Transferring a SIM card from one smartphone to another has never been a problem: that's the advantage of physical objects! On the other hand, transferring an eSIM, in other words an electronic SIM card, has long been more complicated. And while the operation no longer poses a problem between two iPhones or two Android smartphones, it still does between an iPhone and an Android smartphone. You generally have to contact the operator, who will provide a QR code to activate the transfer.
A QR code to scan, and that's it
By closely examining the code of the QPR1 Beta 1 of Android 16 — the first quarterly update that will follow the final version of the OS — Android Authority has uncovered a nice loophole. The SIM Manager application, available on many Android smartphones, already allows the transfer of eSIMs between two Android devices. The latest version of this utility contains lines of code strongly suggesting support for eSIM transfer from an iPhone running iOS 19.
An "More Options" button should allow the iOS user to initiate the eSIM transfer procedure from the iPhone to the new Android smartphone. The process involves displaying a QR code on the latter, which the iPhone must scan to initiate the transfer. You will need to enter a username and password on the Android device, information likely generated by the iPhone for user identification.
The presence of these lines of code concerning iOS 19 in a beta version of Android 16 is surprising. But this could be explained by the fact that it is a request from operators, tired of the number of eSIM transfer requests. It's also likely that Apple is working on something similar for Android-to-iPhone switchers.
Source: Android Authority
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