Does your iPad support eSIM?

Find your iPad model number

A Wi-Fi-only iPad cannot install a cellular plan. It can still get online through a phone’s Wi-Fi hotspot if the phone plan allows tethering. To use an eSIM on the iPad itself, check its cellular hardware and generation.

1. Open Settings → General → About. Tap the part number beside Model Number to reveal a code beginning with A.
2. Look up that code in Apple’s iPad model list. Match the entire number, even if two iPads have the same name and screen size.
3. For example, A3354 is the Wi-Fi iPad (A16). A3355 is the cellular version. A3356 is the cellular version for mainland China.

Which cellular iPads take eSIM?

Apple lists the cellular iPad from the 7th generation, iPad Air from the 3rd and iPad mini from the 5th. For the cellular iPad Pro, the 11-inch series supports eSIM from its 1st generation. The 12.9-inch series supports it from its 3rd generation. Check Apple’s list for your exact model and region.

The SIM tray can be misleading. Cellular versions of iPad (A16), iPad Air (M2), iPad Pro (M4) and iPad mini (A17 Pro), and their successors, use eSIM only. A Wi-Fi-only iPad also has no tray.

iPad (A16)

Check the provider and sales region

Ask the provider whether its plan supports your iPad model and destination. For a mainland Chinese carrier plan, Apple lists specific iPad model numbers. For the iPad (A16), only A3356 is on that list.

If you take A3356 abroad, Apple says you can install an eSIM from a provider outside mainland China while you are outside mainland China with Location Services enabled. For other models, check Apple’s regional instructions before buying a plan.