Deutsche Telekom has quietly marked a turning point in Europe’s eSIM adoption: a user can move their eSIM profile not just between two iPhones or two Androids, but across the divide — from Android to iOS and back. This makes Deutsche Telekom the first network operator in Europe and one of the first in the world to offer this convenient service.

Until now, switching phones meant staying within your platform. An iPhone-to-Pixel move, or vice versa, required starting over with a fresh eSIM activation. Deutsche Telekom says it has cracked that lock, using a mix of GSMA standards and its own long-running entitlement server project.

” With the new eSIM transfer, we are making it easier than ever for our customers to switch devices. Simple, flexible, and secure—that is our goal,”

says Michael Hagspihl, Vice President Global Strategic Projects und Marketing Partnerships of Deutsche Telekom.

How It Works

The first rollout covers Apple’s iPhones running iOS 26 and Google’s Pixel 10 devices, with more Android handsets lined up next. Transfers are kicked off directly in the settings menu of a new device. Behind the scenes, Deutsche Telekom’s system checks if the phone, the tariff, and the subscriber are eligible. If everything clears, the profile moves — phone number and plan intact.

This isn’t just a convenience play; it tackles one of the biggest frictions in mobile connectivity: device upgrades. By making cross-platform eSIM migration seamless, Deutsche Telekom is setting a precedent for how operators might reduce customer churn in an increasingly hardware-fluid market.

• iPhones with the software version iOS 26 and the Google Pixel 10 devices will be supported at launch. More Android models will follow soon.
• The eSIM transfer is started directly in the settings of the new smartphone.
• The operating system recognizes the previous device and initiates the secure change.
• In the background, the Deutsche Telekom system checks whether the device, tariff and user are eligible and then approves the transfer.
• The existing mobile phone profile will be transferred – the phone number and tariff will remain the same.

Why This Matters

The backbone here is GSMA’s TS.43 entitlement configuration spec, combined with Deutsche Telekom’s own entitlement server — technology it’s been refining since 2017. The operator says the capability will roll out across its European subsidiaries and eventually to other markets.

The bigger story is what it signals: Europe’s eSIM leaders are no longer content to just “enable eSIM.” They’re engineering the tools that make eSIM practical in real life. That distinction matters.

The Global Context

Outside Europe, Apple’s push toward eSIM-only iPhones in the U.S. forced operators to step up, but most have limited their migration tools to intra-platform moves. In the U.S., AT&T and T-Mobile support simple eSIM swaps, but only within the same OS family. In Asia, players like NTT Docomo and Singtel are experimenting with streamlined provisioning but haven’t yet cracked the cross-platform challenge.

That leaves Deutsche Telekom ahead of the curve, shaping an approach that others will likely have to follow as cross-platform device switching becomes more common. Analysts at Counterpoint Research note that eSIM adoption will surpass 70% of smartphones shipped globally by 2030, but customer experience remains the sticking point. Moves like this directly address that gap.