After a few days of false information, forum posts that have half truths in them and a couple of telephone calls – I have managed to set up my iPhone XS with dual sims and here is how to do it.

Preparation

If you want to go dual sim on your iPhone XS there are a few ways, but one of your sims is going to have to become an eSim. This technology isn’t new but Apple are the first to do it mass market and in the UK it is only supported by EE at the moment. Unfortunately this is only currently available for pay monthly personal tariffs but they claim to be expanding the roll out in the coming months. So you won’t have the option on pay as you go, flex or business accounts.

Get An eSim

If you are in the market for a new contract, then one from EE might be the best way forward, simply ask them for an eSim instead of a regular sim and you’re all set. Keep in mind that if the second sim you wish to use is for a different network then you will need to wait 6 months and request your phone to be unlocked. If both accounts are on EE, simply put your physical sim in and go through the set up options to assign a primary and secondary number.

Transfer To An eSim

If you have an unlocked phone (like me) or choose to get your iPhone XS unlocked after 6 months, you will need to transfer your EE regular sim to an eSim. To do this you will need an eSim pack, with a QR code to scan. You can get these in stores, or the easiest way is to call 150 and request one. You should get this in the post the next day so you wont have to wait too long, the people on the phone I spoke to are very knowledgeable and will guide you through the process as in-depth as you wish.

Make sure you request a replacement eSim pack as this will be either sent with your number attached or without a number at all. Once this arrives head into the settings on iOS 12.1 and go to Mobile Data > Add data plan. This is where you scan your QR code and are guided through the set up process, your phone might get a bit confused once finished, so pop out your standard sim and reboot your phone. EE state up to 24hours for activating the eSIm, but in reality you should be set up in a few minutes.

Hopefully this helps you out a little as most info online is very generalised. If you need help in setting up the primary and secondary options in iOS head over to Apple support pages for a great explainer.