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Question

Tried 5 new esims and still cant get it activated on my iphone air and iphone 13.

  • April 11, 2026
  • 14 replies
  • 260 views

So the esim was initially working fine on my iphone air, then i removed it and got a new esim through email to test the esim on my old iphone 13, which failed to activate. Since then I could not get it to activate back on my iphone air. It would say it’s activating for about 10 minutes and then a message would pop up saying that the activation has failed. I have talked to 5 people on live chat and all they do is send me a new esim through my email which dont work. I cant go to a physical sim because the iphone air does not support a physical sim. I tried everything from turning on roaming, staying connected to wifi when activating, resetting network settings, and restarting the phone. Could someone please help?

14 replies

Lamiya C
iD Mobile Employee
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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • April 11, 2026

Hi ​@kimchilover67 ,

 

I’m really sorry you’ve had so many failed attempts. I completely understand how frustrating this must be, especially as you rely on your eSIM.
 

From what you’ve described, it looks like the eSIM profile on the network may be stuck or still active in the background, which is why new QR codes are failing to activate.

As you’ve already tried the correct steps (restart, network reset, Wi-Fi, roaming, re-downloading), this now needs a backend eSIM refresh rather than another QR code being sent.
 

To resolve this, we’ll need to:
• Remove the current eSIM profile from your line
• Reset the eSIM on the network
• Reissue a fresh eSIM after the refresh
 

Please contact us so we can escalate this for you:
0800 049 1300
Or Live Chat via the iD Mobile website (Help & Support)

 

Lamiya


  • Author
  • New Contributor
  • April 12, 2026

Thank you for your reply, I explained everything to customer service and they said they cleared everything on the backend and then sent me a new esim again which still did not activate. 

If this issue cannot be resolved by the technical team within 48 hours, I will need to request my PAC or STAC code to cancel my contract completely without penalty, as I am currently paying for a service that is not working.


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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • April 15, 2026

Hi ​@kimchilover67 ,

 

I've just sent you a private message to help get this sorted.

To find it, click your profile picture in the top-right corner and select ‘Private Messages’.

You can also use this direct link to your inbox: https://community.idmobile.co.uk/inbox/overview

I'll speak to you there.

 

Thanks.

Michael Z


WelshPaul
Platinum 
Contributor
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  • Platinum 
Contributor
  • April 15, 2026

Sometimes a hard reboot of the device is required and that is enough to get the eSIM up and running.


Graham Carter
Helpful Contributor
  • Helpful Contributor
  • April 16, 2026

So did you get the issue fixed? Im having the same issue


Gemma M
iD Mobile Employee
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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • April 18, 2026

Hi ​@Graham Carter,

 

Sorry to hear you’re running into the same issue with your eSIM, I know how frustrating that can be, especially when you just want to get up and running. Let’s go through a few things that usually help with eSIM activation on iPhone.

 

eSIM troubleshooting steps (iPhone):

  • Make sure you’re connected to a strong WiFi network (eSIM activation won’t work properly without it)
  • Go to Settings > Mobile Data > Add eSIM and try scanning the QR code again
  • If you’ve already tried, delete the eSIM (if partially added) and re-scan the QR code
  • Restart your iPhone and try the activation again
  • Check your iPhone is fully up to date (Settings > General > Software Update)
  • Make sure Date & Time is set to automatic (Settings > General > Date & Time)
     

Reset your network settings:
This can fix configuration issues that block activation:

  • Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone
  • Tap Reset
  • Select Reset Network Settings
  • Enter your passcode and confirm

This will remove saved WiFi networks and passwords, so you’ll need to reconnect to WiFi afterwards.

 

If you’ve tried everything above and it’s still not working, it may be that a new eSIM needs to be issued. As we can’t access accounts here, the best next step is to contact Live Chat: https://www.idmobile.co.uk/live-chat.

 

They’ll be able to sort that for you

 

Regards,

 

Gemma M

The iD Mobile Social Media Team

 

 


Graham Carter
Helpful Contributor
  • Helpful Contributor
  • April 20, 2026

@Gemma M see my new thread 

 


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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • April 20, 2026

Hi ​@Graham Carter ,

 

I've just sent you a private message to help get this sorted.

To find it, click your profile picture in the top-right corner and select ‘Private Messages’.

You can also use this direct link to your inbox: https://community.idmobile.co.uk/inbox/overview

I'll speak to you there.

 

Thanks.

Michael Z


  • New Contributor
  • July 6, 2026

Has this been sorted? Having exactly the same issue here with very poor assistance. 


Gemma M
iD Mobile Employee
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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • July 7, 2026

Hi ​@alanpop,

 

I am so sorry to hear that you are facing the same issue. 

 

Please could you confirm if you have tried the above mentioned troubleshooting steps?

 

Regards,

 

Gemma M

The iD Mobile Social Media Team


  • New Contributor
  • July 7, 2026

Hi. Yes, all steps taken multiple times as advised to your colleague over the phone (when I reached out). 


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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • July 8, 2026

Hi ​@alanpop.

 

Thank you for your response.

 

I’m sorry to hear that you’ve already completed the advised troubleshooting steps multiple times.

 

To allow us to look into this further and escalate the issue to our Technical Team, please contact us directly via live chat here: https://www.idmobile.co.uk/live-chat.

 

Our team will be able to review the issue in more detail and arrange the appropriate escalation if required.

 

Thank you for your patience, and we look forward to assisting you further.

 

Thanks,

Marquerita

The iD Mobile Team

 


  • New Contributor
  • July 8, 2026

Hi

 

This was done multiple times over the last few days. I have just spoken to one of your colleagues who, to my surprise, advised your technical team has closed the ticket without even contacting me as they saw “nothing wrong their side”. 

Very very poor from ID. I am cancelling my contract and my whole family’s. 


Owethu M
iD Mobile Employee
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  • iD Mobile Employee
  • July 9, 2026

Hi ​@alanpop

 

Thank you for getting back to us.

 

We're very sorry to hear about your experience, and we sincerely apologise that this has left you feeling this way. This is not the level of customer service we aim to provide.

 

We understand how frustrating it must be to learn that the technical ticket has been closed without the resolution you were expecting.

 

To allow us to review the outcome of the investigation and provide you with feedback on the ticket, please contact us via Live Chat or send us a direct message through one of our social media platforms. A member of the team will be able to access the ticket details, review the findings, and advise you on the next steps.

 

We apologise again for the inconvenience caused and appreciate you bringing this to our attention.

 

Owethu