Why Is My eSIM Not Receiving Text Messages?

Adding a travel eSIM should not move your existing phone number or text messages to the new plan. If SMS stopped arriving afterward, the usual cause is that the primary SIM was switched off, lost network registration or is no longer selected correctly in the iPhone’s dual-SIM settings.

Quick answer: Open Settings → Cellular, select the line that carries your normal phone number and confirm that Turn On This Line is enabled. Use the travel eSIM for cellular data, but keep the primary line active for SMS. Then check Settings → Apps → Messages → Send & Receive and confirm that your usual number is still selected.

Why texts can stop after adding a travel eSIM

A travel eSIM and your usual mobile number normally perform different jobs. The travel eSIM supplies mobile data abroad, while the physical SIM or home-carrier eSIM continues to own your phone number and receives carrier SMS.

Text delivery can fail when the home line is disabled, cannot register on a partner network or is confused with the travel line in iPhone settings. Adding an eSIM does not transfer your existing number unless you are completing a carrier number-transfer process.

1. Confirm that the primary line is still enabled

Go to Settings → Cellular and look for both lines. The line associated with your usual number must remain switched on if you want to receive SMS or verification codes on that number.

Tap the primary or home-carrier line.
Enable Turn On This Line.
Return to the Cellular screen and confirm that the line shows a network or signal bars.
Leave Cellular Data assigned to the NoveSIM travel eSIM.

If the home line displays No Service or SOS Only, the problem is its network registration rather than the travel eSIM’s data connection.

2. Check which line owns your phone number

iPhone labels such as Primary, Personal, Business and Travel are only names. A label does not move a number between SIMs. Tap each line in Settings → Cellular and verify the number shown beneath it.

Rename the lines if their labels are unclear. For example:

Home number — calls, SMS and verification codes;
NoveSIM data — mobile internet during the trip.

Clear labels reduce the risk of switching off the wrong line or choosing the wrong number in Messages.

3. Review iMessage Send & Receive

Blue iMessages use an internet connection, while green SMS messages are delivered by a mobile carrier. It is therefore possible for iMessage to work through the travel eSIM while ordinary SMS to your home number fails.

Open Settings → Apps → Messages → Send & Receive. Confirm that your usual phone number appears and is selected. If the number is missing or stuck on activation, keep the primary line enabled and allow the iPhone time to register it again.

Do not repeatedly toggle iMessage or remove the travel eSIM as a first step. Those actions can create a second activation problem without restoring the home line’s carrier service.

4. Check network access for the home SIM

Your primary SIM needs access to a supported roaming network to receive conventional SMS abroad. Receiving texts is often free, but pricing and roaming availability are controlled by the home carrier.

If the line has no signal:

Turn Airplane Mode on for about 15 seconds, then turn it off.
Restart the iPhone once.
Open the primary line’s Network Selection setting and leave it on Automatic.
Check whether international roaming is enabled on the home-carrier account.

You can normally keep Data Roaming off for the primary line to avoid unintended home-carrier data charges. The line may still receive SMS when voice/SMS roaming is available, but the exact behaviour depends on the carrier.

5. Prevent the iPhone from using the wrong line for data

Under Settings → Cellular → Cellular Data, select the travel eSIM. Turn off Allow Cellular Data Switching if you do not want the iPhone to fall back to expensive data on the primary line.

This setting affects mobile data, not ownership of incoming SMS. The recommended arrangement is:

primary line enabled for the existing number and SMS;
NoveSIM selected for cellular data;
data roaming enabled on the NoveSIM line when the plan requires it;
data roaming disabled on the primary line unless the home carrier specifically requires otherwise.

6. If only verification codes are missing

A missing one-time password does not always mean that all SMS delivery has failed. Banks, payment services and apps may delay or block codes sent while you are abroad. Request one new code after confirming that the primary line has signal, rather than sending repeated requests in quick succession.

Test the line with an ordinary SMS from someone you know. If normal messages arrive but bank codes do not, contact the organisation sending the code. If no carrier SMS arrives, contact the home mobile operator.

7. What not to delete

Do not delete the NoveSIM profile to troubleshoot messages addressed to your home number. The travel eSIM does not control that number, and deleting it can require a replacement installation.

Also avoid removing the primary carrier eSIM unless that carrier explicitly instructs you to do so. A carrier may need to issue a new activation code before a deleted profile can be restored.

When to contact the carrier or NoveSIM

Contact your home carrier when the primary line has no roaming signal, your usual number is missing from iMessage activation or ordinary SMS cannot reach the number. The carrier controls that number and its SMS service.

Contact NoveSIM when the travel eSIM itself has no mobile data after installation. Before contacting us, note the iPhone model, destination, network name and whether the NoveSIM line shows 4G, LTE or 5G. We provide travel data plans; we do not provide a local phone number, conventional calls or SMS with those data-only plans.

FAQ

Why did I stop receiving texts after adding an eSIM?

The primary SIM may have been disabled, lost roaming service or become deselected in iMessage. Keep the line that owns your usual number enabled and registered on a network.

Can I receive SMS on my normal number while using NoveSIM data?

Usually, yes. A dual-SIM iPhone can keep the primary line active for calls and SMS while using NoveSIM for cellular data. Home-carrier roaming rules and charges still apply.

Does a NoveSIM travel eSIM include a phone number?

No. NoveSIM travel eSIMs are data-only. They do not provide a local number or conventional SMS, so texts to your existing number continue to use the primary SIM.

Should I enable data roaming on both lines?

Enable it on the NoveSIM line when required for the travel plan. Keep data roaming off on the primary line unless your carrier instructs otherwise, which helps prevent unintended roaming data charges.

Final Recommendation

Keep the line that owns your usual number enabled, confirm that it has roaming signal and verify the number under iMessage Send & Receive. Use NoveSIM as the cellular-data line and disable cellular data switching. This keeps travel data and carrier messaging separate and makes it much easier to identify whether a missing text is a phone-setting issue, a home-carrier problem or a sender-specific verification delay.