When you open your setup link, we now show you the one thing people most often get wrong — on a single screen, before anything else. This makes it much less likely that you'll stop partway through and end up with setup details that no longer work. The whole thing takes about a minute, and there are only two or three points to read.
What we changed
When you open the setup link from your email, or tap "Set up eSIM" in My Account, a short confirmation screen now appears before your setup details are shown. It covers just these points:
- Please go all the way through (if you stop partway, these setup details can't be used again — it only takes about a minute)
- Please do this somewhere with a stable connection (if it drops mid-install, the eSIM may not be added properly)
Tap "Got it — continue to setup" and you'll land on the same setup screen as before. There's no checkbox to tick; one tap moves you forward. The same message is shown in English, Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Japanese.
Why we did it
eSIM setup details work like a key that loads the line onto your device, and as a rule that key can only be used once. If you close the screen halfway through, or your connection drops, the key can end up marked as used — so the next time you open it, you may see something like "this code is no longer valid."
If you've done this before, that's obvious. If it's your first eSIM, there's no way to know. We had always mentioned it in the setup email, but it sat in the middle of a long message, so plenty of people started setup without ever reading it. The problem wasn't what we were telling you — it was where we were telling you, so we moved it to the moment right before your setup details appear.
What this means for you
The biggest gain is simple: a better chance that setup works the first time. When it doesn't, you end up asking for a reissue and trading emails — spending time you'd rather put into getting ready for your trip. Catching it beforehand means you can go straight back to packing.
The other benefit is knowing what you're in for. "About a minute" is short enough that you're less tempted to switch to something else halfway through. And if you genuinely don't have a minute right now, you can decide to come back when you do.
A few other things worth knowing
When should you do the setup?
With most plans, your day count starts when you first connect to a network at your destination. So the safest approach is to install the eSIM before you leave and keep the line switched off. Waiting until you're at the airport or already abroad often means fighting with patchy Wi-Fi.
Once you arrive, turn the line on, switch your mobile data to that line, and turn on data roaming. Missing one of those three steps is the most common reason people think "it isn't working," so we've written the steps out in the setup guide. If something still isn't right, see what to do when you can't connect.
If you did stop partway through
Start by checking the list of lines on your device. If the line is there, the install finished — just switch it on and you're good. If it isn't there, and we can confirm that the install didn't complete and the setup details are no longer usable, we may reissue them free of charge once per order after reviewing your situation. Our FAQ covers this too.
The Bloomy details we fussed over
We kept the wording as short as we could, and made a point of not sounding like a warning label. The first draft said things like "do not interrupt" and "it will never work again" — far too heavy for something you read at the most nerve-racking moment of the process. We settled on "please go all the way through," "these details can't be used again," and "it only takes about a minute": describing what can happen, rather than issuing orders.
We also cut the list down. The reminder about turning on data roaming after you arrive still lives where it always did, not on this screen. Information you need at different moments shouldn't be crammed into the same screen. Right before setup, the only job is helping the install succeed.
What's next
We'll keep adjusting the setup screens and the wording based on the questions that come in. The places where people get stuck vary by device and OS version, so we'll work through them one at a time.
Related pages
For the full walkthrough, see the setup guide; if you can't get online, see what to do when you can't connect; and you can check the status of an eSIM you've already bought in My Account. Looking for a plan for your destination? The eSIM comparison page lets you choose by country, data allowance, and number of days. Past updates are listed under development updates, and our setup and how-to articles live in the eSIM guide.
Please note: Bloomy eSIMs are data-only — they don't include a phone number, SMS, or voice calls, so keep using your home-country number and your usual messaging apps (WhatsApp and similar) over data. All plans are subject to a fair usage policy, and real-world speeds and coverage vary with the local network, your device, and where you are. Pricing is shown at checkout, so please confirm it at the time of purchase.
This article reflects how things work as of August 2026. Screens and wording may change as we continue to make improvements.
eSIM guides for popular destinations
- eSIM guide for South Korea (prices, networks, setup)
- eSIM guide for Thailand (prices, networks, setup)
- eSIM guide for United States (prices, networks, setup)
- eSIM guide for Australia (prices, networks, setup)
- eSIM guide for Canada (prices, networks, setup)
