Activating Your Service (and What to Do If It Doesn't Work)

Most new lines activate within 30 minutes of installing the SIM or eSIM. If yours doesn't, work through the pre-checks and fixes below in order. Most lines that fail at first come up after one of these steps.

For the install steps themselves, see Setting Up Your SIM or eSIM.

Before you install

These pre-checks prevent most activation problems:

• Your phone is unlocked. A phone locked to another carrier will appear to install the eSIM, but the network rejects it.
• Your phone is compatible. Enter your IMEI on the Bring Your Own Phone page. Dial *#06# to find your IMEI.
• Your phone is up to date on the latest iOS or Android version.
• You are on stable Wi-Fi with any VPN turned off.
• Old Parrot Mobile profiles are removed. If an earlier Parrot Mobile eSIM never worked, remove it before installing a new one.
• Transferring your number? Your account Overview shows Transferring your number with live progress. If your eSIM hasn't arrived yet, it is sent when the transfer completes. See Porting Your Number to Parrot Mobile.

Check your line status

1. Sign in at app.parrotmobile.com and pick the line from the line switcher at the top.
2. Look at the top card on Overview:
   • Getting your line ready means we are still setting up the line. Give it a few more minutes.
   • Your line is active means the network side is done, so any remaining problem is on the phone. Continue with the fixes below.
   • Your setup was not finished means checkout did not complete. Click Try again or Choose a plan.
3. Open More > Line settings > SIM to confirm the SIM status. Installed means the network has seen your phone; Not installed yet means it has not connected yet.

Installed but no service yet

Work through these in order:

1. Wait 30 minutes. Setup is not always instant.
2. Turn the line off and on. On iPhone go to Settings > Cellular; on Android go to Settings > Network & Internet > SIMs. Tap the Parrot Mobile line, switch it off, wait 10 seconds, and switch it back on.
3. Make Parrot Mobile the default line for both calls and cellular data on dual-SIM phones.
4. Turn off other SIMs for now. Some phones only fully activate one line at a time.
5. Restart the phone. Power off, wait 10 seconds, and power on.
6. Toggle Airplane Mode on for 10 seconds, then off.
7. Check your APN. Wrong APN values are the most common reason for signal with no data. See APN Settings for Android and iPhone.
8. Reset network settings as a last resort. iPhone: Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Android: Settings > System > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. This also clears saved Wi-Fi passwords.

"Contact carrier for assistance" or "Could not activate eSIM"

If your phone shows Contact carrier for assistance, Could not activate eSIM, or stays on Activating for more than 30 minutes, the network has rejected the eSIM on that device. Common causes:

• The phone is still locked to a previous carrier.
• The phone model is not supported on our network.
• The eSIM was already installed on this or another phone and cannot be issued again.
• The original eSIM is stuck and needs to be reissued.

What to do:

1. Re-check the unlock status and IMEI from the pre-checks above.
2. If both pass, get a fresh eSIM: go to More > Line settings > SIM > Replace SIM, tap Start replacement, and choose Replace with eSIM. This cancels the old eSIM and emails a new QR code for the same number. See Replacing Your SIM or eSIM.
3. If the new eSIM shows the same error, contact support with the details listed at the end of this article.

Checkout or activation failed

If checkout failed before you got an eSIM, for example "Unable to process order":

• Check whether you were charged. A failed checkout may leave a pending authorization that your bank drops within 3 to 7 business days. A pending hold is not a charge.
• No eSIM is created until checkout succeeds, so no QR email will arrive for a failed order.
• Retry from your account. Sign in and use Try again on the Your setup was not finished card, or start a new order from our Plans page. If it fails again, try a different card or browser.
• Don't pay twice. If you're not sure the first attempt went through, check your account for an active line before retrying.

Still stuck?

Email support@parrotmobile.com with:

• Your phone number (or order number if the line was never created)
• Your phone model and IMEI
• The exact error message on the phone
• Which step you stopped at
• For a charge with no line, the date of the attempt and the last 4 digits of the card

Related articles

• Setting Up Your SIM or eSIM
• APN Settings for Android and iPhone
• Fixing "No Service" or "SOS Only" on Your Phone
• Supported Devices & Compatibility