Samsung | Settings, Connections, SIM manager, Add eSIM, Scan QR code | [Samsung India](https://www.samsung.com/in/support/mobile-devices/galaxy-esim-and-supported-network-carriers/), last update 19 Sep 2026 | | Pixel | Network & internet, SIMs, Add SIM, Set up an eSIM, then scan the code | [Google Store India](https://store.google.com/in/magazine/set-up-your-sim-on-pixel-phones?hl=en-IN) | Apple's manual route is Settings, Cellular or Mobile Data, Add Mobile Plan, then Enter Details Manually. Samsung reaches "Enter activation code" from its Scan QR code screen. Full steps by phone: [iPhone](/how-to-install-esim/iphone/), [Samsung](/how-to-install-esim/samsung/), [Pixel](/how-to-install-esim/pixel/) and [other Android phones](/how-to-install-esim/android/). ## The QR code is on the phone you are installing on A phone's camera cannot scan the screen it is on, so a QR code on that phone needs another route. Our order page gives a button on iPhone and a copied code on Android, and Google Store India says a Pixel accepts an uploaded picture of the code. On an iPhone, "Install on this iPhone" opens Apple's installer with nothing to scan. Apple says a provider's install link works on iOS 17.4 or later, as our button hint does. Touch and hold works on the same versions: tap and hold the QR code in the default e-mail app or browser, then tap Add eSIM. Our page notes that Android has no universal install link, so it offers "Copy activation code": paste the whole string on the add-eSIM screen. "Download QR code" saves a PNG you can open on a laptop and scan with the phone. ## QR code won't scan, says invalid or already used Neither message says exactly what went wrong, and the maker pages we read do not explain either one. SGP.22 says the provider's server processes only codes it knows, so one mistyped character is enough for a refusal. An earlier attempt may also have installed the eSIM already, so check in this order. First, open your phone's SIM settings and look for a new eSIM line. If it is there, stop: the first attempt worked. Second, check Wi-Fi, restart the phone and scan once more. Third, use the manual route with the SM-DP+ address and the activation code, copied rather than retyped. Do not delete anything. A QR code installs a profile once, and we do not promise that it installs again after a deletion or on a second phone. The [delete eSIM guide](/help/delete-esim/) explains the risk, and [moving a travel eSIM to a new phone](/help/transfer-esim/) covers the second case. If the steps fail, write to us through the [help centre](/help/) with your order number. Never send the code itself. Install before departure; the eSIM activates on first connection to a network abroad. After landing, turn data roaming on for the eSIM. If the eSIM is not working abroad, see [eSIM not working abroad](/help/esim-no-signal/) and the [APN guide](/help/apn-settings/). 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. ## The QR code from Jio, Airtel or Vi is a different thing When you move your own Indian number to an eSIM, Jio and Vi send the activation QR to your e-mail, and Airtel's page names no QR (their pages, read 20 Oct 2026). That flow moves your Indian number and asks for your [EID number](/help/eid-number/); a travel eSIM from us adds a second line for data abroad and never asks for the EID. Their steps are on their own pages: [Jio](https://www.jio.com/esim/request), [Airtel](https://www.airtel.in/esim) and [Vi](https://www.myvi.in/esim-activation). ## Sources Checked on 20 Oct 2026 (IST). 1. [GSMA SGP.22 v2.5, RSP Technical Specification](https://www.gsma.com/solutions-and-impact/technologies/esim/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/SGP.22-v2.5.docx), 26 May 2023 2. [Apple Support India: Set up eSIM on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/en-in/118669), published 18 Sep 2026 3. [Samsung India: Galaxy eSIM and supported network carriers](https://www.samsung.com/in/support/mobile-devices/galaxy-esim-and-supported-network-carriers/), last update 19 Sep 2026 4. [Google Store India: set up your SIM on Pixel phones](https://store.google.com/in/magazine/set-up-your-sim-on-pixel-phones?hl=en-IN) 5. [Jio: switch to eSIM](https://www.jio.com/esim/request) 6. [Airtel: eSIM](https://www.airtel.in/esim) 7. [Vi: eSIM activation](https://www.myvi.in/esim-activation) 8. The network provider behind our plans: help page on reinstalling an eSIM (read 28 Sep 2026; not linked, as we do not name our wholesale partner) ## FAQ ### Can I scan an eSIM QR code from a screenshot? On a Pixel, yes: Google Store India says you can upload a picture of the QR code. Apple's page names only the default e-mail app and browser, so we make no screenshot claim for iPhone. ### Can I install the eSIM without scanning the QR code? Yes. Enter the SM-DP+ address and the activation code from the Manual setup panel of your order page by hand. On an iPhone with iOS 17.4 or later, tap Install on this iPhone instead. ### Can I reuse an eSIM QR code? Plan on one install. The network provider behind our plans says its eSIMs generally cannot be reinstalled, so write to us with your order number before you delete anything. ### What does "already used" mean on an eSIM QR code? The message alone does not say. An earlier attempt may already have installed the profile, so check your SIM settings for a new eSIM line before you scan again. ### Can I make my own eSIM QR code? No. SGP.22 defines the activation code as information issued by the provider, whose server processes only codes it knows. A QR tool can only redraw a code the provider already issued. ### Where is the QR code for my order? In the e-mail you entered at checkout, and first on your order page, with a Download QR code button.