Does the Pixel 8 support eSIM?

Google Pixel 8 / 8 Pro / 8a · Updated Aug 18, 2026 · 5 min read

Yes. The Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a all take an eSIM, and because they are newer than the Pixel 7, they can run two eSIM profiles at the same time where the carrier allows it. Otherwise they pair one eSIM with the nano-SIM tray, which is all most trips need.

Pixel has supported eSIM for years, but the Pixel 7 drew a line worth knowing about. Google's rule is that a Pixel 3a or later runs one physical SIM and one eSIM, while two eSIM profiles at once need a Pixel 7 or later and a carrier that permits it. The Pixel 8 sits comfortably on the right side of that line.

Which Pixel 8 models support eSIM

All three. The 8, 8 Pro and 8a behave identically here, and each keeps a nano-SIM tray as well, so you are never forced to give up your home number to add a travel plan.

Pixel model	eSIM	Two eSIMs at once
Pixel 8	Yes	Yes, if your carrier allows
Pixel 8 Pro	Yes	Yes, if your carrier allows
Pixel 8a	Yes	Yes, if your carrier allows

For the general checks rather than this one model, the compatibility checklist covers every brand in order.

Why two eSIMs at once is worth having

For a single trip it changes nothing: one travel eSIM plus your usual SIM is enough. It matters if your home number is already an eSIM, which is increasingly common, because then a travel plan would otherwise have nowhere to go. On a Pixel 8 both can be active together, so you keep your number for calls and one-time passcodes while the travel line carries data.

💡 Google attaches a condition to this: your carrier has to permit it. If a second eSIM refuses to activate, that is usually the reason rather than the phone, and the physical tray remains a reliable fallback.

How to add a travel eSIM to a Pixel 8

The install is a scan, not a purchase step, so do it at home on Wi-Fi before you fly. Nothing starts counting down until the eSIM connects to a network at your destination.

Open Settings, then Network & internet, then SIMs.
Tap Add SIM, then Set up an eSIM.
Scan the code from your order email and let the profile download.
Name the line so you recognise it later, for example Zwitchy Travel.
Leave it switched off until you land, then turn the line on.

The same five steps on Android, start to finish.

If the camera will not read the code, the same plan installs by typing the details in by hand. Manual activation has the exact fields, and eSIM QR code not scanning covers the rest.

The two settings that decide whether data works

Almost every Pixel that installs an eSIM successfully but shows no data is one of these two settings, not a broken plan. Set mobile data to the travel line, and turn data roaming on for that line only.

Reference card for the Pixel 8 and eSIM. All three models, Pixel 8, 8 Pro and 8a, take an eSIM; Pixel 7 and later can run two eSIM profiles at once if the carrier allows it; the phone pairs an eSIM with a nano-SIM or runs two eSIMs, and keeps 2 lines active at once. The home line keeps your own number for calls, texts and one-time passcodes with mobile data and data roaming both off, while the travel eSIM carries maps, browsing, rail apps and messaging with both on. Add the eSIM under Settings, Network and internet, SIMs, Add SIM. — Every answer on this page, on one card.

💡 Data roaming has to be ON for a travel eSIM. It sounds backwards, but that is how the line reaches the local networks abroad, and it never produces a roaming bill. It is your home line's roaming you want off.

Both screens, in order, are in our dual-SIM line settings guide, and the reasoning behind the roaming switch is in Data Roaming ON: why it is correct.

How many eSIMs a Pixel 8 holds

Google publishes the active limit, two lines, rather than a stored-profile count, and in practice the number of saved profiles varies with software version. Treat it as something to check on the phone rather than a fixed spec. If an install stalls because the phone is full, how many eSIMs your phone can hold explains what is safe to delete first.

Check it is not carrier-locked

eSIM support and a carrier lock are different things, and a locked Pixel will refuse a travel plan even though the hardware is fine. Pixels bought directly from Google are normally unlocked; one that came from a carrier often is not until you ask. That is a call to make before you fly, not from the airport.

Using a Pixel 8 across Europe

Because the phone runs two lines at once, a multi-country trip needs no swapping at all: one regional plan stays your data line from the first border to the last. If your route crosses several countries, our Europe plans cover them on a single eSIM, and two weeks in Europe by train works through a five-country route leg by leg with the data each one actually needs.

Can the Pixel 8 run two eSIMs at the same time?

Yes, on a Pixel 7 or later, provided your carrier allows it. That is what lets you keep an eSIM home number active while a travel eSIM carries data.

Does the Pixel 8a support eSIM too?

Yes. The 8a behaves the same as the 8 and 8 Pro here, with the same setup path and the same two settings.

Do I need to remove my SIM card?

No. The Pixel 8 keeps a nano-SIM tray and runs the travel eSIM as a second line: home number for calls and texts, travel line for data.

Can I install the eSIM before I travel?

Yes, and it is the calm way to do it. Installing downloads the profile onto the phone; the plan only starts once the line connects to a network at your destination.

Why is there no data after installing?

Two settings, almost always: mobile data has to point at the travel line, and data roaming has to be on for that line. Check those before assuming the eSIM is faulty.

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