“SIM not provisioned MM#2” is a network message, not a hardware fault. It means your phone offered the profile in the second Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) slot to the mobile network, and the network found no active subscriber record to match it. MM stands for Mobility Management, the registration exchange a handset runs every time it attaches to a network. The 2 identifies the slot, which on most modern phones is the embedded SIM (eSIM). In plain terms the line has not been provisioned, has not been activated or has been replaced. No setting on your phone can create a record that does not exist on the operator side.

That single fact changes how you should spend the next 10 minutes. Roughly half of these cases clear with 3 or 4 checks on the device. The other half need somebody at the provider to push the line into an active state, and no amount of restarting will move them. The skill is telling the 2 apart quickly instead of resetting your phone repeatedly.

This article stays on that exact message. It explains what the code means, why it points at slot 2, the 4 causes worth separating, the checks to run on iPhone and Android and the point at which you should stop and ask your provider to reprovision the line. Broader install failures and no service symptoms are covered separately on the Qrispy blog, so this page does not repeat them.

What SIM not provisioned MM#2 means

Every time a handset powers on or changes network it sends an attach request. The network answers by checking the identity presented against its subscriber database. If the identity exists and carries an active service record, the phone registers. If it does not, the network rejects the attach and the modem reports a provisioning failure. Your phone then shows that failure using whatever string the manufacturer chose.

The wording therefore varies by brand and by software version. You may see “SIM not provisioned MM#2”, “SIM 2 not provisioned”, “Not provisioned for voice” or simply “Not provisioned”. Some brands publish their own guidance for the family of errors, including the SIM 2 state. Manufacturer documentation such as the HONOR guide to SIM not provisioned errors is a useful reference point for the Android wording. The number after MM is a modem side code, not a step in a sequence, so a higher number is not a worse problem.

One thing this message is not: an eSIM installation failure. If the profile had failed to download you would have seen an error during install, and the line would not appear in your settings at all. Here the profile is present and the phone is trying to use it. The rejection is coming from the network.

Why the message names slot 2

Slot numbering comes from the modem, not from the labels you gave your lines. On a dual SIM phone the physical tray is usually reported as slot 1 and the eSIM as slot 2, which is why travel eSIM users see MM#2 far more often than they see MM#1. On an iPhone that carries 2 eSIM profiles, the numbering follows the order the modem enumerates them rather than the order shown in “Mobile Service”.

The practical value of the number is narrow but real. It confirms which line is being rejected. If your primary line still makes calls and only the second line is affected, you can rule out a general network outage and stop troubleshooting your working line. Where both lines fail together, the problem is more likely to be the device or the location than the profile.

4 causes worth separating

These 4 causes produce the same message and need completely different responses. Working out which you have is the whole job.

The line was never provisioned

The profile downloaded correctly but the operator never finished creating the service record behind it. This is the most common cause when the error appears within minutes of a first install. Nothing on the handset will help, because the phone is doing its part properly. The tell is consistency: the error appears in the same form on every restart, in every location and on any network you try manually.

The plan has not started

Plenty of travellers install a profile days before departure, which is sensible, then see the error while still at home. Prepaid plans often only become active on first connection in a covered country or at an explicit activation step, so before that moment there is genuinely no active record to find. Check the plan status in your provider’s app before assuming a fault. If it says pending or not started, the message is expected behaviour rather than an error.

The profile was replaced or deleted

Reinstalling a profile, restoring a phone from a backup or moving to a new handset can leave the operator holding a record that points at an identifier the device no longer has. The phone presents the current profile, the database expects the old one and the attach fails. Transferring an eSIM between devices is the usual trigger. So is deleting a profile and reinstalling it from the same Quick Response (QR) code, which many codes will not allow twice.

The device is not registered

Some networks and some countries require a handset to be registered before it can attach, using the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) of the device. An imported phone, a very new model or a handset with an unusual IMEI range can be refused even though the subscriber record is perfectly healthy. This cause is rarer than the others and it is worth suspecting only when the same profile works in a different phone.

Checks to run on iPhone

Work through these in order and stop as soon as the line registers. Do not reset anything until the first 4 steps have failed.

• Open “Settings”, tap “Mobile Service”, tap the affected line and confirm “Turn On This Line” is switched on.
• Toggle Airplane Mode on for 10 seconds, then off, then wait for the line to re-register.
• Restart the phone fully rather than locking and unlocking it.
• Open “Settings”, “General” and “About”, then check the affected line shows an Integrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID). A missing ICCID means the profile is not really installed.
• Stay on that screen for 30 seconds in case a carrier settings update prompt appears, and accept it if it does.
• Open “Settings”, “Mobile Service”, the line and then “Network Selection”, turn off automatic selection and pick a local network by hand.
• Only then use “Settings”, “General”, “Transfer or Reset iPhone”, “Reset” and “Reset Network Settings”.

Apple documents the current menu names and their regional variations at Apple Support, which is worth checking if a label above does not match your software version.

Checks to run on Android

Android wording moves between manufacturers, so both routes are given. The logic is identical to the iPhone sequence.

• On a Pixel, open “Settings”, tap “Network & internet”, tap “SIMs” and confirm the downloaded SIM is switched on.
• On a Samsung Galaxy, open “Settings”, tap “Connections” and use “SIM manager” to confirm the same thing.
• Toggle flight mode, then restart the handset properly.
• Open the SIM entry, turn off “Automatically select network” and choose a local network manually.
• Check that the preferred network type is not pinned to an older generation the local mast no longer runs.
• As a last device step on a Pixel, use “Settings”, “System”, “Reset options” and “Reset Wi-Fi, mobile and Bluetooth”.

An incorrect Access Point Name (APN) is worth ruling out mentally, but it is not the cause here. A wrong APN gives you a registered line with no working data. This message means the line never registered at all. Google keeps current Android guidance at Google Support.

When to stop and contact support

Stop troubleshooting and contact your provider when all of the following are true. You have restarted the device and toggled flight mode. The line is switched on in settings and shows an ICCID. Manual network selection has been tried against at least 2 local networks. The error still appears after a network settings reset. At that point the device has done everything it can, and the fix is a change to the subscriber record that only the provider can make.

2 more signals point the same way. If the error appeared immediately after a first install and has never once cleared, the line was probably never provisioned. If it appeared after you moved the profile to a new phone, the record likely still points at the old device. Neither is repairable from the handset, and repeated resets only cost you time.

How Qrispy handles a stuck line

Qrispy uses a single profile called One eSIM. You install it once, keep it on the device permanently and use it across 210+ countries and regions, with 1 eSIM per device for security. Because the profile is durable, a provisioning problem is almost always a record on the service side rather than something to be solved by reinstalling.

Send Qrispy support 4 things and the diagnosis is usually quick: the exact error string on your screen, the ICCID of the line, your device model with its software version and the place where it failed. Support can confirm whether the profile downloaded, whether the plan is active or still pending and whether the line needs reprovisioning at the network level. Ask directly for the line to be reprovisioned once you have run the checks above, because that is the specific action required.

Changing phones is worth a separate word. You buy a new One eSIM for the new device, but the credits on your account stay with the account rather than with the handset, so a device change does not cost you your balance.

Preventing the error next time

• Install the profile a day or 2 before travel, then confirm it appears in settings with an ICCID.
• Read whether your plan activates on first connection in a covered country or at purchase.
• Keep the confirmation email, because it carries the identifiers support will ask for.
• Avoid deleting a working profile, because many QR codes cannot be used a second time.
• Set the data line deliberately rather than letting the phone choose during a device transfer.

Frequently asked questions

Does MM#2 mean my eSIM broke?

No. The profile is present and the phone is presenting it correctly, which is why the error names a slot at all. The network is refusing the attach because it cannot find an active subscriber record. That is a database state at the operator rather than damage to the profile, and it is normally corrected by reprovisioning rather than reinstalling.

Is MM#2 different from MM#6?

The number identifies the slot or the modem context reporting the failure, not the severity. MM#2 usually points at the second line, which on modern phones is the eSIM. A different number after MM points at a different line or context. The underlying meaning is the same, so the causes and the checks in this article still apply.

Will a factory reset fix it?

Almost never, and it can make things worse by wiping an eSIM profile you cannot reinstall from the same code. A factory reset only changes the device, and this error is about a record held by the operator. Try a network settings reset first, then contact your provider. Keep the full reset as an absolute last resort.

How long does reprovisioning take?

It varies by provider and by network, so treat any specific promise with care. What you can control is how fast the diagnosis happens. Send the exact error text, the ICCID, your device model and your location in the first message. Providing all 4 up front usually removes an entire round of back and forth.

Does it affect my other line?

Not usually. The slot number tells you the rejection applies to that line alone, so a working primary line will keep making calls and receiving messages. If both lines fail together, look at the device or the location instead of the profile, because a single failing profile does not stop another line from registering.

Do I need a new eSIM?

Rarely. Buying a new eSIM makes sense only when the provider confirms the original profile cannot be reprovisioned, or when you have moved to a different device. Ask support to check the record first. Reinstalling on impulse can consume a single use activation code and leave you with fewer options than you started with.

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