An eSIM itself does not drain battery life, as it is integrated into the device and does not have its own power source. However, using cellular data or sharing personal hotspot with an eSIM-enabled device will consume battery life, just like with a device that uses a physical SIM card.
If your device supports eSIMs only like US iPhone 14 models, the lifespan of an eSIM is the same as the lifespan of the device, which can range from 2 to 4 years or more depending on the device and usage.
If you just purchase an eSIM data plan, then you should consult the data plan providers to know how long your eSIM lasts. For example, Textr eSIM has 5 year viability, which means you don’t need to install a new Textr eSIM within 5 year when you want to top-up your data plan or buy a new data plan. So, we strongly recommend that our users do not manually uninstall Textr eSIM.
