iOS 16 lets you move eSIM between iPhones via Bluetooth, but will it work in Malaysia?

The latest iOS 16 is now available through developer beta and it brings a couple of new features including a customisable lockscreen. There are additional features that weren’t showcased during the WWDC22 keynote event and there’s one that will make it easier to move an eSIM between iPhone devices.

As highlighted in a tweet by Carson, the eSIM’s set up cellular screen which typically goes into a QR scanner will now have a new “Transfer from another iPhone” option in iOS 16. The feature uses Bluetooth and all you’ll need is to have the originating iPhone unlocked, have Bluetooth turned on, and it’s running on iOS 16.

In case you didn’t know, eSIM is essentially a virtual SIM that replaces a physical SIM card. This makes it easier to start using a new mobile plan after scanning a QR code. Unless you bought your iPhone from China, most new iPhone models sold in the global market only come with a single physical SIM slot but it can support dual-SIM connectivity by using an eSIM for the second line.

Unlike a physical SIM card which allows you to transfer your number and plan freely to other phones, eSIMs are digitally locked to a designated device. Although there are already ways to transfer an eSIM during a new iPhone setup, it doesn’t seem to be supported in Malaysia. Even the iOS feature to convert your physical SIM to an eSIM on the same phone is also not available here.

According to the eSIM pages of Maxis, Celcom, Digi and U Mobile, their eSIM is locked to a single device and is non-transferable for security reasons. If you wish to move the eSIM to another phone, you’ll have to request a SIM replacement and they will generate a new QR code. Depending on the telco, you may be required to visit a service centre and pay a SIM replacement fee.

Based on the current situation, there’s a high chance that the eSIM transfer via Bluetooth for iOS 16 will not be enabled in Malaysia unless it is permitted by the telcos. If you tend to change smartphones regularly, it is probably better to stick to physical SIMs until eSIM migration can be done seamlessly without extra charges.

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