When you install a travel eSIM, it usually chooses a local mobile network automatically. That’s generally the way we’d leave it.

The problem is that Automatic doesn’t always choose the best network available to you. We’ve seen this personally many times over while testing eSIMs. A plan can have access to several local networks, but automatically connect to one that’s far slower than another and you’d never know it unless you went looking. In those situations, taking 2 minutes to manually switch networks can make a huge difference to your overall experience.

Here’s how to do it and how to work out whether it’s even worth doing.

Can you switch networks on an eSIM?

Usually, yes. It just depends on the eSIM and which networks are available to it. When you manually search for networks, your phone might show a number of local mobile operators, but your eSIM might not be able to connect to all of them. For example, imagine your phone finds:

• Network A
• Network B
• Network C
• Network D

Your eSIM may only be allowed to connect to networks A and C. If you manually choose B or D, the connection can fail completely, leaving you with “No Service” or “SOS only” even if that network shows a strong signal.

That’s the key distinction: a network can appear in your phone’s list without actually being supported by your eSIM plan.

Does an eSIM automatically switch networks when signal is low?

Sometimes it will, but you can’t be sure that a multi network eSIM will instantly switch to whichever supported network has the strongest signal. With automatic network selection turned on, your phone can move to another supported network if the current one becomes unavailable, but the choice isn’t based on signal strength alone.

You can end up in a situation where your phone can stay connected to a network that still technically works even if another supported network has better signal or much faster speeds. That’s why at TEE we think it’s important to know how to select manual networks and why to do it.

How to check which networks your eSIM supports

Before manually testing different operators, it’s worth checking which ones your eSIM is actually supposed to use. Start with these:

1. The plan page. Many providers show the supported local networks in the plan details before purchase, we really appreciate the ones that do.
2. Your installation email or provider app. Network information is often shown alongside APN settings, activation details and setup instructions.
3. The provider’s coverage or network section, if its app includes one.
4. Our eSIM network database, where we record the local networks we’ve successfully connected to during our own testing.

Even if the provider tells you which networks it connects to, it’s not always accurate so we’d still recommend you can test the networks manually. Choose one and give it a short time to lock on to a network. If your phone connects and signal bars appear, that network is supported. If it still shows no service after a minute or two, move on to another option rather than continuing to wait.

When should you manually switch eSIM networks?

We’d normally leave Automatic Network Selection turned on unless there’s a reason to change it. Manual network selection is worth trying when:

• Your eSIM has signal but the internet feels unusually slow
• Apps aren’t loading despite showing 4G or 5G
• Your signal is weak
• Your eSIM won’t connect automatically
• Your connection repeatedly drops
• Your plan supports several local networks and you want to find the best performer
• You know another supported network performs better in your location

Airalo specifically recommends testing different supported networks when an eSIM is slow and the plan offers access to multiple networks. You can always switch back to Automatic afterwards.

If you’re troubleshooting an eSIM specifically, we have a number of guides to help out, including…

• Saily not working
• Holafly not working
• BNESIM not working

These guides cover roaming, APN, plan status and other connection fixes.

How to switch eSIM networks on iPhone

On an iPhone:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Cellular, Mobile Data or Mobile Service, depending on your region and iOS version
3. Select your travel eSIM
4. Tap Network Selection
5. Turn Automatic off
6. Wait for your iPhone to search for available mobile networks – this can take quite a few minutes
7. Tap the supported network you want to try
8. Give the phone a minute or two to connect

If several supported networks appear, you can test them one at a time.

We’d give each one a couple of minutes – enough time to properly register before deciding it doesn’t work. If necessary, turn Airplane Mode on and off after selecting the new network.

TEE TIP: If no networks show after a couple of minutes, completely exit the settings app to close everything and then head straight back to the same network selection settings. It might appear this time.

How to switch eSIM networks on Android

Most Android phones allow manual network selection, but the menu names and exact options vary between manufacturers, Android versions and mobile plans.

Samsung

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Connections
3. Tap Mobile networks
4. Open Network operators if shown
5. Turn automatic network selection off
6. Wait while your Samsung searches for available networks
7. Select one of the networks supported by your eSIM

Samsung officially documents manual network selection on Galaxy devices, although menu names can vary slightly between models and software versions.

Google Pixel:

1. Open Settings
2. Tap Network & internet
3. Tap SIMs
4. Select your travel eSIM
5. Find Network
6. Turn automatic network selection off if required
7. Choose a supported local network

Google confirms that Pixel phones allow you to pick a network operator from the available networks. The exact options can vary by phone, Android version and mobile plan.

Other Android phones:

On Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola, Nothing and most other Android phones, the setting is usually in the same general place but may have a different name.

Open Settings, then look for SIM cards & mobile networks, Mobile network or Connections. Select your travel eSIM, then find Network operators, Automatically select network or Choose network. If you have 2 SIMs active, make sure the travel eSIM is selected first, as network selection settings are applied separately to each SIM.

What to do if the network list shows numbers

Some phones show operator codes instead of network names when you run a manual scan. So instead of seeing “CelcomDigi”, you might see a number such as 50219.

The first three digits identify the country, while the remaining digits identify the mobile operator. For example, 502 is Malaysia, 234 is the UK and 310 is the US.

If your phone only shows numbers, try switching Airplane Mode on and off, then scan again. That can sometimes restore the network names. If it doesn’t, check the codes against our eSIM network database so you know which operator each number belongs to before selecting one.

Which eSIM network should you choose?

If your eSIM supports multiple networks, we’d use this process:

1. Check which networks your plan actually supports.
2. Try all supported networks.
3. Test normal things you actually do such as Google Maps, websites, messaging and calls from WhatsApp or your app of choice.
4. Run a speed test if you want a more direct comparison.
5. Keep using whichever supported network performs best where you are.

Signal bars can be useful, but don’t choose purely based on them. A strong signal doesn’t automatically mean fast mobile data. Network congestion and the performance of the local operator can make one network considerably quicker than another even when both appear to have good signal. We’ve seen some pretty extreme examples of this in our own testing.

Note: Go easy on the speed tests, they get through data extremely quickly.

Does switching networks actually make an eSIM faster?

Yup, it definitely can. That doesn’t mean manually changing networks will always improve your connection, but we’ve tested countries where the local network made an enormous difference to eSIM performance.

Our experience manually switching networks in Malaysia

During our 2026 Malaysia testing, we tested 30 travel eSIMs and used the U Mobile, Celcom Digi and Maxis networks around Kuala Lumpur.

The difference between them was significant.

Network	Our experience
U Mobile	Fastest by far
Celcom Digi	Usable but inconsistent
Maxis	Generally slow and frustrating

A few eSIMs could connect to all three local networks but still automatically chose a slower one, which is where manual network selection can make a real difference.

After switching networks to U Mobile ourselves, Roamify reached 445 Mbps on U Mobile. You can see all of our results in Our Malaysia eSIM testing.

This is one of the biggest reasons we like multi network eSIMs. If one network isn’t performing well, you’re not necessarily stuck with it.

What’s the difference between a single network and multi network eSIM?

A single network eSIM only gives you access to one local mobile network in that destination. If that network has poor signal or slow speeds where you’re staying, there’s usually nothing useful to switch to.

A multi network eSIM can register on several networks. The ability to connect to a number of different networks doesn’t automatically guarantee better performance, but it gives you another option when one network isn’t working particularly well. That’s something we genuinely use when testing travel eSIMs.

When to switch back to automatic

Manual selection makes most sense when you’ve found a network that performs well and you’re staying in the same city or area.

If you’re moving between cities or traveling long distances, automatic selection is usually the best bet. When you select one specific network, it usually won’t switch to another supported network if coverage disappears. That can leave you with no service on road trips, long train journeys or when using a regional eSIM throughout multiple countries.

Our normal approach is: Automatic for everyday use. Manual when there’s a connection problem or a clearly better network available.

What if changing networks doesn’t fix your eSIM?

Manual network selection is only one troubleshooting step. If your eSIM still isn’t working, check:

• The eSIM is turned on
• The travel eSIM is selected for mobile data
• Data Roaming is turned on where required
• You still have data remaining
• Your plan has activated
• Your APN settings match the provider’s instructions
• Airplane Mode is off
• Your phone supports the required network bands

You can also turn Airplane Mode on for around 10 seconds and turn it back off to force the phone to reconnect.

For more general information check out our general eSIM troubleshooting guide if you’re using one of the providers we’ve covered separately, our provider-specific guides go into the settings and problems we’ve encountered with them:

• Saily not working
• Holafly not working
• Roamify not working
• BNESIM not working

If none of those steps work, contact the eSIM provider before deleting the eSIM. Some eSIM profiles can’t simply be reinstalled after deletion.

FAQs

Why does my eSIM keep changing networks?

If Automatic Network Selection is enabled and your eSIM supports several networks, your phone may move between them depending on availability and roaming configuration.

That’s normal.

Can I force an eSIM to use a particular carrier?

Yes, if that carrier is supported by the eSIM.

Turn Automatic Network Selection off and manually select the supported carrier. Your phone may remain connected to it until you choose another network, lose access to it or turn Automatic back on.

Why isn’t the network my eSIM provider lists appearing?

Possible reasons include poor coverage where you are, temporary network availability or your phone not completing the network scan correctly.

Try moving somewhere with better signal, toggling Airplane Mode or restarting the phone before searching again.