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The e-sim is gaining traction as smartphone connectivity shoots for the stars, but it's not without risk - as I found when I fired up my new iPhone 15

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A shocking thing happened when I upgraded to an iPhone 15 Pro: my sim card figuratively dissolved into a tiny pile of ash, or rather, was transformed into a wholly digital e-sim. I blame myself, but I blame Apple even more: while transferring my data from my old iPhone, I was asked whether I would also like to move my phone number. I frowned - of course I would - and tapped yes. A minute later, my new iPhone had a mobile signal, my old phone did not, and my sim card was utterly redundant.

I can't feign total ignorance. I'd heard tales of woe from friends forced to move to e-sims when they bought a US version of the iPhone 14, which lacked a sim slot. New iPhones sold outside the US still take sim cards however - and I'd been planning to keep my old one, if only for convenience.