For Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo and other eSIM-capable Android phones.

eSIM manual installation on Android

Android hides manual entry behind the scanner and, unlike iPhone, usually wants the entire activation string in a single field. Here is where to find it on each brand.

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Manual entry lives inside the QR scanner screen, not in the menu before it
Pixel: Need help, then Enter it manually. Samsung: Add eSIM, then enter the activation code
Android usually wants the whole LPA:1$address$code line in a single field
Pasting only the code, with no server address, is the most common Android failure
Leave any confirmation code empty: our profiles do not set one
No EID and no eSIM option in Settings means the model cannot install any eSIM, scanned or typed

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Android has no single settings layout, so a guide that names one menu path is wrong for most readers. What every brand shares is the shape: eSIM is added from the SIM or connections screen, the QR scanner opens, and a manual entry option sits inside that scanner screen rather than in the menu before it.

There is one real difference from iPhone worth knowing before you start. iOS splits the activation details into two fields. Android usually gives you one field and expects the whole line, prefix included: LPA:1$smdp.example.com$YOURCODE. Pasting only the code into that single box is the most common reason a manual install fails on Android.

Where manual entry hides on each brand

Pixel and stock Android: Settings, then Network and internet, then SIMs, then the plus button or Download a SIM instead. The scanner opens; tap Need help at the bottom, then Enter it manually. Samsung One UI: Settings, then Connections, then SIM manager, then Add eSIM. Depending on the version you will see Scan QR code from service provider first, and beneath it an option to enter the activation code by hand.

Xiaomi, Motorola, Oppo, Honor and others follow the same pattern with different words: find where a SIM is added, start the QR flow, then look for a link on the scanner screen worded as manual entry, activation code, or enter code. If your Settings app has a search box, searching for eSIM is faster than hunting through menus, because every brand puts this in a different place.

One field, the whole string

When the manual screen asks for an activation code, paste the complete activation string from your order page, starting with LPA:1$ and including both dollar signs. Some Android builds accept the address and code separately, in which case fill them like iOS. Most do not, and a bare code with no server address gives the phone nothing to connect to.

Copy rather than type. The string is long and case sensitive, and a stray space picked up at the start or end of a copy is a frequent and invisible cause of failure. If your keyboard autocapitalises the first letter, check the field before continuing. If a confirmation code is requested at any point, leave it empty: our profiles do not set one.

Check the phone can do this at all

Two things stop an install before it starts. The handset needs eSIM hardware, and it must not be carrier locked. Dial the universal code for device identifiers and look for an EID: a device with an EID has an eSIM chip. If Settings has no eSIM or Download a SIM option anywhere, the model or that regional variant does not support it, which is common on phones sold in some markets.

Carrier locking is the other blocker, and it produces a download failure rather than a clear message. If you bought the phone on contract or on instalments from an operator, confirm it is unlocked before you buy an eSIM. Neither of these has anything to do with manual entry specifically: they would stop a QR scan just as firmly.

When the download fails

Android usually reports a failure as Couldn't download SIM or Profile download failed, with no detail. Work through the same short list: no working internet connection at the moment of install, a paste that lost a character or gained a space, a code that is already used, a locked handset, or a device with no eSIM support. Wi-Fi matters more here than people expect, because you are often changing the very connection you are downloading over.

If the profile is genuinely already installed, stop rather than retrying. On a UK number that install is the only one you get, the profile is never reissued and it is not refunded, so deleting it to try again on another phone loses the line. Contact support with your order number instead. Travel data eSIMs are more forgiving and can be reissued if something went wrong.

Install an eSIM manually on Android

1
Connect to Wi-Fi
The phone downloads the profile over the internet, and you are about to change its mobile connection. Wi-Fi first avoids a download that fails halfway.
2
Find where eSIMs are added
Pixel and stock Android: Settings, Network and internet, SIMs. Samsung: Settings, Connections, SIM manager, Add eSIM. On other brands, search Settings for eSIM rather than hunting through menus.
3
Start the QR flow, then choose manual entry
Let the scanner open. On Pixel, tap Need help at the bottom, then Enter it manually. On Samsung and most other brands, look for the option to enter the activation code instead of scanning.
4
Paste the entire activation string
Copy the full line from your order page, including the LPA:1$ prefix and both dollar signs. If the screen offers separate address and code fields, fill them separately instead.
5
Leave any confirmation code empty
If the phone asks for a confirmation code, skip it. It is optional in the eSIM standard and our profiles do not use one.
6
Name the line and set your data SIM
Give the line a recognisable name, then choose which SIM handles calls, SMS and mobile data. On a UK number, keep your existing SIM for data: the UK number carries voice and SMS only.

Questions & answers

How do I enter an eSIM activation code manually on Android?

Open the place where SIMs are added (Settings, Network and internet, SIMs on Pixel; Settings, Connections, SIM manager on Samsung), start the flow to add an eSIM, and let the QR scanner open. The manual option is inside that scanner screen: on Pixel it is Need help, then Enter it manually, and on most other brands it is worded as entering the activation code. Paste the full activation string there.

Should I include the LPA:1$ prefix on Android?

Yes, when there is a single field. Paste the whole line exactly as shown on your order page, including LPA:1$ and both dollar signs. Only if the screen offers separate fields for the SM-DP+ address and the activation code should you split them, and in that case the address goes in without the prefix.

Where is manual entry on a Samsung phone?

Settings, then Connections, then SIM manager, then Add eSIM. Depending on the One UI version you will either see an option to enter the activation code directly, or you will get the QR scanner with a link beneath it to enter the code by hand. Samsung moves this between versions, so if the wording differs, look for anything on the scanner screen that is not the camera.

My Android says the SIM could not be downloaded. Why?

Check five things in order: an active internet connection at the moment of install, the pasted string being complete and free of stray spaces, whether the code has already been used once, whether the handset is carrier locked, and whether the phone supports eSIM at all. Android rarely says which of these it hit, so eliminating them in order is faster than guessing.

How do I know if my Android phone supports eSIM?

Look for an EID in the device information screen, or dial the standard identifier code and check whether an EID appears. If Settings offers no way to add or download a SIM, the model or that regional variant has no eSIM hardware. This affects scanning and manual entry equally, since both install the same profile.

Can I install the same eSIM on a second Android phone?

Not for a UK number. That profile installs once, is never reissued and is not refunded, so entering the details on a second device does not produce a second line, and deleting the first install loses the number. Travel data eSIMs can be issued a fresh QR if there is a genuine problem. Contact support before moving a line between devices.

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