Telus has officially announced it is the first wireless carrier in Canada to support iPhone eSIM Quick Transfer (requires iOS 16.4 or later).
This new feature is open to Telus and Koodo customers with compatible iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone XR, or later models on iOS 16.4, explained a spokesperson to iPhone in Canada on Thursday.
The launch of the iPhone eSIM Quick Transfer capability brings more convenience to customers. It allows them to manage their existing SIM Card directly on their iPhone without needing to physically visit a store or make a call. This brings a better user experience and provides flexibility in managing connectivity.
With the introduction of iPhone eSIM Quick Transfer, customers can easily convert their physical SIM card into an eSIM directly on their iPhone. They can also seamlessly transfer their phone number from either an existing physical SIM card or eSIM on a previous iPhone to a new iPhone.
Here are the steps to Convert to eSIM:
Back in March, we told you Telus started supporting the ‘Convert to eSIM’ feature for iPhone customers, but now the news is official.
Update July 6, 2023: Telus told iPhone in Canada that this feature is only for Telus and Koodo “at this time” when we asked if Public Mobile was supported.
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Cool idea! Quite the departure from their CDMA days.
I beg to differ. They remember well those days…
Try using a OnePlus on their network. No VoLTE. With new towers not having 3G, you won’t even be able to make a call (does it still qualify as a phone service in that case???) Hard on the battery, too.
They whitelist IMEIs.
I think you might have missed my point. Being able to convert your physical sim to eSIM is a boon for consumers. In the past, travelling with your phone required you to have an unlocked GSM phone, you couldn’t just pop in a T-Mobile sim into your phone that Rogers sold you. I always had a second phone for travel that I bought unlocked on eBay. Switching carriers when some used TDMA, CDMA or GSM made it impossible to change carriers without getting a new phone. Add to that the fact that phones were carrier locked, you couldn’t even use your phone on a different carrier even if they supported the radios that your phone had. This iPhone quick eSIM transfer is light years ahead of where they used to be.
I have used eSIMs while travelling. They are great.
Think of someone travelling to Canada and not being to make calls when there’s no 3G nearby as their phone’s IMEI is not whitelisted in Telus’ database.
Agreed, the travel eSIMs are so easy to use. The stupid price Canadian carriers charge for activation must be a barrier for tourists. I’d be using airalo, etc. if I was a tourist here. I have no experience with Telus’ whitelist. I have Telus home internet and once had an iPad data plan with them but that is the extent of my experience with Telus. I can see them having a blacklist of stolen phones, etc. why would they maintain a whitelist?
They whitelist all phones that they sell. The exception is the iPhone; Apple does not allow that crappy treatment to their equipment (but Apple used to keep a list of phones with providers back in the day).
This means that you can have an unlocked phone that you can bring to any provider, but some will prevent you from using VoLTE. Bell and Telus do this while Rogers, Freedom and Videotron do not.
Speaking of travelling, why do Telus, Bell and Rogers charge you international roaming charges for using VoWifi in Europe?
Once you switched from the SIM card to eSIM, can you switch it back to the SIM card? I wonder if you can switch eSIM between two phones multiple times.
If you transfer from a physical SIM to eSIM then your old physical SIM is permanently dead. But you can transfer your eSIM between iPhones infinitely.
You can transfer an eSIM to a regular pSIM again using the online My Telus portal (among other methods such as in-store etc.). However, activating an eSIM will burn your old pSIM. Because Telus Rogers and Bell are so evil, they charge $15 for a new pSIM (or eSIM QR code for that matter), when these should absolutely be free. Other than the extortionate cost, it’s a trivial matter to change as long as you know the ICCID of the old/existing SIM.
If the feature requires iOS 16.4 or later, doesn’t that override the comment lower down in the article where it says “… or later models equipped with iOS 12.1 or later”?