Battery draining faster since adding the eSIM

Running two lines uses a little more battery than one, mostly because your home line keeps searching for a network it can't reach abroad. The effect is small. A big drop is almost always the way the phone is being used, maps, hotspot, and video calls in particular, or a weak signal making the phone work harder.

Check first

Look at your phone's battery screen for what's using the most. If it's maps, a calling app, or Personal Hotspot, that's the drain, and it would happen on any line. If it's the phone itself with no app to blame, read on.

Causes, in order

Your home line is searching for a network

With data roaming off, the home line still looks for its own network's partners, and in a weak spot it keeps looking. If you don't need calls or texts on your home number during the trip, switch that line off entirely in your SIM settings, not only its roaming. If you do need them, leave it on; the cost in battery is small, and a line that's off gets no calls, texts, or SMS codes. See Turn off data roaming on your home SIM before you fly.

The signal is weak where you are

A phone at the edge of coverage works harder to hold a connection, on any line. Near a window or outdoors, the drain settles.

Hotspot is on

A hotspot drains battery quickly on any phone. Keep it plugged in for long sessions, and turn it off when the other device is done; see Hotspot and tethering on your MTN Travel eSIM plan.

A data-saver or low-power mode is fighting the line

Low Power Mode and Battery Saver reduce background work but can also cause the phone to reconnect repeatedly. Try a day without them and compare.

Good to know

Your plan is data only, with no phone number, calls, or SMS. Calls and texts keep using your home number.
The MTN Travel eSIM itself uses no data and no battery between trips; see Should I remove my MTN Travel eSIM after a trip?.

Still not working?

Still not working? Contact MTN Travel eSIM support and include four things: your ICCID, your order number, your phone model and OS version, and what you've already tried.

Send a message. We'll get you sorted.

Have questions about coverage, installing, or a plan you've already bought? Whatever it is, message us and a few quick questions will get you to the right person. Email works too, if you'd rather.

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