Samsung has offered eSIM support on its phones for years, but the US models were always left out of the fun. That finally changed with the Galaxy S22 series, which can connect to US cell networks without the need for a physical SIM card. However, it seems at least one carrier with eSIM support is left out: Google Fi.

9to5Google reports that Google Fi cannot be set up with eSIM on the Galaxy S22 series, even though Fi supports eSIM on other phones. Google Fi can be activated with eSIM on the iPhone SE (2020 version), XR, XS, XS Max, 11, 12, and 13 series, as well as all recent Pixel phones (Pixel 2 and later) and some other Android devices. Google Fi also sells the Galaxy S22 series through its online store.

It's unclear at this point if the problem lies with Samsung, or if Google needs to update its Google Fi application (which is used for configuring eSIM) to add support. Either way, if you're buying a Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, or Galaxy S22 Ultra, you'll need to grab a physical SIM card for Google Fi service — at least for the moment.

One 'Product Expert' who assists with Google support requests on Reddit claims eSIM support on the Galaxy S22 series "will work in a future OS update," but it's not clear if that information is an educated guess or coming from Google. The official Twitter account for Google Fi said in January that "we don't have a timeline for eSIM support on new phones."

eSIM allows you to activate network coverage without a physical SIM card, speeding up how fast you can set up cell service (no more waiting for a card in the mail) and enabling fast carrier switching. Physical SIM cards are still handy for certain situations, but expanded eSIM support is definitely helpful.

Source: 9to5Google