At last ! 11 years after its birth, the iPhone finally opens up to dual SIM. This novelty of the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR could well be the main purchase criterion for some customers, as it can be useful.
Apple being Apple, the dual SIM capability of the new iPhones is unlike that of other smartphones. One of the two SIMs is an eSIM, i.e. an integrated SIM card. Explanations.
Dual SIM, what is it?
Dual SIM is the ability to put two SIM cards in your phone to enjoy two different lines simultaneously. This is nothing new, dual SIM smartphones have been around for years and years. A minority in the West, they are almost unavoidable in several Asian countries.
According to IDC, 90% of smartphones in China are dual SIM. It even rises to 92% in the Philippines and 98% in India. When we know the importance of the Chinese and Indian markets for Apple, we understand why the iPhone ended up supporting a duo of SIMs.
If dual SIM smartphones are so popular in some countries, it's because they meet local constraints. In China, for example, until recently, mobile phone numbers were tied to the region (if you moved, you needed a new SIM) and operators charged roaming charges within the country.
Dual SIM has other interests that concern many users around the world. Obvious advantage, having on the same phone his personal line and his professional line. You no longer have to juggle between two devices.
Another benefit is having a local internet package when traveling abroad while keeping your usual line to receive calls.
How are the two SIMs of the iPhone managed?
First, you should know that the iPhone XS and XR will not be dual SIM compatible as soon as they are released. We will have to wait for a software update scheduled for this fall to take advantage of this novelty.
There are several different managements of the two SIMs. iPhone XS and XR will use Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) technology which allows both SIM cards to make and receive calls, as well as send and receive SMS and MMS (if you receive two calls at the same time on both lines, the last call is redirected to voicemail).
However, the iPhone will only be able to use one mobile data network at a time. Don't imagine being able to combine Orange's 4G network and SFR's 4G network at the same time. It will necessarily be necessary to choose which package is responsible for the data.
Concretely, in the settings of your iPhone, you will have to give a name to each of your lines (for example “Perso” and “Pro”) then define their role, according to three possibilities.
The first is to make "Perso" your default line, which means that this plan will be used by default for voice, SMS, data, iMessage and FaceTime. The "Pro" plan will then be available only for voice and SMS.
Second possibility, do the opposite. "Perso" is only for voice and SMS, and "Pro" handles voice, SMS, data, iMessage and FaceTime.
Third solution, use “Pro” only for mobile data and “Perso” for voice, SMS, iMessage and FaceTime. This possibility is especially useful when traveling abroad, when you want a local package just for mobile internet. It's more meaningful with these names: "Foreign" for mobile data, and "France" for voice, SMS, iMessage and FaceTime.
iOS 12 will be adapted to this new situation. There will be two cellular network indicators in the control center, we can change the phone number before making a call, assign each contact the number to use to call them, and manage the two lines at any time.
What is eSIM?
Who says dual SIM, says two SIM cards to insert into their iPhone, right? No. Unlike all dual SIM smartphones, the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR do not have two carrier card slots. There is still a slot for a classic nano-SIM card, but the second SIM takes the form of a chip integrated into the terminal. It's the eSIM.
No need to handle a small card and find a damn paper clip to open the drawer, the management of the mobile subscription will take place entirely in iOS. To add an eSIM compatible plan, you will need to go to Settings > Cellular > Add a cellular plan and scan the QR code provided by your operator after your subscription. The other method will be to download the operator's app and subscribe to a plan from there.
The eSIM is not completely new. Since 2016, the iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular have been equipped with it and it is also this type of chip that provides the cellular connection of the Apple Watch Series 3 and 4. According to an analyst quoted by L'Usine Nouvelle, it would be the Franco-Italian manufacturer STMicroelectronics which would be the exclusive supplier of eSIMs for the new iPhones.
In smartphones, the technology is in its infancy: on the Android side, only the Pixel 2 have an eSIM, and even then, only the models sold directly by Google (and they are not dual SIM for all that).
It's really the iPhone XS / XR that will kick off the eSIM. A kickoff somewhat slowed down by the operators…
Which carriers support eSIM?
Since the eSIM is a new technology, it requires specific support from operators. They are 16 to be compatible at the moment:
16 on the scale of the whole world is very little. Apart from these operators, it will be necessary to go through the good old nano-SIM.
In the United States, the Department of Justice launched an investigation last April to establish whether AT&T, Verizon and the GSM Association colluded to hinder the adoption of the eSIM. What bothers some operators with this new technology is that customers can more easily change creameries, since there is no longer the step of replacing the physical card. Eventually, AT&T and Verizon support eSIM.
And in France ? For the time being, none of the four operators manages the technology. This means that your iPhone XS/XR will always be limited to a French line. But during a trip to North America or India, you can subscribe to a local package while keeping your French nano-SIM in your iPhone.
In the other countries where the operators have not adopted the eSIM page, the solution of the international operators GigSky and TruPhone will remain. However, their prices are generally higher than those of local operators. In Japan, for the cellular iPad Pro, GigSky, for example, charges $50 for 5 GB valid for 30 days. To see if the prices change for the iPhone eSIM.
The situation should nevertheless change in the weeks or months to come in France. Orange says “[working] very actively with Apple to offer this functionality soon”. SFR also says floor on the support of the eSIM. At Bouygues Telecom and Free Mobile, it's motus and tight mouth, on the other hand.
But as soon as some of the operators get started, new possibilities will already open up for customers. Bouygues does not support eSIM? We can make a Bouygues nano-SIM + Orange eSIM duo, for example.
Why Chinese iPhones don't have eSIM?
Chinese users won't have to worry about whether their preferred carrier supports eSIM or not. If you followed the keynote, you saw that Apple will market special iPhones for China.
The iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR will not have an eSIM in this country, but two nano-SIM slots. As for the iPhone XS, it will not have eSIM or dual nano-SIM, it will be content with a single nano-SIM card, like the iPhone X.
Why this change for China? Apple did not give any justification, other than that it could not do otherwise at this time. The absence of eSIM is most certainly explained by the control rules in the country.
Last year, Apple was forced to suspend the cellular connection of the Apple Watch Series 3 in China. According to analysts, this action was taken following concerns from authorities about the identification of users of the watch.
In other words, the eSIM would complicate the control, not to say the surveillance, of mobile users. The Apple Watch's cellular connection has since been restored with China Unicom in a few cities, and compatibility with China Mobile and China Telecom is expected to return this year.
A Chinese iPhone XS Max / XR in France, what does it give?
In order not to be bothered by the lack of support for the eSIM by this or that operator, some French users are already thinking about acquiring a Chinese iPhone. Why not, but it will therefore necessarily be an iPhone XS Max or XR, and the new iPhones may manage "more [4G] bands than all the other smartphones", according to Apple, they are not yet universal.
In this case, the Chinese iPhone XS Max and XR (models A2104 and A2108) lack support for the French 700 MHz frequencies (band 28). The 700 MHz, which carries further than the other frequencies, is mainly used by Free Mobile.
Using a Chinese iPhone on the Free Mobile network would mean doing without more than 2,000 4G supports. It's much less of a handicap with other operators who use 700 MHz very little, if at all.
Opting for a dual nano-SIM iPhone may be tempting today, but it means giving up on the promising technology that is eSIM. If the operators play the game – and they will be forced to play it as manufacturers adopt this new type of SIM – in the end we should be able to juggle between packages extremely easily.
To know more
Apple has started releasing dual SIM and eSIM datasheets where you can find additional details. The sheet for China does not yet mention the iPhone XR, but the model sold in this country may well receive two nano-SIMs. We are also awaiting clarification from the operators.