Products · Pattern or everyday thing
eSIM
Raised as a usability problem by 17 people on Hacker News over 5 years (2021–2025), in 11 threads.
No issue was raised by at least 3 people in 3 threads this year.
Every issue, all time, most people first
Can't move or set up new eSIM after breaking phone, often blockedUnreviewed
20212026- Moving eSIM to a new phone takes many steps in an app or a support call2025-12-29
- Following the prompts didn't activate the new eSIM, leaving both devices unusable until a store visit2025-12-29
- Can't move eSIM to a new phone when the old phone is broken, needs a PIN sent to it2025-12-29
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 17 complaints
- Moving eSIM to a new phone takes many steps in an app or a support call2025-12-29
- ESIM profile stuck on iPhone, survived reset and restored backups, needed Apple store2025-12-29
- Following the prompts didn't activate the new eSIM, leaving both devices unusable until a store visit2025-12-29
- Can't move eSIM to a new phone when the old phone is broken, needs a PIN sent to it2025-12-29
- ESIM sometimes becomes completely unusable, leaving the phone with no service2025-09-23
- Web browsing is painfully slow on some eSIM providers' connections2025-09-22
- Setting up eSIMs requires carrier apps, QR codes that fail, and phone-specific compatibility2025-09-22
- Apps refuse to work on phones without native eSIM support2025-01-21
- Reboot needed to switch eSIM configurations; eSIM activation is fiddly2024-11-28
- Confusing setup with no feedback on whether configuration steps are correct2024-08-12
- Can't move or provision a new eSIM after breaking phone, often blocked2023-11-21
- Setup needs internet, but the eSIM can't provide internet until installed; transfers to new phones are impossible2023-07-27
- Moving an eSIM to another device requires reissue, customer support, and hours or days of waiting2023-04-23
- Moving an eSIM between phones requires a 30-45 minute webchat with a rep2023-03-07
- Moving to a new phone requires carrier-driven migration steps instead of a quick SIM swap2021-12-29
- Moving an eSIM between devices is still a pain point2021-12-28
- No way to move eSIM to new phone; must get carrier QR code or revert to physical SIM2021-12-28