For iPhone XS and later, including SE 2020 and newer, in every country we sell to.

eSIM manual installation on iPhone

iOS has always accepted typed activation details. The option is one screen deeper than most people look, and it asks for three fields, only two of which you fill in.

$25

Enter Details Manually sits at the bottom of the QR scanner screen, not in the menu above it
SM-DP+ Address is the hostname alone, with no LPA:1$ prefix and no code attached
Activation Code is the long string after the second dollar sign, and it is case sensitive
Confirmation Code stays empty: our profiles do not set one
Works on iPhone XS and later, and on SE 2020 and newer, if the handset is not carrier locked
Keep your existing line as the data line when installing a UK number

Buy UK eSIM - $25 How it works →

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Apple puts manual eSIM entry behind the QR scanner rather than beside it, which is why so many people conclude their iPhone cannot do it. Open the scanner, then look at the bottom of that screen: Enter Details Manually is there, and it has been there on every iOS version that supports eSIM.

What follows is the exact path, what belongs in each of the three fields iOS shows, and the handful of errors that account for most failed installs. If you want to know what the fields mean rather than where to type them, the SM-DP+ address and activation code are explained separately.

Where the manual option lives

On iOS 17 and later: Settings, then Cellular (labelled Mobile Service or Mobile Data in some regions), then Add eSIM, then Use QR Code. The camera opens, and Enter Details Manually sits at the bottom of that screen. On iOS 16 and earlier the second step reads Add Cellular Plan, but the manual link is in the same place under the scanner.

Apple moves this wording between releases more often than you would expect, so navigate by intent rather than by exact label: find where eSIM is added, start the QR flow, then look below the viewfinder. If your iPhone offers a Set Up Cellular or Transfer From Nearby iPhone prompt first, skip past it - that flow is for moving an existing carrier line between devices, not for installing a new profile.

The three fields, and what goes in them

SM-DP+ Address takes the server hostname only, with no LPA:1$ prefix and no code appended: something in the shape of smdp.example.com. Activation Code takes the long string that follows the second dollar sign. Both are on your order page with a copy button each, and both are case sensitive. Paste rather than type them.

Confirmation Code is the third field, and you leave it empty. It is optional in the eSIM standard, meant for operators who want a second check at install time, and our profiles do not set one. Every so often iOS shows this field on its own screen after the first two, which makes an empty box look like a step you have skipped. Tap Next and carry on.

After the profile downloads

iOS asks you to label the new line. Pick something you will recognise later, because these labels drive every subsequent question the phone asks you. Then it asks which line is default for calls and messages, and which carries cellular data.

For a UK number, keep your existing line as the data line: the UK number handles incoming calls and SMS and carries no mobile data at all, so making it the data line leaves you with no internet. For a travel data eSIM the opposite applies - it becomes your data line, while your home line keeps calls and texts. Turn on Allow Cellular Data Switching only if you understand it may use the other line for data when one has no signal.

When iOS refuses the details

Unable to Add Cellular Plan is Apple wording for almost every failure, so read it as "something went wrong" rather than as a diagnosis. Work through the four real causes in order: no internet connection at the moment of install, a typo or a stray space in a pasted field, an iPhone that is carrier locked, and a profile that has already been installed once.

The last one deserves emphasis on a UK number, because it is not recoverable. That profile installs a single time, is never reissued, and is not refunded, so do not delete it to try again on another handset. If you are unsure whether an install completed, check Settings then Cellular for the new line before touching anything, and contact support with your order number rather than retrying the code.

Install an eSIM manually on iPhone

1
Connect to Wi-Fi
The profile downloads over the internet. On a single-phone install, connect to Wi-Fi first so the download does not depend on the mobile settings you are about to change.
2
Open Settings, then Cellular, then Add eSIM
The menu is called Cellular, Mobile Service or Mobile Data depending on your region and iOS version. Choose Use QR Code when it appears.
3
Tap Enter Details Manually
When the camera opens, look at the bottom of the screen. Enter Details Manually is below the viewfinder on every iOS version that supports eSIM.
4
Paste the SM-DP+ address
Copy it from your order page. It is the hostname only, without the LPA:1$ prefix and without the activation code.
5
Paste the activation code and leave Confirmation Code empty
The activation code is the long string after the second dollar sign. If iOS then asks for a confirmation code, leave the field empty and tap Next: our profiles do not use one.
6
Label the line and set your data line
Name the line, then choose which line makes calls and which carries data. On a UK number, leave your existing line as the data line, since the UK number carries voice and SMS only.

Questions & answers

Where is Enter Details Manually on iPhone?

Settings, then Cellular, then Add eSIM, then Use QR Code. When the camera opens, the option is at the bottom of that screen, below the viewfinder. On iOS 16 and earlier the second step is called Add Cellular Plan, but the manual link is in the same place. Apple changes the wording between releases, so navigate by the flow rather than the exact label.

What do I put in the SM-DP+ Address field?

Only the server hostname, in the shape of smdp.example.com. Do not include the LPA:1$ prefix, do not include the activation code, and do not add https:// in front. Your order page shows the address on its own with a copy button, so paste it rather than retyping it.

iPhone asks for a confirmation code. What do I type?

Leave it empty and tap Next. The confirmation code is an optional field in the eSIM standard that operators can use as an extra check, and ours do not set one. iOS sometimes shows it on a screen of its own, which makes an empty box look like a missing step. It is not.

Why does my iPhone say Unable to Add Cellular Plan?

That message covers nearly every failure, so check the four real causes in order. No internet connection during install. A typo or a stray space in a pasted field, since both fields are case sensitive. A carrier-locked iPhone, which cannot accept a third-party profile. Or a profile that has already been installed once. For a UK number the last case is final, because that profile is never reissued.

Which iPhones support manual eSIM entry?

Every iPhone with eSIM support: XS, XR and later, plus SE 2020 and newer. There is no separate device requirement for manual entry, because it is the same install path as scanning. The handset must not be carrier locked, which you can confirm with your operator before buying.

Should the UK number be my data line?

No. The UK number is a voice and SMS line and carries no mobile data, so setting it as your data line would leave you without internet. Keep your existing line for data. A travel data eSIM is the opposite case: it becomes the data line while your home line keeps calls and messages.

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