eSIM on GrapheneOS and CalyxOS

Do this first, on the phone you intend to use. On GrapheneOS, open Settings > Network & internet and turn on eSIM support. Then go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs and start the flow that adds a SIM, the one that offers to download a profile instead of using a physical card. If the QR scanner opens and asks for an activation code, your device and build can download profiles, which is the only thing you needed to confirm.

If that flow is missing or refuses to open, stop there. No provider can fix it from their side, because the limitation is in the operating system build, not in the profile. Contact us before buying and we will tell you honestly whether your combination is one we have seen work.

This check costs nothing and takes minutes. We ask for it because a failed download on an unsupported build is a real loss for you, and we would rather not sell into that.

GrapheneOS has always shipped baseline eSIM support, meaning profiles already installed on the device keep working. Adding or managing a profile is different: that needs proprietary Google eSIM management code, and it is fully disabled by default. You enable it at Settings > Network & internet > eSIM support, and the toggle persists across reboots.

The part that surprises people is what this does not pull in. According to the GrapheneOS documentation, eSIM management has no dependency on Google Play, and it never shares data with Google Play even when Play is installed. It will not connect to a Google service at all unless your carrier itself uses one. So enabling the toggle is not the same as installing sandboxed Google Play, and you do not need a Google account anywhere in this process.

After the profile is installed you can switch the toggle back off, and the line keeps working under baseline support. One exception matters: if your profile is locked with a PIN, leave the toggle enabled. It is what lets you disable the eSIM from the lockscreen if the PIN is forgotten. With the toggle off and the PIN lost, the only way back in is the PUK.

The first is an install that stalls at "Checking network info..." even on a stable connection. The documented fix is to dial the USSD code *#*#4636#*#* and enable DSDS in the menu it opens, then retry the download. This one catches a lot of first-time installs and has nothing to do with the profile you bought.

The second is data that never comes up on a travel profile, which is an APN issue rather than an eSIM issue. GrapheneOS extracts CarrierConfigs, APNs, modem configurations and MMS settings from the stock OS, so most carriers work with no intervention. When yours does not, add the APN by hand at Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your SIM > Access Point Names. GrapheneOS also bypasses carrier restrictions on APN editing, so the fields stay editable even where a carrier would normally lock them. Note that this applies to data profiles: the UK +44 number is a voice and SMS line with no data bundle, so it has no APN to configure.

One limit worth stating plainly: Wi-Fi calling may not work, because it relies on proprietary Google apps that GrapheneOS does not ship. SMS, calls, VoLTE and 5G are generally fine on carriers that Google supports officially on stock Pixels. If SMS misbehaves, the documented first steps are to deregister the number from iMessage, from Google Chat features and from your carrier RCS, then reset mobile network settings and reboot.

CalyxOS lists its supported devices as taking any eSIM alongside a physical SIM in dual SIM mode, covering Pixel and Fairphone hardware among others. In practice profile download runs through Google eUICC, the same proprietary implementation used on stock, rather than through microG. microG replaces Play services for apps; it does not provide a local profile assistant.

There is an open community request to move CalyxOS to OpenEUICC, the fully open-source LPA, so this may change. Until it does, treat CalyxOS eSIM support as working but not Google-free at the download step. Everything after the download, including receiving SMS and calls on a UK +44 line, is plain Android telephony.

This is where most disappointment happens. Official LineageOS builds generally ship no LPA at all, so even on hardware with a perfectly good eUICC there is no way to download a profile. The phone is eSIM-capable and the OS still cannot use it.

OpenEUICC is the open-source answer, but it needs system privilege as a priv-app or ARA-M allowlisting, which means it has to be built into the ROM or added through a Magisk module. Some unofficial builds include it and some do not, so check your specific build rather than assuming the ROM family supports it. If you cannot download profiles, a physical SIM is the honest answer, and we do not sell one.

We supply a standard GSMA activation code, the same kind any eSIM uses. Whether it downloads is decided by your operating system build and your device, not by the profile, which is why the check at the top of this page exists rather than a compatibility badge we cannot back up.

The UK +44 number QR is single use and is never reissued, and that purchase is not refundable, so please run the check first. Travel data profiles are more forgiving and can be re-issued if something goes wrong at install. If you are unsure about your build, ask before paying rather than after.

On verification: the line receives standard SMS and voice calls, which is what app verification normally uses. No provider can guarantee that any particular app or service will accept any particular number, and anyone telling you otherwise is guessing on your behalf.