The iPhone 17 lineup is doing something that Canadians have never seen before with an iPhone - they are eSIM only.
While eSIM has been an option for Canadians to use for a few generations now, this is the first time that the physical SIM card tray is completely absent from this model.
If this is your first time dealing with an eSIM, don't worry. Most countries around the world have been doing this with their smartphones for years and it's quite simple.
How to check if your Canadian carrier supports eSIM
Getting your eSIM up and running can go one of two ways depending on your carrier. For many Canadian carriers you can do the "eSIM Quick Transfer" method which allows you to transfer your phone number and physical SIM from your old iPhone to your new one as an eSIM.
The "big three" in Canada, Rogers, Bell, and Telus all are listed as supporting eSIM Quick Transfer, which is the easiest way to get your new iPhone up and running.
For a few carriers, you'll have to contact your carrier to obtain a QR code or use their app.
For the detailed list of carriers and exceptions, you can see this article on the Apple website.
How to set up eSIM on your Canadian iPhone
While setting up your new iPhone with an eSIM has been an option for Canadians for awhile, maybe you've only ever used a physical SIM card.
Here's a simple video showing how I was able to use the eSIM Quick Transfer method to convert my physical SIM from my iPhone 16 Pro into an eSIM for my iPhone Air.
You'll actually be prompted to activate an eSIM during the initial setup of your new phone, so you likely will only need these instructions if you skipped that step.
For those who did skip that step in the initial setup and prefer step-by-step instructions, I'll share those below.
Note these instructions are relevant for the eSIM quick transfer method and are based on you having a compatible carrier (listed here) that supports both eSIM and quick transfer.
- Bring your old phone (with a physical SIM) near your new phone.
- On your new phone open up settings–ceullular–setup cellular/add eSIM
- Follow the instructions, tapping on transfer, to confirm.
- On your old phone, when prompted, confirm you want to transfer your SIM to an eSIM on your new phone.
- Allow a few minutes (mine took less than three) for your new phone to activate.
What happens next varies a little bit. In my case, I got a confirmation message and was all set. With some other carriers, you may get a confirmation method and then you'll be directed to your carrier's website to sign in and confirm the transfer of your eSIM.
Are there other ways to get an eSIM running on iPhone 17 or iPhone Air models?
Things vary a bit by carrier in terms of how easy this will be, but overall it should be very easy. And fortunately, Apple's support pages cover all the main scenarios you'll encounter. To save you some browsing you can use this link to explore these topics:
- Transfer your phone number from your previous iPhone using eSIM Quick Transfer (the method I outlined above)
- Activate an eSIM assigned to your phone by your carrier using eSIM Carrier Activation
- Use a QR code provided by your carrier
- Transferring with Android or other non-Apple device
- Alternative eSIM activation methods
eSIM for iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and iPhone Air
Hopefully you're all set with your new iPhone and your eSIM. Depending on the method you used to set up your eSIM your physical SIM card may no longer be useful to you (with the QuickTransfer I outlined in my video my physical SIM was deactivated once my eSIM was activated on my new phone).
By switching to eSIM Apple was able to make the battery slightly larger in the new iPhone models (since it doesn't need to save the space for a physical SIM tray. And shockingly that small amount of space gains 2 hours of extra battery life for some models.
You can set up a total of 8 eSIMs on your new iPhone (a work SIM, a personal SIM, and multiple SIMs for multiple countries if you do a lot of travelling).
eSIM overall is nothing to be nervous about when it comes time to upgrade to a future iPhone and definitely has some conveniences when it comes to travel and switching devices.
Read more
Every New Product Apple Announced (And How It Impacts Canadians)
The iPhone 17 models, including the new Air have been revealed alongside several new Apple accessories.
Geeking Out: Best budget smartphones of 2025 (so far)
The TV edition of Geeking Out this week featured a collection of Apple and Android phones and accessories with great features and lower price tags.
iPhone 16e Review: I might not switch back to Pro!
Apple's newest smartphone of 2025 is the iPhone 16e. It's small in stature, but big in features. So much so, that there are few compromises against the flagship iPhone experience.
Use these tricks for easier typing on iPhone Pro Max models
The iPhone 16 Pro Max has this gorgeous, super large screen. It's amazing for gaming, great for scrolling social, but one handed typing can be awkward. Use these tricks to make typing on any Pro Max model of iPhone a little easier.