eSIM in India: How to Activate on Jio, Airtel and Vi

An eSIM is the same connection without the plastic. It cannot be stolen from your handset, it can hold a second number without a second slot, and switching to one takes about two hours of mostly waiting.

The activation flows differ substantially between Jio, Airtel and Vi, and one detail trips up more people than everything else combined. Start there.

The EID Is the Thing People Get Wrong

Every eSIM-capable phone has an EID — a 32-digit identifier unique to that device’s embedded SIM chip. Your operator writes the profile to that specific chip.

So the EID must belong to the phone you want the eSIM on. If you are upgrading, that is the new phone, not the one you are sending the SMS from. Sending your old phone’s EID is the single most common activation failure, and it wastes a full cycle.

Find it under Settings → About phone → EID on Android, or Settings → General → About on an iPhone. Dialling *#06# displays the IMEI and EID together on most handsets.

You also need eSIM hardware. Support is standard on recent flagships and most mid-range phones from the last few years, but it is not universal — a phone being 4G or 5G says nothing about whether it has an eSIM chip.

Jio

The longest process, with a mandatory cooling period. All messages go to 199. Your registered email address is mandatory on the Jio account before you begin.

1. SMS GETESIM <32-digit EID> <15-digit IMEI> to 199.
2. You receive a 19-digit ICCID. Reply SIMCHG <19-digit ICCID> to 199.
3. A two-hour cooling period begins. This cannot be skipped.
4. Send 1 to consent (or 8 to cancel).
5. Answer the IVR call from 912235072222 and enter the code it reads out. If you miss it, send RECALL to 199 for a callback.
6. Install the profile from the notification, or from the QR code emailed to you.

Skipping or mistyping any step invalidates the request and you start again. SMS service is unavailable for 24 hours after the upgrade completes — plan around that, because it means no OTPs for a day.

Airtel

The simplest of the three.

1. SMS eSIM <your registered email ID> to 121.
2. Reply 1 to 121 to confirm.
3. Answer the consent call.
4. A QR code arrives by email. Scan it in your phone’s mobile network settings.
5. Activation typically completes in about two hours.

Your physical SIM keeps working during the process, which makes this the least disruptive route.

If the SMS does not go through: prepaid users in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Telangana send NESIM to 52212; prepaid users elsewhere send NESIM to 51619; postpaid users send NOSIM to 121.

Vi

1. SMS eSIM <EID> <device type> <email ID> to 199, where device type is 1 for iOS and 2 for Android.
2. Confirm by replying ESIMY to 199.
3. The profile is available in about 15 minutes, by notification or QR code.
4. Restart the phone.

Vi states there is no additional cost for the conversion.

What It Costs

Vi says free. Jio and Airtel do not state a charge on their public conversion pages, and conversion has historically been free for existing customers — but confirm at a store or with customer care before assuming, rather than trusting a blog post. Your plan, balance and validity carry over unchanged in all cases.

Changing Phones Later: Read This First

This is where eSIM is genuinely less convenient than plastic, and it surprises people.

You cannot move an eSIM by swapping a card. To use your number on a new phone you must re-run the conversion or transfer flow using the new device’s EID. Jio provides a dedicated transfer flow for this.

More importantly: deleting the eSIM profile from your phone destroys it permanently. There is no undo, and you will need the operator to re-issue. Never delete an eSIM profile while factory resetting or troubleshooting unless you have already arranged the replacement.

Practical rule: before selling or resetting a phone, complete the transfer to the new device first, and only then wipe the old one.

Where eSIM Genuinely Wins

Theft. A thief cannot pull the SIM out and discard it, which means your number stays reachable and remote-tracking tools keep working — pair that with knowing how to block a stolen phone across every Indian network.

Dual numbers. Keep a physical SIM and an eSIM active together on a single-slot phone — useful for separating a private banking number from a public one, a habit worth adopting for the reasons set out in our guide to SIM swap fraud.

International travel. Add a local data profile on arrival without touching your Indian number.

One thing eSIM does not fix: it offers no protection against SIM swap fraud, because an eSIM profile can be re-issued through the same customer-service process as a physical replacement.

We cover Indian telecom practicalities in plain language at Techleez.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does eSIM work on any 4G phone?

No. The phone needs eSIM hardware and operator support. Being 4G or 5G capable says nothing about whether the handset has an eSIM chip.

Why does my eSIM activation keep failing?

Most often because the EID submitted belongs to the wrong phone. It must be the EID of the device you want the eSIM on.

Is converting to eSIM free?

Vi states it is free. Jio and Airtel do not publish a charge on their conversion pages — confirm with customer care or a store before proceeding.

Can I move my eSIM to a new phone by swapping something?

No. You must re-run the conversion or transfer flow using the new phone’s EID.

What happens if I delete the eSIM profile?

It is destroyed permanently and the operator must re-issue it. Never delete it during a factory reset unless a replacement is already arranged.

Does eSIM protect against SIM swap fraud?

No. An eSIM profile can be re-issued through the same process an attacker would use for a physical SIM.

About the author

Fold Smith

Fold Smith is a technology journalist and the lead editor of The Techleez, an India-first publication that decodes technology, digital payments, streaming and online culture for everyday readers. From UPI and fintech explainers to OTT streaming guides, Android tips and online-safety checklists, he personally tests the apps, tools and services featured on the site before recommending them. His focus is practical, research-backed guidance that helps Indian readers make smarter digital decisions — spend less, stream better and stay safe online. When he is not writing, he is usually tracking NPCI circulars, first-day-first-show box office numbers, or the next big OTT premiere.

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