Another hint has surfaced that Apple is preparing to eliminate the physical SIM card tray from iPhones in more countries this year.

iPhone eSIM Feature
In particular, a source familiar with the matter has informed MacRumors that retail employees at Apple Authorized Resellers in the EU are required to complete a training course related to iPhones with eSIM support by Friday, September 5. There are 27 countries in the EU, such as France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands.

Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, which is just four days after employees must complete the training.

The training information is available in Apple's SEED app, which is used by employees at both Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Resellers around the world, so it is quite possible that the eSIM-related course extends beyond the EU.

In the United States, all iPhone 14 models and newer lack a SIM card slot, and instead rely on digital eSIM technology. Apple has yet to eliminate the SIM card tray in any other countries, but it likely will starting with the iPhone 17 series.

The Information broke the news last year:

Next year, however, Apple is planning to eliminate physical SIMs in more countries, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter.

The report did not mention any specific iPhone 17 models or countries.

At a minimum, the iPhone 17 Air will lack a SIM card tray in most if not all countries due to its ultra-thin design, according to Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. However, there is a decent chance the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max will also be eSIM-only internationally. There might be a few exceptions still, though, such as China.

When the iPhone 14 series launched in 2022, Apple promoted eSIMs as being more secure than physical SIM cards, as they cannot be removed from an iPhone that is lost or stolen. In addition, at least eight eSIMs can be managed on an iPhone at once, eliminating the need to obtain, carry, and swap SIM cards while traveling.

Apple has a support document with a list of carriers around that world that support eSIMs.

Popular Stories

iOS 26.4 and iOS 27 Features Revealed in New Leak

Friday December 12, 2025 10:56 am PST by

Macworld's Filipe Espósito today revealed a handful of features that Apple is allegedly planning for iOS 26.4, iOS 27, and even iOS 28. The report said the features are referenced within the code for a leaked internal build of iOS 26 that is not meant to be seen by the public. However, it appears that Espósito and/or his sources managed to gain access to it, providing us with a sneak peek...

Early iOS 26 Software Leak Uncovers Dozens of Upcoming Apple Features

Monday December 15, 2025 3:05 pm PST by

Software from an iPhone prototype running an early build of iOS 26 leaked last week, giving us a glimpse at future Apple devices and iOS features. We recapped device codenames in our prior article, and now we have a list of some of the most notable feature flags that were found in the software code. In some cases, it's obvious what the feature flags are referring to, while some are more...

Apple Leak Confirms Work on Foldable iPhone, AirTag 2, and Dozens More Devices

Monday December 15, 2025 2:05 pm PST by

Last week, details about unreleased Apple devices and future iOS features were shared by Macworld. This week, we learned where the information came from, plus we have more findings from the leak. As it turns out, an Apple prototype device running an early build of iOS 26 was sold, and the person who bought it shared the software. The OS has a version number of 23A5234w, and the first...

Leak Reveals Foldable iPhone Details

The first foldable iPhone will feature a series of design and hardware firsts for Apple, according to details shared by the Weibo leaker known as Digital Chat Station. According to a new post, via machine translation, Apple is developing what the leaker describes as a "wide foldable" device, a term used to refer to a horizontally oriented, book-style foldable with a large internal display....

iOS 26.3 Beta 1 Features: What's New So Far

Monday December 15, 2025 4:23 pm PST by

Apple is testing iOS 26.3, the next version of iOS 26 that will launch around January. Since iOS 26.3's testing is happening over the holidays, it is a smaller update with fewer features than we've seen in prior betas. We've rounded up what's new so far, and we'll add to our list with subsequent betas if we come across any other features. Transfer to Android Apple is making it simpler...

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by

Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...

AirPods Max 2 Likely to Offer These 10 New Features

Monday December 15, 2025 7:41 am PST by

Apple released the AirPods Max on December 15, 2020, meaning the over-ear headphones launched five years ago today. While the AirPods Max were updated with a USB-C port and new color options last year, followed by support for lossless audio and ultra-low latency audio this year, the headphones lack some of the features that have been introduced for newer generations of the regular AirPods and the ...