Apple’s new iPhones — the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus — won’t have physical SIM cards. The company announced the nugget at its event in Cupertino today, revealing that eSIM will be the only way the iPhone 14 series authenticates with wireless carriers — at least in the U.S.
The eSIM lets you change a wireless carrier, data or service plan through software rather than having to swap a physical SIM card. It’s hardly a new technology, but it’s only within the last few years that eSIM has become more common on mainstream mobile devices.
Apple said that major carriers, including T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T, will provide resources to assist with eSIM-related questions, service upgrades and changes.
Apple has supported eSIMs alongside physical SIMs dating back to the iPhone XS, XS Max and XR, as well as cellular-enabled iPads and Apple Watches.
As CNET notes, last year’s iPhone 13 even allowed for multiple eSIMs to be enabled at once.