iOS 16 allows you to use Bluetooth to transfer an eSIM to a new iPhone

In the future iOS 16 version, Apple will include a simple mechanism for swapping your eSIM to a new iPhone. Carson Waldrop, a Twitter user, discovered that iOS 16 permits transferring eSIM cards from an existing iPhone to a new one through Bluetooth. The transition appears to be simple, allowing you to effortlessly transfer your phone number when purchasing a new iPhone.

Currently, if you buy a new iPhone and utilize an eSIM, you must contact your carrier to get the eSIM renewed. While some carriers make this simple by including QR codes in their mobile apps, others require you to visit a store to transfer an eSIM. Apple’s new eSIM switch capability in iOS 16 appears to alleviate some of these issues, however, reports indicate that transferring eSIMs over Bluetooth is only possible if the carrier supports the feature.

Because iOS 16 is currently in testing, carrier support for this new feature is likely to be limited for the time being, so we won’t know how many carriers and countries will fully support it until iOS 16 is released this autumn. iOS 16 is presently in developer preview, and it contains widget-enabled lock screens, iMessage edit and undo send capability, an iCloud shared photo library, and much more.