Nomad eSIM Not Working? Fix It by Symptom on iPhone & Android (2026)

I work on the support side of eSIM travel. My team and I have handled thousands of support tickets from travelers in the same spot you are in right now. And here is the thing I want you to hear first, before anything else. In almost every case, your eSIM is not broken. Most of the time the fix is one small setting, one toggle that got left off, or just a bit of patience while your phone finds the local network. I have seen people panic and delete their eSIM, and that is the one move that can actually turn a small problem into a real one. So take a breath. We will sort this out.

TL;DR — the 3 most common causes and the quick fix for each

• Stuck on "Activating…"? Your eSIM has not reached a supported local network yet. This is normal if you have not landed at your destination. Wait until you arrive, keep the eSIM line on, and give it a few minutes.
• "No Service" or connected but no internet? Data Roaming is most likely off. Turn it on for your Nomad line, set that line as your data line, then restart your phone.
• Everything looks right but still nothing? Toggle Airplane Mode on for 15 seconds and off again. This one small step forces your phone to search for the network fresh, and it clears a surprising number of problems.

One warning worth putting up front, because it matters more than any fix below. Do not delete your Nomad eSIM. A physical SIM is a card you can pop out and try in another phone. An eSIM is not like that. The QR code you used works one time only. Once you delete the eSIM, you cannot scan that code again, and you may lose the plan for good. Whatever you try in this guide, leave the eSIM installed on your phone.

Start Here — Find Your Symptom

You do not need to read every fix below. Look at the list, find the one that matches what your phone is doing right now, and jump straight to that section. Each symptom has its own steps for both iPhone and Android further down the page.

Here is what your phone is probably showing you, and where to go for each one:

• My eSIM is stuck on "Activating…" or "Installing…" → Go to Symptom 1. This is the most common one, and it is usually not a fault at all.
• My phone says "No Service" or shows no signal → Go to Symptom 2. Most of the time this is a roaming toggle or the wrong network.
• I have a signal but no internet, and nothing loads → Go to Symptom 3. Your data line or APN setting is the usual cause here.
• The QR code will not scan, or the install keeps failing → Go to Symptom 4. There is a manual way in that skips the QR code.
• My data is slow, or it keeps dropping out → Go to Symptom 5. This one helps you tell a weak local network apart from a real eSIM fault.
• My plan shows as active but the data does not move, or I think I ran out → Go to Symptom 6. You can check your real balance inside the Nomad app.
• I cannot make calls or send texts → Read this note now. Most travel eSIMs, Nomad included, are data only. Calls and texts over the normal phone number are not part of the plan. This is not a bug. You can still use apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, or FaceTime over the data connection. I cover this again in the FAQ.

If more than one of these fits your situation, start with the one highest on the list. The steps build on each other, so working top to bottom saves you time.

Before You Troubleshoot — 3 Things to Confirm First

Is your device eSIM-compatible?

Most phones from the last few years support eSIM, but not all of them do, and some region-specific models leave it out. It is worth a ten-second check.

On an iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then About, and scroll down. If you see an "Available SIM" or a digital eSIM entry with an IMEI listed, your phone supports it. In general, iPhone XS and newer models handle eSIM.

On Android, open Settings and search for "SIM" or "SIM Manager." If you see an option to add an eSIM or add a mobile plan, you are good. Common phones that support it include recent Google Pixel, Samsung Galaxy S and Note models, and many others. If you are not sure, look up your exact model plus the word "eSIM."

Is your phone carrier-unlocked?

This one trips people up more than any other, and it is easy to miss. A carrier-locked phone is tied to the company you bought it from. It will refuse an eSIM from anyone else. If you try to add your Nomad eSIM and see a message that the cellular plan cannot be added, a lock is often the reason.

On an iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then About, and look for "Carrier Lock." You want it to say "No SIM restrictions." If it says anything else, your phone is locked.

On a Samsung, go to Settings, then About phone, then Status information, and check the network lock line. On other Android phones, look under Settings, then About phone, then SIM status.

If your phone is locked, only your original carrier can unlock it. Call them and ask. There is no setting on your end that gets around a lock, so this is worth confirming before you spend time on anything else.

Does your Nomad plan actually cover your current country?

Nomad eSIMs are tied to a region. A plan will only activate inside the area it was built for. A Japan plan needs you to be in Japan. A Europe plan will not switch on in Canada, but it will work once you land anywhere inside its Europe list.

The spot where people get caught is the regional plans. A "North America" plan, for example, may cover the United States and Canada but leave out Mexico, or cover it in a way you did not expect. So do not assume. Open the Nomad app, find your plan, and read the exact list of countries it covers. Then confirm the country you are standing in is on that list. If it is not, that explains the trouble, and no fix below will change it. You would need a plan that covers where you are.

Symptom 1 — eSIM Stuck on "Activating…"

This is the one I see most, and here is the good news. Most of the time it is not a fault at all. It is your phone working exactly the way it should.

Here is the part that causes more panic than any real glitch. When you scan the QR code, you are installing the eSIM. That just means the profile is now on your phone. Activation is a separate thing that happens later, when your phone connects to a supported network at your destination. So if you installed the eSIM at home and it says "Activating…" or "Not activated," that is normal. It has not reached the local network yet because you have not arrived, or you just arrived and it is still searching.

The two usual reasons it stalls:

• You are not at your destination yet, or you are in a spot with weak coverage. Airports are a common trap. Signal inside a terminal can be thin, and that alone can hold up activation for a while even after you land.
• The Wi-Fi during install was shaky, or a setting needs a nudge now that you are on the ground.

iPhone steps:

Make sure the eSIM line is turned on under Settings, then Cellular. Turn on Data Roaming for the Nomad line under Settings, then Cellular, then tap the Nomad line, then switch Data Roaming on. Now restart your phone fully. Power off, wait 30 seconds, power back on. Give it two to three minutes after it boots before you judge anything. Activation often finishes on its own in that window.

Android steps:

Turn the eSIM on under Settings, then SIM Manager. Turn on Data Roaming under Settings, then Connections, then Mobile Networks. Restart the phone the same way, and give it a few minutes to settle.

When to wait, and when to rescan:

If you have not landed yet, do not rescan and do not fight with it. Just wait. Turning the eSIM line off until you arrive, then on again after you land, is a clean way to handle it. If you have landed, roaming is on, you are in a covered country, and it is still stuck after a full restart and several minutes, then check the Nomad app's Manage page and refresh it. The app status can lag behind real life, so a refresh sometimes shows it is already active. If you tap the button to activate and get an actual error message, that points to a technical issue rather than a normal delay. Take a screenshot of that error and send it to Nomad support. Do not rescan the QR code hoping it helps, and do not delete the eSIM. The code is one-time use, so rescanning does nothing good and deleting can cost you the plan.

Symptom 2 — "No Service" or No Signal

Your eSIM is installed and you are at your destination, but the phone shows "No Service" and the signal bars are empty. This usually comes down to one of three things, and all three are quick to check.

First, turn on Data Roaming. This is the fix nine times out of ten.

I know roaming sounds scary. We have all been trained to fear roaming charges from back home. But a Nomad eSIM is prepaid, so there are no surprise fees waiting for you. Roaming simply must be on for the Nomad line, or the phone will not connect to the local network at all. This is not optional. It is how travel eSIMs are meant to work.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Cellular, tap the Nomad line, and switch Data Roaming on.

On Android, go to Settings, then Connections, then Mobile Networks, and turn Data Roaming on. On some Samsung phones the toggle sits inside SIM Manager, so check there too if you do not see it.

Changed the toggle? Restart the phone now. Settings like this often do not take hold until the phone re-registers with the network from scratch.

Second, pick the network by hand instead of letting the phone choose.

Sometimes automatic selection locks onto a carrier that Nomad does not partner with in that country. The phone keeps trying a network that will never let it in. You can force it to the right one.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Cellular, tap the Nomad line, then Network Selection, and turn Automatic off. Wait for the list to fill in, then pick a network. Check the Nomad app first to see which networks your plan supports, and choose one of those. If the first one fails, try the next.

On Android, go to Settings, then Connections, then Mobile Networks, then Network Operators. Turn off the automatic option and choose a carrier from the scan. Once you connect, you can switch back to automatic.

Third, the airplane mode reset.

This is the fastest one and I save it as a catch-all. Turn Airplane Mode on, wait about 15 seconds, then turn it off. This forces your phone to search for the local network fresh, without a full reboot. It clears a lot of "No Service" cases on its own, so it is worth trying even before the steps above if you are in a hurry. If you also have a physical SIM in the phone, it can help to turn that one off for now so the two do not fight over the connection.

Symptom 3 — Connected but No Internet / No Data

You have signal bars. The phone looks connected. But nothing loads. No maps, no messages, no web pages. When the signal is there but the data is dead, the cause is almost always in your data settings, not the network itself.

First, make the Nomad eSIM your data line.

Your phone can hold more than one SIM, but only one of them carries data at a time. If your home SIM is still set as the data line, the phone keeps trying to use it abroad, where it will fail. You have to point the phone at the Nomad line.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then Cellular, then Cellular Data, and select the Nomad line. While you are there, if you have two SIMs active, find "Cellular Data Switching" and turn it off, so the phone does not quietly fall back to your home SIM.

On Android, go to Settings, then Connections, then SIM Manager, and set the Nomad eSIM as the line for mobile data.

Confirm Data Roaming is still on for that line, the same as in Symptom 2. Both need to be right at once. The data line points the phone at the eSIM, and roaming lets that eSIM talk to the local network. One without the other will not work.

Second, check your APN. This is the part most guides skip.

Plenty of articles tell you to "check your APN" and then move on, which is not much help if you do not know what an APN is or where to find the right one. So here is the real version.

APN stands for Access Point Name. Think of it as the address your phone dials to reach the internet through the carrier. Usually your phone fills this in on its own after activation. But on some phones and some plans, it does not, and then you have signal with no data. You have to set it by hand.

Here is the catch that trips people up. Nomad does not run its own network. It sources eSIMs from several underlying providers, and the correct APN depends on which provider yours came from. There is no single Nomad APN that works for everyone. You need the exact one for your plan. Find it in your Nomad installation email or on the Manage page of the Nomad app, where the provider and its APN are listed. Do not guess and do not copy an APN from a random forum, because the wrong value will keep you offline.

On iPhone, once you have the right APN, go to Settings, then Cellular, tap the Nomad line, then Cellular Data Network, and enter the APN value in the field. Leave username and password blank unless your provider says otherwise.

On Android, go to Settings, then Connections, then Mobile Networks, then Access Point Names. Add a new APN, type in the value exactly as given, save it, then select it.

Restart the phone after you set the APN. If data still will not move after all this, and you have confirmed the data line, roaming, and APN are all correct, that is the point to contact Nomad support with a screenshot of your settings. At that stage it may be a technical issue on their side rather than anything you can fix from the phone.

Symptom 4 — QR Code Won't Scan / Install Fails

You point your camera at the QR code and nothing happens. The phone does not offer to add the eSIM, or it throws an error saying the code is invalid or the plan cannot be added. Let us work through why.

Scan from Settings, not the regular camera app.

A lot of people open the camera app and aim it at the code, the way you would for a website link. That does not always trigger the eSIM prompt. The reliable path is to start from inside your phone's settings, where the phone knows you are trying to add a mobile plan. On iPhone, go to Settings, then Cellular, then Add eSIM (or Add Cellular Plan), then choose to scan the QR code from there. On Android, go to Settings, then SIM Manager (or Connections, then SIM Manager), then Add eSIM, and scan from that screen. One more thing that catches people. You cannot scan a QR code that is showing on the same phone you are trying to install it on. The code has to be on a different screen, another phone, a computer, or a printout. If the code is on the screen you are scanning with, of course it will not work.

No second screen? Enter the details by hand.

You do not actually need the QR code at all. The code just holds two pieces of text, and you can type those in yourself. This manual route often works when scanning fails. Look in your Nomad installation email or the Manage page in the app for the SM-DP+ Address and the Activation Code. On the same Add eSIM screen above, choose the option to enter details manually, then type both in exactly as shown. On iPhone this appears as "Enter Details Manually." On Android it is usually a link or button below the scanner. Copy them character for character, since a single wrong digit will fail.

Why the QR code only works once.

Here is the mechanism behind a lot of these errors. Each Nomad QR code is one-time use, and an eSIM installs on one device only. Once you have successfully added the eSIM to a phone, that code is spent. So if you see "invalid QR code" or "eSIM already installed," it often means the code already did its job and the eSIM is sitting on your phone right now. Check your SIM list before you assume it failed. And this is exactly why deleting the eSIM is such a costly mistake. If you delete it and then try to rescan, the code is already used up and will not install again. If you have genuinely lost the eSIM or the code truly will not take, do not buy a new plan on the spot. Contact Nomad support first. They can often issue a fresh activation code for the plan you already paid for.

Symptom 5 — Slow Speeds or Frequent Drops

Your eSIM works, but it crawls. Or it connects fine and then drops every few minutes, so you keep losing your maps or your call. This one is a little different from the others, because sometimes the fix is on your phone and sometimes the problem is simply the local network, and you cannot fix that from a settings menu. So part of this section is about telling those two apart.

First, reset your network settings.

This clears out old, tangled network data and lets the phone start fresh. It is a bit heavier than a restart, so I put it here rather than at the top. One heads-up before you do it. A network reset also wipes your saved Wi-Fi passwords, so you will have to type those in again later. That is the only real cost, and it is usually worth it for a stubborn connection.

On iPhone, go to Settings, then General, then Transfer or Reset iPhone, then Reset, then Reset Network Settings.

On Android, go to Settings, then General Management (or System), then Reset, then Reset Network Settings or Reset Mobile Network Settings.

The phone restarts on its own after this. Give it a few minutes to reconnect before you test.

Second, switch the underlying network by hand.

If speeds are poor on one carrier, another may be stronger where you are standing. This is the same manual network selection from Symptom 2. Turn off automatic selection, look at which networks your plan supports in the Nomad app, and try a different one from the list. Signal strength can change street by street, so the carrier that struggles in your hotel basement might be fine a block away.

One more trick that helps with drops. If your phone runs on 5G and keeps losing the connection, try forcing it to 4G or LTE. On iPhone, go to the Nomad line, then Voice & Data, and pick LTE. On Android, look under Mobile Networks for the network mode and choose 4G/LTE. Nomad itself suggests this, because some partner networks handle roaming phones far more smoothly on LTE, and 4G is still plenty fast for maps, messaging, and most streaming.

How to tell a weak network apart from a broken eSIM.

This is the honest part. Not every slow connection is your eSIM's fault, and it helps to know when to stop troubleshooting. A few signs that the network is the problem and not your setup: your speed is fine in the city center but poor out in a rural area or a thick-walled building; local people on regular carriers around you are also complaining about slow data; or the speed picks up on its own when you move to a different part of town. Coverage genuinely varies by place, and no phone setting overcomes a weak tower.

On the other side, signs that point back at your eSIM or settings: nothing works at all no matter where you go, or it drops the second you leave Wi-Fi every single time. Those are worth taking to Nomad support with a screenshot. If you have run the resets above and tried more than one supported network and it is still bad everywhere you go, that is your cue to reach out rather than keep fiddling.

Symptom 6 — Plan Active but Data Not Moving / Ran Out

Your plan shows as active, but the data will not move, or you suspect you have simply used it all up. Before you touch any settings, the smart move here is to look at the real numbers, because this symptom often is not a fault at all. Sometimes the plan really is empty, and no amount of toggling brings data back that you already spent.

Check your plan status and remaining data in the Nomad app.

Open the Nomad app and go to the My eSIM tab. There you can see two things that matter: how much data you have left, and how long before the plan expires. If your status reads "In Use," the eSIM is active and running. Look at the data balance. If it is at or near zero, that is your answer. The connection is not broken. The plan is just out of data.

Ran out of data, or the plan expired? They are not the same thing.

These two feel identical from the outside, since both leave you with no internet, but they have different causes and different fixes, so it is worth telling them apart.

Running out of data means you used up every gigabyte in the plan before the time was up. The plan is still valid on the calendar, you just spent the allowance.

Expiring means the clock ran out. Here is a detail people miss. Once a Nomad plan is activated, the expiry countdown runs on its own. You cannot pause it. Even if you turn the eSIM off in your phone settings, the days keep ticking down. That is why Nomad suggests you do not activate a plan until you are actually ready to use it. So you can have data left over and still lose access simply because the days ran out.

To tell which one hit you, look at both numbers in the app side by side. Data at zero with days still remaining means you ran out of data. Days at zero means the plan expired, whether or not you used the data.

Getting back online with "Add More Data."

The fix for either case is the same in spirit. You top up. Inside the Nomad app, look for the option to add more data or buy an add-on for your existing plan. This is cleaner than starting from scratch, because you keep the same eSIM already installed on your phone. You do not need to scan a new QR code or install anything new. The add-on attaches to what you already have. If the plan has fully expired rather than just run dry, you may need a fresh plan instead, but check the add-on route first, since it is faster and you avoid installing a whole new eSIM.

Why the Fix Depends on Your Underlying Carrier

Here is something most guides never mention, and it explains why two people with the same "Nomad eSIM" can run into completely different problems. Nomad does not own a network of its own. It buys eSIM service from several underlying providers and packages it for you. Which provider sits behind your plan depends on the country or region you bought it for. And those providers do not all behave the same way. Their activation rules differ, and so do the symptoms when something goes off.

This is worth understanding, because a fix that is right for one provider can be the wrong move for another. Let me give you two real examples that show how much this matters.

Truphone plans have a 30-day activation window. If your plan runs on Truphone, you have to activate it within 30 days. On the 30th day, the plan activates automatically whether you have installed the eSIM or not, and once that happens the expiry clock starts running on its own. So if you bought a Truphone-backed plan well ahead of your trip and left it sitting, it can switch itself on before you even land, quietly burning days. If you need more time before your trip, the move is to contact Nomad support and ask them to hold or invalidate the unused plan before that 30-day mark hits. Waiting it out is exactly the wrong thing to do here.

Global1SIM plans, used for the US and Canada, activate on first use, and the status can lag. If your plan runs on Global1SIM, the behavior is different. After you turn the line on, it may take a few minutes for the status to update, longer than you might expect. People see the delay and assume it failed, then start rescanning or deleting, which is the real mistake. With this provider the right response is to turn the line on, wait, and refresh the Manage page in the app to see the status catch up. Patience is the fix, not more tapping.

You can see how the same "my plan is not activating" feeling leads to two opposite correct answers depending on what is underneath. That is the whole point. Before you troubleshoot deeply, it helps to know which provider backs your plan. You can find the underlying network listed on the plan details in the Nomad web store or app, both before you buy and after. Checking it tells you which rules apply to you, and it can turn a confusing problem into an obvious one. When you contact support, mentioning your provider also gets you to the right answer faster.

Platform-Specific Cheat Sheet: iPhone vs Android

The steps above are spread across each symptom, which is fine when you are chasing one problem. But sometimes you just want to run down every setting at once and confirm it is all correct. So here is the whole set of paths in one place, iPhone on the left, Android on the right. The exact wording can shift a little between phone models, especially on Android, but these are close enough to find your way.

Turn the eSIM line on

iPhone: Settings → Cellular → tap the Nomad line → toggle on

Android: Settings → SIM Manager → toggle the Nomad eSIM on

Turn on Data Roaming

iPhone: Settings → Cellular → tap the Nomad line → Data Roaming → on

Android: Settings → Connections → Mobile Networks → Data Roaming → on (some Samsung phones keep it inside SIM Manager)

Set the Nomad eSIM as your data line

iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data → select the Nomad line

Android: Settings → Connections → SIM Manager → set Nomad as the mobile data line

Stop the phone falling back to your home SIM

iPhone: Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data Switching → off

Android: usually handled by setting the data line above; no separate switch on most models

Select the network by hand

iPhone: Settings → Cellular → tap the Nomad line → Network Selection → turn Automatic off → pick a supported network

Android: Settings → Connections → Mobile Networks → Network Operators → turn off auto → pick a carrier

Set or check your APN (get the exact value from your Nomad email or the app Manage page)

iPhone: Settings → Cellular → tap the Nomad line → Cellular Data Network → enter the APN

Android: Settings → Connections → Mobile Networks → Access Point Names → add and select the APN

Force 4G / LTE if 5G keeps dropping

iPhone: the Nomad line → Voice & Data → LTE

Android: Mobile Networks → network mode → 4G/LTE

The airplane mode reset

Both: turn Airplane Mode on → wait 15 seconds → turn it off

Check compatibility and carrier lock

iPhone: Settings → General → About → look for eSIM/IMEI and "Carrier Lock" (want "No SIM restrictions")

Android: Settings → About phone → Status information → check network lock

Reset network settings (this wipes saved Wi-Fi passwords)

iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Network Settings

Android: Settings → General Management → Reset → Reset Network Settings

If Nomad Still Isn't Right for You — Honest Alternatives

Let me be straight with you. Sometimes you do everything on this page and it still is not working, or the network where you are is just weak no matter which carrier you pick. That is not always your fault, and it is not always something you can fix from a settings screen. Coverage really does come down to which underlying networks a provider uses in your country, and if those networks are thin where you are standing, a better plan means a better set of networks behind it.

If you reach that point, one option worth a look is esimNB. What matters most for staying connected is the network sitting underneath the plan, and esimNB runs on major, well-established carriers rather than smaller or patchy ones. That gives you a better shot at real signal coverage in the place you are actually traveling to, which is the whole point of buying a travel eSIM in the first place. It will not magically fix a phone that is carrier-locked or a plan that covers the wrong country, since those are separate issues covered earlier. But if your trouble comes down to weak coverage from the network behind your current eSIM, moving to one built on stronger carriers is a sensible next step.

I am not going to tell you it is the answer for everyone. If your Nomad plan is working fine, there is no reason to switch. This is only for the case where you have run out of road on the fixes above and coverage itself is the sticking point.

Read more:

• Airalo eSIM Not Working After Landing? How to Fix It Fast
• Nomad eSIM Review 2026: Still Worth It When the Discounts Are Gone?