SIM and eSIM transfers
The number is the thing you are moving. The phone is just where it currently lives.
By the Get Into Phone editorial team · Updated 4 Nov 2026 · How these guides are made
SIM and eSIM transfers
The number is the thing you are moving. The phone is just where it currently lives.
Do not wipe the old phone first
Quick Transfer and carrier apps want the old device alive and in your hand. If it is already locked or dead, call the carrier with both IMEIs. They can usually push a new eSIM to the phone you still control.
A lock screen is a different job
If you cannot open the old phone, you may still keep the number. That is a carrier ticket, not recovery mode. Finish the line move, then deal with the locked handset as a screen-lock problem.
Public how-to information, aggregated for your own device. We are not affiliated with any carrier or phone manufacturer. Do not use these guides on devices you do not own.