eSIM guide
How to check your eSIM data usage on iPhone and Android
Your phone has been counting every megabyte since you activated your plan. Here is where to find that number, how to make it trustworthy, and why it never quite matches your eSIM balance.
How much data is left on your eSIM
Your account has the real number. Open My eSIMs and each plan shows data used and data left, straight from the network your eSIM runs on.
Your phone's counter is a useful backup: it works offline, breaks usage down per app, and on Android it can cut you off before you run out.
How to check eSIM data usage on iPhone
Settings > Cellular > Current Period
Current Period is not your billing cycle and not your plan start. It counts from the last time someone reset it by hand, which may have been years ago.
- 1
Open cellular settings
Settings > Cellular. Some iPhones label it Mobile Data or Mobile Service.
- 2
Find the Cellular Data total
Scroll past your lines to Cellular Data. Current Period is the total since the last reset, and Current Period Roaming is the roaming share of it.
- 3
Check the per-app breakdown
Every app is listed below the total with what it used. This is where you catch photo backup, video, or app updates draining the plan.
- 4
Reset the counter when you activate your eSIM
Scroll to the bottom and tap Reset Statistics. The Last Reset timestamp confirms it, and Current Period now tracks your trip.
Reset it the day you activate
Tap Reset Statistics right after you activate your eSIM. Current Period then reads as data used on this trip instead of since the day you set up the phone.
What the iPhone counter will not tell you
No per-eSIM breakdown. iPhone counts the selected data line, so switching lines mid-trip mixes the totals.
Personal Hotspot counts. Tethering a laptop inflates the number.
Wi-Fi Assist uses cellular when Wi-Fi is weak. Turn it off at the bottom of the same screen.
No data limit. iOS cannot stop you at a threshold the way Android can.
How to check eSIM data usage on Android
Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > your eSIM
Android counts each SIM separately, so your travel eSIM is never mixed in with your home line. It can also cut data off at a limit you set, which iPhone cannot.
- 1
Open your SIM settings
Settings > Network & internet > SIMs. Your total data used sits at the top.
- 2
Select your Pelesim eSIM
Tap the eSIM you are traveling on. Everything below now applies to that SIM only, not your home line.
- 3
Open App data usage
You get a graph for the current cycle and a per-app breakdown. Tap the cycle dates to change which day the count restarts.
- 4
Set a data warning and a data limit
Tap Data warning & limit. A warning notifies you at a threshold; a limit switches mobile data off on that SIM when you reach it.
Set the limit just under your plan size
Put the data limit about 10% below your plan. Android cuts data on that SIM before your connection simply stops, so you get a warning instead of a surprise.
What the Android counter will not tell you
Samsung: Settings > Connections > Data usage > Mobile data usage, with Billing cycle and data warning.
Xiaomi and OPPO use a SIM cards & mobile networks or Data usage entry instead.
Google notes that your phone measures usage itself, and carriers may count differently.
The cycle restarts on the day you set, not the day your plan started.
Why your phone and your eSIM balance disagree
A gap is normal and does not mean anything is broken. Five things explain almost all of it.
Two different things are being counted
Your phone counts what it receives. The network bills what it carries, including overhead your phone never sees.
Our number updates in batches
It can lag real usage by a couple of hours. Just streamed a film? Give it time before assuming something is wrong.
The time windows differ
iPhone counts from the last reset, Android from your cycle day. Neither starts when your plan does unless you make it.
Your home line may be in the total
Your phone can combine both SIMs. Your Pelesim balance only ever counts the eSIM.
Background activity adds up
Photo backup, app updates, email sync, and a tethered laptop all draw on the plan while you do nothing.
Why eSIM balance dial codes like *123# do not work
A code like *123# checks credit on a prepaid SIM at home. It will not work here. Those codes run over the voice side of a network, and a data-only travel eSIM has no number and never registers there, so your phone just returns an error.
One code always works: *#06# shows your EID and IMEI. Your phone answers it alone, no network needed. Handy when support asks for your EID, useless for your balance.
Running low before the trip is over?
Top up the same eSIM from your account. Nothing new to install, no second QR code.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check how much data is left on my eSIM?
How do I check data usage on my iPhone?
How do I check data usage on Android?
Can I set a data limit so I do not run out unexpectedly?
Why does my phone show different data usage than Pelesim?
Can I dial a code like *123# to check my eSIM balance?
What happens if I run out of data while traveling?
Keep reading
Get a travel eSIM for your destination
Prepaid plans, delivered instantly, with a balance you can actually see.
Your next eSIM should be easier to check
Data used and data left, in your account. An email before you run out. Top-ups on the same eSIM. 200+ destinations, installed in about 90 seconds.