Airtel eSIM: converting your number, the 24-hour SMS block, and what needs a store

How do you get an Airtel eSIM?

An Airtel eSIM is the number you already have, moved onto your phone's built-in chip, and you do it in the Airtel app. Airtel's eSIM page, which we read on 10 November 2026, describes it as an upgrade of an existing number, and sends anything else (a new connection, a lost phone, going back to a plastic SIM) to a store. Here is the app route in Airtel's order.

1. Log in to the Airtel app with the number you want to move. Tap "Upgrade to eSIM" in the shortcuts on the home page. Airtel's FAQ puts the same option under Manage services.
2. Pick "this device" or "another device", then enter the phone's 32-digit EID.
3. Type in the OTP sent to your Airtel number.
4. Wait for a verification call, which Airtel says comes about 10 minutes after you submit. Confirm on the call.
5. Download the eSIM profile in your phone's settings. On an iPhone, connect to Wi-Fi or mobile data, open the "Finish Setting Up Mobile Service" notification and follow it.
6. Switch the new profile on, take the physical SIM out and restart the phone.

To find the EID, dial *#06#. On an iPhone it is also under Settings, General, About.

How long does Airtel eSIM activation take?

Airtel gives two answers on one page. Its steps say the eSIM goes live within 2 hours of downloading the profile, while its FAQ says it connects as soon as the profile is downloaded and enabled. Allow two hours.

There's a deadline at the other end. You have 4 hours from starting the request to set the eSIM up on the phone, or Airtel cancels the request automatically. The physical SIM keeps working until then.

The 24-hour SMS block, and the other rules

Once the request completes, incoming and outgoing SMS on the number are barred for 24 hours. That includes OTPs. If your bank, UPI app or airline sends codes by text, don't switch the night before a trip.

The rest, from Airtel's page:

• Don't tap "delete" on the eSIM in settings. It takes the line off the phone, and getting it back means a store visit with ID.
• Don't share your EID; Airtel warns it can lead to unauthorised access to your number.
• Lost the phone? Go to an Airtel store.
• Want to go from eSIM back to a physical SIM? That's a store visit with identity proof too.

What does it cost? Airtel's eSIM page doesn't mention a charge for the upgrade, and it doesn't describe any separate Airtel eSIM plans. We couldn't confirm either way.

Which phones does Airtel support for eSIM?

Any phone that supports eSIM, says the FAQ, which names Apple iPhones, Google Pixel, Samsung, Motorola and Vivo. The device picker on the page also offers OPPO and OnePlus. There's no model-by-model list on that page, so check yours on our eSIM compatible phones list. Support varies by model, so look up the exact phone rather than the brand.

Moving an Airtel eSIM to a new iPhone

iPhone to iPhone uses Apple's own transfer, according to Airtel. Put both phones on Wi-Fi, side by side. On the new one go to Settings, Mobile Service, Add eSIM, Transfer from Nearby iPhone. Approve on the old phone, type in the code the new one shows, and follow the prompts. Airtel lists iOS 26 and an iPhone XS, XS Max, XR or newer as requirements.

Android to Android, or Android to iPhone? Go back to the app route and choose "another device".

Porting your number to Airtel as an eSIM: Airtel says the eSIM notification arrives within 24 hours, and you get network once the port completes, which it puts at 4 to 15 days depending on circle.

Can a visitor to India get an Airtel eSIM?

Not online, on what Airtel's eSIM page says. For a brand-new eSIM connection it tells you to visit a store with identity proof, and gives Aadhaar as the example. It doesn't mention passports or tourists. What Airtel says elsewhere about foreign nationals is on our Airtel India page. For a short trip, a travel eSIM bought before you fly avoids the store queue; compare them on the cheapest eSIM page and India SIM options.

Taking your Airtel eSIM abroad

The eSIM is still your Airtel number, so roaming works as it does on a plastic SIM: you need an international pack or Airtel's ₹118 roaming activation. Today's prices are on our Airtel international roaming page. Airtel's page does anticipate people activating while abroad and points them to its roaming support. Given the 24-hour SMS block, we'd still finish the switch at home.

Related: Jio eSIM, Vi eSIM, what an eSIM is and the India hub.

Desk research from Airtel's public pages, not a hands-on test.