Airalo eSIM not working? Check the plan’s connection instructions

In the Airalo app, open My eSIMs, choose the eSIM and open Details. Depending on the app version, look for View Installation Instructions, Access data, or Connect to a Network, How to connect. These are where Airalo puts the APN, supported networks and any required roaming setting.

First confirm that the order covers the country you're in and has remaining data and validity. Installation alone doesn't prove a connection has started. Equally, No Service outside the coverage area isn't evidence that the profile failed to install.

1. Turn the Airalo line on and select it for mobile data. On iPhone, use Settings, Mobile Service or Mobile Data. On Galaxy, start in Settings, Connections, SIM manager. Pixel starts in Settings, Network and internet, SIMs.
2. Disable automatic mobile-data switching. Keep Australian-line data roaming off. Apply the Airalo plan's own roaming instruction to the travel line; some plans require it. On Android, if you cannot identify which SIM a shared roaming toggle affects, temporarily turn off the Australian line for the test. Its calls and SMS won't arrive while it is off.
3. Compare the APN with the value in the Airalo instructions. It is often automatic; if manual entry is required, copy the exact value. Don't substitute a provider-wide APN from an unrelated guide.
4. Turn aeroplane mode off. If the connection is stuck, toggle it on briefly and off again, then let the phone register. Try a restart if needed.
5. If automatic network selection fails, choose a network named in that plan's instructions. Seeing another operator in the scan doesn't mean the order can use it.
6. Try LTE/4G temporarily if 5G isn't connecting. With Wi-Fi off, load one small webpage and confirm the phone is still using Airalo for data.

If the phone works but hotspot doesn't, return to the plan's tethering instructions. On an iPhone requiring manual APN entry, the Personal Hotspot APN can need setting separately. Copy the plan's supplied value into the appropriate field, rather than changing the Australian SIM.

Connect to steady Wi-Fi and open a normal webpage first, including completing any airport sign-in page. Before retrying, look in the phone's SIM list to establish that the profile is absent. A “code no longer valid” message can need support review; repeated scans are not proof the order is unusable.

Check the exact model and carrier lock. On iPhone, Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock should show No SIM restrictions. On Android, ask the carrier that supplied the handset. A list of available networks does not establish whether it is unlocked.

Save the error and contact Airalo if installation still fails. Don't delete another working profile or reset the phone just to free space without establishing what will be lost.

Airalo says eSIMs typically cannot be reinstalled. Its reinstallation help describes a Deleted your eSIM? option in My eSIMs for checking recovery on eligible plans. If the option isn't there or fails, contact support with the order and error. A replacement or reinstall depends on that order; it isn't guaranteed and doesn't reset the clock.

Use support in the app or Airalo's help centre. Send the current location, order, phone model and software version, balance and expiry, exact error, and screenshots of the selected data line and APN. Hide private QR codes and unrelated account details.

Ask: “Is this eSIM active for this location, are these the correct network and APN, and is there any account-side issue?” Preserve the installed profile while support checks it. Use Wi-Fi for urgent bookings while waiting; buying another provider's plan is a separate purchase.

For a refund, the route and remedy depend on how the order was bought and why it failed. Airalo's current terms distinguish direct purchases, withdrawal and technical problems. Use our Airalo refund guide for the evidence to send. Don't assume a self-service button's absence settles the whole case.

Checked 30 October 2026: Airalo's connection troubleshooting, reinstallation guidance and terms. Slow unlimited data can also reflect the selected plan's fair-use policy; a speed reduction and a completely missing connection are different problems.