Google is likely to follow iPhone in providing dual eSIMs as it readies to launch Android 13, media reports suggest.
eSIM is a secure element embedded in the phone’s motherboard that can download carrier information. An eSIM is not new, but it comes with its own set of restrictions. Primarily, the need for an eSIM was felt because it can potentially free the phone of some vital space and reduce weight, which has top phone brands vying for updated technologies. The space thus freed can be used to accommodate a larger battery or newer components. This is the reason why SIM size has been shrinking progressively. From large chips, to micro chips to nanoSIMs…the race is to get rid of the SIM card and eSIM is the answer. However, not every carrier supports eSIM. Therefore, most high-end phones with eSIM technology have an additional SIM card tray, which defeats the purpose of eSIM.
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Presently, phone users who want more than one carrier in their Android devices have limited options. One could buy a phone with space for two SIM cards, buy one with both a physical SIM card slot and eSIM support, or use eSIM only, but have to constantly juggle between carriers.
The iPhone 13 is the only one which supports dual eSIMs. Google is set to offer a way of letting multiple carriers connect to a single eSIM in the next OS update.
Mishaal Rahman, an American journalist who writes on mobile technology, tweeted: “One SIM = one active SIM profile. That’s how it’s been forever, even with eSIMs which can store multiple profiles. Google’s changing that with MEP (multiple enabled profiles), a patented method to enable multiple SIM profiles on a single eSIM, and it’s coming to Android 13.”
As things stand today, despite the availability of eSIM, nanoSIM is still in vogue. However, the need for dual SIM could make Google’s new update (dual eSIM) a must have. After all, who loves to go through the process of changing physical SIM cards every time one buys a new phone?