Support for eSIM in the iPhone Xs?

[jayguevara]

Hi, 

Anyone know if vodafone will support the eSIM in the new iPhone Xs? I know that vodafone has joined EE in supporting eSIMs in the Apple Watch 4, however there doesn't seem to be any information on whether that is the case with the new iPhone Xs. 

I travel a lot and would make my life so much easier if Vodafone did support the eSIM in the new iPhone Xs! 

[baz1536]

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@j_gry2003 wrote:

I do agree that the technology may be slightly different but can’t be that much

Plus they are doing it in Spain and Germany, now don’t tell me there is a difference when it comes to languages? 

Definately a commerical decision as it it will stop people like me having 2 phones from them, revenue lost

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Nothing to do with languages. More to do with the technology in place. Just because what division has a set of infrastructure in place doesn’t mean another division has otherwise they would have rolled esim and watch worldwide. 

The money is in the services they sell not the handsets. If it was in the handsets they wouldn’t be giving away an iPhone XR for free with 100gb of data for £36 a month. The networks want residual income - 24 month contracts.  That doesn’t matter whether it comes from phone, data, home security as long as it is linked to a sim of some sort.

[rgambler]

I contacted Vodafone UK before I bought an iPhone XS to check they really would support an eSim as their (and Apple’s) website stated.  After their confirmation (and my outlay of £1000) they then wasted hours of my time trying to activate the eSim in my (new) iPhone XS, before confirming that they could only activate the eSim in an Apple Watch.  After much complaint they eventually apologised but weeks later their online support staff were still believing they could activate an eSim in an iPhone XS.  Since then, both Vodafone and Apple have removed Vodafone from their list of eSim supporting carriers.  It seems from the web that Vodafone support the iPhone XS eSim in New Zealand and Qatar.  Shame on Vodafone UK.  I have 4 Vodafone numbers for my family and will be moving them all to EE.  

[baz1536]

I can’t say for what you were told on phone and with activations but this was never on Apples website for iPhone esim on Vodafone in the UK.  It was only ever EE. Voda was listed for Germany and Spain on the website. Spain then changed to coming soon which has now changed back to available. 

At the keynote note it was not denoted what country the carrier referred to. Scroll to 1hr 19 on the keynote, it only said we are working with these carriers to bring the service 

https://www.apple.com/uk/apple-events/september-2018/

[RobCo]

Vodafone UK are a leading brand. They (in my opinion) should state a position on eSim. Not “some time in the future” but we are doing ——————- and we expect to offer this feature by ———————.  For me with 2 active Vodafone numbers the eSim feature was the clincher to upgrade from X to XS. My decision was not on the basis that Vodafone UK had made a commitment but on the basis that as a leading brand implementation of this key feature was a given.

As far as I am aware Vodafone UK is pointing out that they never promised anything on this subject when we the public users should be told when the eSim feature of the XS will be available. Stop fire-fighting Vodafone UK and start doing what you would have us believe is your role - leading.

[baz1536]

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@RobCo wrote:

Vodafone UK are a leading brand. They (in my opinion) should state a position on eSim. Not “some time in the future” but we are doing ——————- and we expect to offer this feature by ———————.  For me with 2 active Vodafone numbers the eSim feature was the clincher to upgrade from X to XS. My decision was not on the basis that Vodafone UK had made a commitment but on the basis that as a leading brand implementation of this key feature was a given.

As far as I am aware Vodafone UK is pointing out that they never promised anything on this subject when we the public users should be told when the eSim feature of the XS will be available. Stop fire-fighting Vodafone UK and start doing what you would have us believe is your role - leading.

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Ah love it, basing it all on expectations.  Features like this are as it says - features - not a must.  Access to the network is still available on a physical SIM just as always.  There is nothing in our Vodafone contracts that state that we should be able to access the network via eSim.  Other networks that also claim to be leading networks also have not put any dates on when esim will arrive.  The networks are probably working out a) Technology changes to deliver it b) Financial viability at this moment - number of devices connected to the network able to take advantage of esim.

I bet B is not financially viable at this moment so no need to rush.

[jeffkinn]

There are always going to be features that some networks implement and others don't. Visual voicemail is another example of a feature that's been available since the first iPhone but Vodafone has never implemented it. It's a question of profit - if a business case isn't made it won't be done. There are usually software solutions to there problems and you can have two numbers on one phone if you want to.

[rgambler]

Due to your poor English and grammar it is difficult to understand exactly what you are saying.  However, Vodafone’s website clearly said they would be supporting an eSim.  It still says this, but they have now specifically stated it relates to the eSim in an Apple Watch.  Vodafones’s online support also confirmed to me that they could support an eSim in an iPhone XS.  They checked their records and confirmed they had said this to me when I subsequently made a complaint.  They even tried to activate the eSim in my iPhone XS.  Apple’s website relating to the iPhone XS and dual Sim capability stated that eSim support would be provided by EE and Vodafone.  This implied it would be available globally and I would deem it misleading if it referred to specific countries, as you suggest. I checked both websites and Vodafone’s online support before spending £1000 on a new phone.  

[baz1536]

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@rgambler wrote:

Due to your poor English and grammar it is difficult to understand exactly what you are saying.  However, Vodafone’s website clearly said they would be supporting an eSim.  It still says this, but they have now specifically stated it relates to the eSim in an Apple Watch.  Vodafones’s online support also confirmed to me that they could support an eSim in an iPhone XS.  They checked their records and confirmed they had said this to me when I subsequently made a complaint.  They even tried to activate the eSim in my iPhone XS.  Apple’s website relating to the iPhone XS and dual Sim capability stated that eSim support would be provided by EE and Vodafone.  This implied it would be available globally and I would deem it misleading if it referred to specific countries, as you suggest. I checked both websites and Vodafone’s online support before spending £1000 on a new phone.  

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Beg to differ, Apple's website never once said Vodafone UK, it only ever said EE for the UK. Like I say I can;t say much for the support staff getting things wrong but neither Vodafone website or Apple's once mentioned iphone Xs eSIM support.

[jayguevara]

I concur with baz1536. Neither the keynote, nor Vodafone's website nor Apple's website ever mentioned support for the eSIM in the iPhone XS/ XS MAX/ XR. They only mentioned support for the eSIM in the Apple Watch and this was one of the reasons I posted on this forum and started this thread, to find out if and when Vodafone would start supporting eSIM on the iPhones. 

That being said, I would have really liked Vodafone to at least give us some information on eSIM rollout. For example, have they started testing it on the network? If so, how far along the process has it reached? Information like this would be really helpful in easing minds about eSIM rollout.  

[jeffkinn]

Vodafone never ever comments on anything until it's launched or about the be launched. You simply won't get any information no matter how many times you ask for it.