Time for new iPhone (India): eSIM Question

Submitted by drDVMHomie t3_zx67ob in iphone

My iPhone 8 mic just officially died (no amount of cleaning saves it, and I'm only getting a voice memo recorded on headsets now). So, looking at new iPhone, but I live in India and use Jio for my carrier.

All the newer iPhones use eSIM, and Jio supports this, it appears.

Q: will I be able to port my current Jio number to eSIM on a new phone or will I have to start a new number?

Anyone know? Jio seems determined not to answer support with real people, hiding behind inefficient bots that don't come close to understanding my query.

Q2: I can save a bunch by buying the phone in US and asking a friend to carry it in for me. Other than a lag time of waiting for someone to come visit, is there any compelling reason NOT to do this?

Thanks guys.

6

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Snappy-Otter t1_j1ynfax wrote

You need to ask your carrier to move your number from your physical SIM to an eSIM using eSIM Carrier Activation or by scanning a QR code.

1

TheMagicShark t1_j1yox52 wrote

You can still get iPhones with a sim tray. I’ve got one.

1

UnknownTechGuy t1_j1ypxtv wrote

I have a Jio number which I have saved on my phone as an esim, I live in the UAE and travel to India regularly.

I can confirm from my own experience that your number stays, only the sim is changed from physical to an embedded one. here’s the link to the process, to do it yourself, or by visiting a store

The US devices are esim only, so if you ever happen to travel anywhere, you will need to connect to a network that has esim as an option. That’s the only trade off, what you could still do to save money compared to India pricing is get one from Dubai as many Indians do.

Hope that helps.

3

drDVMHomie OP t1_j1ywaux wrote

Replying to UnknownTechGuy (#1,112,903)

Oh, very helpful. Dubai, as in Apple.com.du or similar? Fast delivery, probably, eh?

I'm also wanting dual sim capabilities, as some places in India Jio is 2nd best, and maybe Vi or Airtel is better bet. Which iPhone are you in right now?

1

UnknownTechGuy t1_j1yzqxm wrote

Replying to drDVMHomie (#1,113,894)

Nope.. Dubai as in the market shops, Apple has high prices compared to what reseller have.

As far as i am aware only airtel n jio support esim, VI n bsnl don't.

All iPhone are dual sim, US models of the 14 series all dual esim, global is 1 physical and 1esim, china/Hong Kong is dual physical.

I'm using the 14Pro Max. Have 1 physical sim and 1 esim in use.

1

UnknownTechGuy t1_j1z7bky wrote

Replying to isthislifereal- (#1,115,732)

All iPhone, irrespective of where you buy it from have FaceTime ( even UAE) FaceTime is not visible as an app or in settings for people who set the region of their device as UAE in the settings app. Change it to any other country and boom.. It appears.

1

drDVMHomie OP t1_j1zfffq wrote

Replying to UnknownTechGuy (#1,114,499)

Oh, right, besides, shipping to India from anywhere outside India would mean customs. Don't plan on traveling to Dubai, nor do I have friends who do, so it's either Apple US via a friend visiting, or Apple.in.

Unless there are resellers in India worth pursuing… know of any doing better than Apple direct here?

1

malhalla t1_j1zxwez wrote

Jio supports eSIM and the transition happens smoothly. Takes a total of 2 hours from requesting the transfer to getting the sim activated. On iPhone when you request the eSIM the profile is automatically downloaded to your target device. You don't need to visit the store.

Make sure you read the pdf thoroughly or if you need help DM will be glad to assist.

In India we now have Jio, Airtel & Vi supporting eSIM. I have all three on my phone and I use any 2 at a time while turning the other off.

1

Shankayy t1_j1zy2a3 wrote

Damn found this post at a perfect time. I just got my Jio eSIM done an hour ago. For context, my phone was from Dubai, so I can explain the process.

  1. You can port your current number easily, don't worry about it.
  2. It will not cause an issue, however make sure that you mention this fact to them.

Go to a Jio showroom to get this done. In my case, we forgot to tell them that my phone is from Dubai so the process failed and we had to go back there to do it again. They will have to do something called bKYC (Branch KYC), so make sure you mention that your phone is not from India.

2

drDVMHomie OP t1_j21layb wrote

Replying to Shankayy (#1,121,038)

Yeah, I got the sense that the porting HAS to be in a Jio store to effect the shift. Good to know about the telling the origin story.

I'm going to see what I can get from Singapore, as lots of friends go back and forth from there, some coming next month.

Which phone did you buy? And does it have both eSIM and a slot for miniSiM?

1

drDVMHomie OP t1_j21m2cg wrote

Replying to TheMagicShark (#1,117,959)

Wow, that's a chunk of change! You bought a "Singapore version" but in Shri Lanka? Must have been a reseller then?

That might be simplest for me. Can you recommend a shop? Otherwise, I've got friends in Singapore coming to India before long. I'm looking at a 13 mini, as the size matters to me.

2

gazab_banda t1_j22af5n wrote

  1. You don’t have to change your phone number in order to switch to eSIM. Instructions might be different across telecom communication companies but as an Airtel customer, I just had to send an SMS , Receive a QR code via email, scan it and that’s it.
  2. There’s no reason NOT to buy a phone from US if the price difference is more than 15-20k. I personally wouldn’t do the hassle if the difference is 10k or less.

1st google search resulted in this

https://www.jio.com/en-in/esim

2

TheMagicShark t1_j22bkd7 wrote

Replying to drDVMHomie (#1,131,457)

We do not have Apple stores here in Sri Lanka as of yet. We have authorized Apple resellers though, they all have a standard price after tax. However other vendors bring down phones from either Singapore, Japan or USA and is always cheaper than the "authorized" resellers. This time USA being the cheapest since it doesn't have the sim tray. Japan ones are a bit cheaper as well for no real reason.

They're all the same basically. Make sure the phone isn't carrier locked and isn't USA (LL/A) so that you'll have a physical sim tray. I'm not sure about shops in India, but you should be able to find some, just browse around instagram and whatnot.

I don't recommend the 13 mini for the poor battery life and not so great usability. The 13 Pro or the Pro Max is good. Unless you're getting them for a cheap price tag, there's no point of not upgrading to the newer 14 Pros.

1

drDVMHomie OP t1_j22e1ef wrote

Replying to Shankayy (#1,136,157)

Another guy says he's got Vi, Jio, and Airtel, all eSIM. Can use any two and drop third, depending on who's got the best coverage where he is. Not sure why I'd need a physical sim any longer…

1