Paul Jones / Android Authority
TL;DR
- New evidence in an Android 16 beta suggests Apple’s upcoming iOS 19 may allow transferring an eSIM from an iPhone directly to an Android phone.
- The process might involve a new “Transfer to Android” option in iPhone settings, possibly using a QR code, session ID, and passcode for manual initiation.
- This feature, hinted at by strings in Google’s SIM Manager app, could be unveiled by Apple at WWDC 2025, simplifying cross-platform device switching.
Changing phones can be a hassle, especially when switching from an iPhone to an Android phone. While transferring your files and data between these platforms has become considerably easier, your eSIM typically can’t be moved over directly. Instead, you often need to contact your carrier for a new QR code to scan, which activates your service on the new phone. Fortunately, the next version of iOS might simplify transferring an eSIM from an iPhone to an Android phone.
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While digging through the Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1 update Google released last week, I discovered some interesting new strings in Google’s SIM Manager app. This app, available on various Android devices, can provision and transfer eSIMs between Android phones. Its latest version contains strings suggesting Apple’s upcoming iOS 19 release will add support for wirelessly transferring an eSIM to Android phones.
These strings suggest that iOS 19 will add a new “Transfer to Android” page, accessible under Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone. For comparison, here’s the current Transfer or Reset iPhone settings screen in the latest iOS 18.5 stable release.
Under the new Transfer to Android page, there may be an additional ‘Other Options‘ button that, we assume, will allow iOS users to manually initiate the wireless transfer of their iPhone’s eSIM to their new Android phone. This manual transfer process will likely begin by scanning a QR code on the new Android phone, similar to how eSIMs are currently transferred between Android devices.
The strings suggest this new QR code-based eSIM transfer process will serve as a fallback to a more seamless transfer method, perhaps Apple’s eSIM Quick Transfer feature. This QR code process requires entering a “session ID” and a “passcode” on your Android device, both presumably generated by the iPhone. Furthermore, the strings indicate that if the two devices fail to connect wirelessly, it might be because the iPhone isn’t running iOS 19 or later.
Code
Enter session ID and passcode
On your other device, go to Settings app > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Transfer to Android > Other Options
"Still can't connect wirelessly?""
Make sure your other device is running iOS 19 or later versions." If you’re skeptical that a Google-made app in a Pixel’s Android beta build could reveal an iOS 19 feature, I understand why. However, this isn’t as far-fetched as it might initially seem. After all, Google would need to know Apple is working on this functionality to build corresponding support into its SIM Manager app. Plus, with WWDC 2025 less than two weeks away — where Apple is expected to unveil iOS 19 — it’s plausible this feature is launching very soon.
Transferring an eSIM between Android devices or between iPhones has been possible for some time, so it was inevitable that this capability would eventually extend across platforms. It’s likely this feature was implemented at the request of carriers, aiming to reduce the need for users to contact them each time they switch devices. Whatever the case, we’re glad to see clues that Apple is adding support for transferring an iPhone’s eSIM to an Android phone, and we hope the reverse is also in the works.
