You bought a Roamify plan, installed it, landed at your destination and… nothing. No bars, no data, just a world of frustration. We’ve experienced it across various providers, particularly in Vietnam and Colombia.

Don’t panic. Most Roamify eSIM issues come down to a handful of settings that are easy to miss, and almost all of them are fixable in under five minutes.

This guide covers everything from installation problems before you leave home, to connection failures after landing, to the less obvious issues that trip up even experienced eSIM users. Work through it step by step and you’ll likely be online before you’ve cleared customs.

1. Setup and installation issues

Your eSIM won’t even install?

• Get on a stable Wi-Fi connection. You need internet to download the eSIM profile and mobile data from your current SIM won’t work. You need to use Wifi.
• Check how many eSIM profiles are already on your phone. Frustratingly, iOS devices have a hard limit on stored eSIM profiles and the error message isn’t always clear about why the install failed. Delete any old unused eSIM profiles first and try again. BUT remember that you won’t be able to top-up a deleted eSIM.
• Switch installation methods. Roamify lets you install via QR code or directly through their app. If one isn’t working, try the other. The in app install bypasses the QR scan entirely and feels much more reliable.
• Turn off your VPN. An active VPN can interfere with the eSIM provisioning process. Disable it before installing.
• Turn off airplane mode. This one sounds super obvious, but embarrassingly it’s caught us out before.

Device not compatible

Two things need to be true before Roamify will work on your phone:

1. Your phone must support eSIM. Most phones from 2018 onwards do. In iOS terms, iPhone XR and later, otherwise, Samsung Galaxy S20 and later, Google Pixel 3a and later. To check, search for “EID” in your phone’s settings. If an EID number appears, you’re good. If nothing comes up, your device doesn’t support eSIM. Or if you’re lazy, just check our eSIM compatibility checker.
2. Your phone must be carrier unlocked. A phone locked down to your home network will not work with an eSIM from another network. If your phone is locked, contact your carrier to unlock it, most will do it free if you’re off contract, though it can take a couple of days to process.

2. Functionality checklist

Make sure these settings are in place before assuming anything is broken.

Data roaming enabled

Every travel eSIM requires data roaming to be switched on. Without it, your phone won’t connect to local networks abroad. This is turned off by default on most phones to prevent unexpected charges, you need to enable it specifically for the Roamify eSIM line, NOT your home plan.

• iPhone: Settings > Cellular > your Roamify eSIM profile > Data Roaming > ON
• Android: Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Data Roaming > ON
• Samsung: Settings > Connections > SIM Manager > tap your Roamify SIM > Data Roaming > ON

Set Roamify as your data line

If you’re running a dual SIM setup: Your home SIM plus the Roamify eSIM, your phone just needs to know which one handles mobile data. You’ll need to let them know.

The ideal configuration is Roamify for data and your home SIM for calls and SMS (if you need them). Just keep an eye on roaming charges from your home carrier if calls come through while you’re abroad.

• iPhone: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data > select your Roamify eSIM
• Android: Settings > Connections > SIM Manager > Mobile Data > select Roamify

3. Landed but no connection

Roaming is on, Roamify is set as your data SIM, everything looks right, but there’s still no internet.

Toggle airplane mode

The oldest fix in the book and it genuinely works more often than it should. Airplane mode on, wait ten seconds, airplane mode off. It forces your phone to rescan for networks. If your settings are correct, this usually kicks things into life. It’s worked for us too many times to mention.

Check your plan is actually active

Open the Roamify app and check the status of your plan. If it shows as pending or not yet activated, that’s your answer. Once your settings are correct, the airplane mode toggle above usually gets it going. If the plan shows as active but there’s still no data, move to the next sections.

Confirm you have data remaining

Check your usage balance in the app. If you’ve used up your allowance, you’ll need to top up. You can do this directly inside the Roamify app and it applies to your existing eSIM instantly with no reinstallation and no new QR code needed.

Does your plan cover your country?

This one definitely sounds obvious, but it’s easy to do. Roamify’s regional plans cover a defined list of countries and really, it’s quite confusing as to what plan covers which countries. Check the plan details in the app and confirm your destination is included before going further.

4. Connected but no internet

Signal bars showing, Roamify appears active, but web pages won’t load.

Try manual network selection first

A little unlikely, but your phone may just have auto connected to a local carrier that Roamify doesn’t have a roaming agreement with. You might have signal bars but data won’t work at all. Switch from automatic to manual and try the available networks one by one:

• iPhone: Settings > Cellular > your Roamify line > Network Selection > toggle off Automatic > pick from the list
• Android: Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Network Operators > Search Now > select manually

Work through each network until one gives you working internet. When it does, that’s the right one.

Check your APN settings

APN (Access Point Name) tells your phone how to route data through the network. Roamify’s APN should configure automatically, but on some Android and Samsung devices it doesn’t push through correctly, you’ll be connected in theory but going nowhere in practice.

Find your correct APN: open the Roamify app > My eSIMs > tap Details on your active plan.

iPhone:

1. Settings > Cellular > your Roamify line > Cellular Data Network
2. Enter the APN from the Roamify app
3. Use the username and password of: internet
4. Alternatively, check out Roamify’s support page for APN information.

Android:

1. Settings > Connections > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names
2. Check if a Roamify APN entry already exists and matches what’s in the app
3. If not, tap the + icon to create a new one
4. APN: enter the value from your Roamify app
5. Enter the APN value from the app, leave everything else blank
6. Save and make sure it’s selected as the active APN

5. Slow or unstable speeds

You’re connected and data is technically flowing, but speeds are poor.

Weak network signal

Another obvious one but try manual network selection (as covered above) and switch to a different local carrier. Signal quality and speed varies significantly between networks depending on your exact location, the one your phone auto-picked isn’t always the best option.

Fair use throttling on unlimited plans

Roamify’s unlimited plans are genuinely unlimited in total data, but most destinations apply a daily fair use threshold, typically between 3GB and 5GB of full speed data depending on the country. Once you hit that limit, speeds drop for the remainder of that 24 hour window before resetting.

If your speeds were fine yesterday but are a snail’s pace today, this is probably the cause. If you absolutely need more than the daily usage cap, a top up would add extra data without replacing your existing plan.

6. Customer support: The last resort

When you’ve tried everything above and still can’t get it working, contact Roamify directly. They offer 24/7 human live chat through the app and response times are fast, typically a few minutes. We’ve been so impressed with their customer support that they actually top our Best Customer Support guide.

Find it in the Roamify app under Account > Live Chat.

Before starting the conversation, have your order number ready (visible in the app under eSIMs), your device model and OS version, your current country and a note of what you’ve already tried. The more you can give them upfront, the faster they can diagnose what’s happening on their end.

NOTE: Do not delete the eSIM from your device unless support specifically tells you to.

7. All resolved?

For everything else, our Roamify eSIM guide brings together all of our Roamify resources. You can also read our Roamify review for our full assessment of its features and performance, or check our Roamify promo code for the latest verified discount.