QR Codes to Enable eSIM Transfer on Android Devices: Report
eSIMs have become increasingly popular with OEMs and more people are starting to adopt them – especially when it comes to their second SIM card. and now that iPhones in the US no longer have physical SIM slots and offer native eSIM migration, the need to have a better eSIM experience on Android phones out of the box as well. And that’s exactly what Google seems to be doing with Android.
As reported by 9to5Google, Google itself is working on an eSIM migration feature built into Android. Although it was announced earlier this year, it has now been discovered that Android is taking an alternative approach compared to iOS – using QR codes. According to 9to5Google, evidence of this was recently found in Google Play Services. This works by prompting the user to scan a QR code to start the eSIM transfer process. However, due to the development stage, the publication could not skip the initial part of the mentioned QR transfer process.
It’s not clear if or when this native feature will come to Android, but when it does, it’s expected to simplify transferring an eSIM from one Android phone to another — which is currently carrier-dependent.
Apple’s latest iPhones already enable the transfer of an eSIM card between two iPhones. In addition, Apple’s eSIM cards have received a lot of attention recently, as iPhones in the US now only ship with eSIM support. eSIMs were first introduced on iPhone with the iPhone XS and XR in 2018 as a way to add a second SIM card to your phone.
