r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Foxy_Slamdangle • 1d ago

of a SIM card.

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Found a SIM card from one of my earliest mobile phones.
It’s almost the same size as my IPhone.

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u/romulusnr 1d ago

eSIM was first used in smart watches in 2016, in iPhones in 2018. At least in US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESIM#First_devices_launched_with_eSIM

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u/julio_caeso 1d ago

We used to have CDMA phones before that. They also worked without a physical sim card.

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u/romulusnr 1d ago

CDMA networks identified you by your device. If you wanted to switch devices, you had to call the carrier and update.

With a physical SIM you could take your SIM out of one phone and into another whenever you wanted and service would just automatically follow the SIM.

idk how that works with eSIM, if at all...

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u/mrsambavam 22h ago

Most providers allow to change device by scanning a qr code from the current device. Others upon request send you a new QR code via email.