Simify eSIM not working? Here’s the sequence that solves most cases

Take the screenshots now, while you are still there

Simify’s refund process asks for specific evidence, and most of it is easier to capture at the moment things are broken than to reconstruct later. Their own list:

“Your order number and eSIM details; Your current location; Your phone model and confirmation that it is unlocked; Screenshots of your APN settings, network settings, and current data balance; A brief description of the issue.”

So before you start changing settings, screenshot your APN settings, your network settings and your current data balance. Troubleshooting will change all three, and once you have reset network settings the evidence of what was wrong is gone.

Simify also makes contacting them during the trip a condition:

“Contact our support team during your trip (Wi-Fi is fine) if your eSIM isn’t working.”

“Allow us the opportunity to troubleshoot before requesting a refund.”

That is not unreasonable, and it does mean a message sent from an airport wifi on the day is worth more than a well-argued email a week after you get home.

Check your phone first

Simify publishes clear device caveats up front, which is one of the better things about them. Their eSIMs will not work if the phone is carrier locked, jailbroken or rooted, and they exclude certain mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao iPhone variants.

Check your lock status. iPhone: Settings, General, About, scroll to Carrier Lock. “No SIM restrictions” means unlocked. Android: Settings, Connections, Mobile networks, Network operators, turn off automatic selection and wait 30 seconds. One carrier means locked.

This matters because their refund guidance lists “The device is incompatible, locked, or restricted” as a situation where a refund may not be approved.

The sequence

1. Confirm you have arrived. Travel eSIMs generally activate on connecting to a network at the destination. No service at home is normal.
2. Check the eSIM is installed and switched on in your device settings.
3. Set it as your mobile data line. iPhone: Settings, Cellular, tap the line, Turn On This Line, then back and select it under Cellular Data.
4. Turn data roaming on for the Simify line specifically. See why that toggle catches people out.
5. Turn off “Allow Cellular Data Switching” on iPhone so it cannot fall back to your Australian line.
6. Toggle aeroplane mode on for 15 seconds, then off.
7. Turn your other SIM off temporarily.
8. Check the APN against your Simify setup email. Our APN guide explains the field.
9. Force 4G rather than 5G. Underrated and frequently the fix.
10. Restart the phone.
11. Select the network manually, trying each operator for 30 seconds.
12. Reset network settings last, knowing it wipes your APN and saved wifi.

Do not delete the eSIM

Simify’s own refund guidance lists “The eSIM was deleted after installation or installed on the wrong device” as a situation where a refund may not be approved. So deleting it can cost you twice: the eSIM itself, and the refund route.

If you need it off, disable the line instead of removing it.

Is it actually just throttled?

If it connects and works but feels slow, you may not have a fault. Simify’s unlimited plans have been reported by reviewers as slowing after caps around 10GB, and Simify does not publish a clear per-plan throttle threshold. Check your remaining data before assuming something is broken.

This is a genuine difference between providers rather than a criticism. Some publish the number in the plan name, some publish it in the terms, and some do not publish it at all.

Contacting Simify

Email hello@simify.com and live chat. Simify has a genuinely good record on responsiveness, replying to essentially all of their negative public reviews and usually within a day, which is more than most of this category manages.

Their knowledge base at help.simify.com is substantially more detailed than the main site and is not prominently linked from the navigation. It is worth going there directly rather than hunting through the shop.

If you want a refund, know which policy you are being quoted

Simify publishes two complete refund policies that do not agree with each other, and both are live.

The Shopify policy at /policies/refund-policy is written for physical goods. It gives a 30 day window and requires that your item be “unused and in the same condition that you received it” and “in the original packaging”, returned to a street address in Wolli Creek at your own cost. It does not mention eSIMs, activation or digital products anywhere. It also excludes sale items entirely: “Only regular priced items may be refunded, unfortunately sale items cannot be refunded.”

The help centre policy is written for eSIMs and is much more workable:

“eSIMs are digital products and cannot be physically returned. There is no traditional ‘return’ process. Any request to return an eSIM is treated as a refund request and evaluated under the policy below.”

It gives 180 days for change of plans on an unactivated eSIM, 180 days for device incompatibility if the eSIM was never installed, and a partial or full refund for connection problems reported during the trip.

Those two policies conflict on the window, on the return requirement and on eligibility, and neither page says which one governs. If someone quotes the 30 day rule at you, the help centre policy exists and says something different.

More importantly: Simify is an Australian company, so the Australian Consumer Law applies straightforwardly. Consumer guarantees are not limited by either policy, by a 30 day window, or by a requirement to post back something that does not physically exist. What Australian Consumer Law says about a travel eSIM that doesn’t work sets that out.

If you are at the point of choosing another plan, our best travel eSIM guide for Australians compares the current options and their practical trade-offs.

Questions people actually ask

What should I screenshot before troubleshooting?

Your APN settings, network settings and current data balance. Simify asks for all three, and troubleshooting changes all three.

Do I have to contact them during my trip?

Their money-back guarantee asks you to contact support during the trip and allow them to troubleshoot first. Wifi is fine for this.

Should I delete the Simify eSIM and reinstall?

No. Their own guidance lists a deleted eSIM as a situation where a refund may not be approved, and deleting a travel eSIM is often irreversible.

Why does my Simify eSIM say no service?

Usually data roaming is off for that line, the eSIM is not selected as the data line, or you have not connected to a network at the destination yet.

Which Simify refund policy applies to me?

They publish two. The Shopify page gives 30 days and requires physical return. The help centre gives 180 days and says eSIMs cannot be physically returned. Neither states which governs.

My phone is locked. Will they refund me?

Their guidance lists an incompatible, locked or restricted device as a case where a refund may not be approved. Check your lock status before buying, not after.

Does Australian Consumer Law apply?

Yes. Simify is an Australian company, so consumer guarantees apply straightforwardly and are not limited by either of their refund policies.

Sources

Simify guidance, refund policies and support detail retrieved 17 August 2026 from Simify, their refund policy, their money-back guarantee page and their help centre at help.simify.com.

Written by Lachlan, who runs The SIM Shop from Brisbane and answers the support email himself.

One line about us

If you end up needing a replacement, we are also an Australian shop and we price each destination separately rather than at one flat rate. You can compare the current options on our destination pages.