Android 14 paves the way for the demise of physical SIM cards

As first observed in Android 13 QPR2, Google is getting ready for the eventual implementation of eSIM technology.

Apple took the lead in driving change in the industry by eliminating the physical SIM card slot from its latest iPhones in the US. This move has hastened the shift to eSIM for both customers and carriers. Google appears to be following suit, as the Android 14 Developer Preview 1 reveals the presence of hidden settings that indicate the possibility of adding a feature to convert physical SIM cards to eSIM.

In an upcoming update to the Settings app, Android expert Mishaal Rahman has uncovered a new feature allowing for the "Conversion to eSIM." Although the accompanying page for this option is not yet complete, as it appears in the search interface rather than a separate menu, Rahman states that Android 14 will also include the capability to transfer eSIMs between different devices.

However, this new setting option requires additional resources, which Rahman has found in the pre-installed SIM Manager app utilized by Pixel phones for various SIM and network functions. These resources were added as early as Android 13 QPR2 Beta 2, but the system settings options were not yet available at that time.

It should be noted that not all SIM cards can be converted to eSIM, as carriers must support the activation process. The transfer of eSIMs across devices is not part of the standard eSIM specification, so it remains uncertain whether this feature will only be available on Pixel phones or a wider range of Android devices. The same issue affects iPhones, which are capable of transferring eSIMs between iPhones but not between iPhones and Androids.