The iPhone 14's eSIM requirement is irritating some international travelers

September 8, 2022

Apple's iPhone 14 lineup does away with the traditional SIM card, and not everyone is happy about it.

The company is phasing out the SIM card slots in all US iPhones in favor of the eSIM, a chip built into the phone that the carrier can program and register your cellular number with the phone.

That means owners "will no longer have to deal with a physical SIM card," said Kayan Drance, vice president of iPhone marketing, at Wednesday's event. The company plans to make the change by only requiring customers to go through "a few simple steps" to port their number to new iPhone models.

"You can even do it without a Wi-Fi connection," Drance said. "eSIM offers an easier way to activate and use iPhone."

eSIM support has been added to earlier iPhone models since 2018. However, the decision to rely solely on eSIMs is not acceptable among international travelers who use physical SIM cards to switch carriers when visiting countries outside the US. Opponents argue that this poses a threat to non-tech vacationers unfamiliar with eSIM technology.