Apple is adding an easy way to swap an eSIM for a new iPhone in the upcoming iOS 16 release. Twitter user Carson Waldrop (via MacRumors ) has discovered that iOS 16 supports transferring eSIMs from an existing iPhone to a new one using Bluetooth. It sounds easy, allowing you to easily transfer your phone number when you buy a new iPhone.
Currently on iOS, if you bought a new iPhone and are using an eSIM, you must contact your carrier to reissue the eSIM.
While some carriers make this easy with QR codes in their mobile apps, others force you to go to a service provider for an eSIM transfer.
It looks like Apple’s new eSIM swap support in iOS 16 will remove some of these issues, but the source notes that it’s only possible to transfer an eSIM via Bluetooth if the carrier supports this feature.
Since iOS 16 is still in beta, carrier support for this new feature is likely incomplete at this time, so we won’t know how many carriers and countries will fully support this until iOS 16 becomes available this fall.
iOS 16 is currently in developer preview and includes customizable lock screens with widgets, iMessage editing and undo message sending, a shared iCloud photo library, and more.
