Your Integrated Circuit Card Identifier (ICCID) is the serial number of a SIM card or of an embedded SIM (eSIM) profile. It runs to 19 or 20 digits, it begins with 89 and it identifies the subscription profile itself, not your handset and not the phone number attached to it. On an iPhone you will find it in Settings, then General, then About. On Android it sits under About phone, on a screen usually called SIM status or SIM card status. Support agents ask for it because it points at the exact profile on their systems.
Knowing the definition is rarely the hard part. Trouble starts when the row is not where a help page said it would be, when a dual SIM handset lists several of them or when you cannot tell the identifier apart from the other long strings your phone reports about itself.
This guide covers what the digits mean, the menu paths on iPhone and on the main Android skins, how the identifier differs from the other numbers on that screen and how to hand it to a support team safely.
What an ICCID number actually is
Think of it as the serial number of the subscription, printed onto the plastic of a removable SIM and written into the profile of an eSIM. The industry uses a shared numbering standard so that identifiers never collide, wherever the profile was issued. Quote those digits to a provider and there is no ambiguity about which line you mean.
The digits are not random. The first pair, 89, is the industry code that marks the string as a telecommunications identifier. The digits that follow identify the country and the issuer, so a profile issued in Turkiye and a profile issued in Japan look different from the start. After that comes the account serial that separates your profile from every other profile the issuer has created. A final check digit lets a computer spot a typo without querying a database.
Where the number comes from
On a removable SIM the ICCID is fixed at the factory and etched onto the card, which is why you can read it off the plastic before it ever goes into a phone. An eSIM works differently. The profile is downloaded from the provider’s provisioning server and written into the secure element in your device. The identifier arrives with it.
That has a practical consequence worth remembering. Delete an eSIM profile and its ICCID goes with it. Reinstalling from the same activation code is often impossible because most activation codes are single use, so a provider may have to issue a fresh profile with a fresh identifier. Check the compatibility and installation rules for your handset before you delete anything. If you are not sure whether your model supports a second profile, run it through the Qrispy device compatibility checker first.
How to find your ICCID on iPhone
Apple keeps every hardware and line identifier on a single screen, so the path is short and it has been stable for several releases of iOS.
- Open “Settings” on the home screen or in the App Library.
- Tap “General”, which sits near the top of the second block of options.
- Tap “About”, the first row on the General screen.
- Scroll past the device name, the software version and the model details.
- Find the block for the line you want, then read the row labelled “ICCID”.
On a modern iPhone the About screen is grouped by line rather than presented as a flat list. A removable card appears under “Physical SIM” and each downloaded profile appears under the label you gave it at installation. Under each block sit rows such as “Network Provider”, “Network Provider Lock”, “ICCID” and, for the eSIM, “EID”, the embedded Universal Integrated Circuit Card (eUICC) Identifier of the chip that stores your profiles. Touch and hold the digits and iOS offers to copy them, which beats reading 20 characters aloud over a crackly line.
If the About screen looks different
Older versions of iOS show a shorter, ungrouped list where the ICCID row simply appears among the other details. Pull down on the Settings home screen to reveal the search field, type About and jump straight there if the menu structure has moved. Where the row genuinely is not present, the profile has usually not finished installing, so return to your provider’s app and complete the download. Apple documents the current layout on its official support site.
Dialling *#06# brings up a panel of identifiers, which is handy in a shop or an airport queue. Treat it as a shortcut to the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) and the EID rather than to the ICCID, because the contents of that panel vary by model and release.
Finding your ICCID on Android
Android is where people get stuck, because every manufacturer arranges the settings tree slightly differently. The destination is always the same: a status screen that reports the state of the SIM rather than the state of the phone.
- On a Google Pixel, open “Settings”, tap “About phone”, tap “SIM status” and read the “ICCID” row.
- On a Samsung Galaxy, open “Settings”, tap “About phone”, tap “Status information”, tap “SIM card status” and read the “ICCID” row.
- On most other skins, the path mirrors either of those 2 patterns under “About phone” or “About device”.
- Where a phone holds more than 1 active line, the status screen is split per slot, so check the slot number before you copy anything.
Samsung adds a useful staging post. Open “Settings”, tap “Connections” and tap “SIM manager” to see which line is which and which is currently set for mobile data. Sort that out first and the status screen stops being confusing, because you will know whether slot 1 holds your home line or last night’s travel profile.
When the row will not appear
Some manufacturers hide the status screen behind a search rather than a menu. Open Settings, tap the magnifying glass and type SIM status or ICCID. The shortcut usually surfaces. Failing that, open the eSIM management screen for the profile itself, since several skins print the identifier under the plan name. Google documents the current menu structure on its own support site.
Watch out for truncation. Some Android builds cut long strings off at the edge of the status screen, so rotate the phone to landscape or take a screenshot and zoom in.
How ICCID differs from IMEI and EID
The About screen shows several long numbers and they are not interchangeable. The IMEI belongs to the handset itself. The EID belongs to the eUICC, the chip that stores downloaded profiles. Only the ICCID belongs to the subscription, which is why the 3 answer different questions.
| Identifier | What it identifies | Where you find it | When it changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ICCID | The SIM card or the eSIM profile | About screen or SIM status screen | Every time you install a new profile |
| IMEI | The physical handset | About screen or *#06# | Never, for the life of the device |
| EID | The eSIM chip inside the device | About screen, next to the eSIM block | Never, it is tied to the hardware |
| Activation code | A single-use instruction to download a profile | Your purchase email or provider app | Usually consumed at first install |
| Phone number | The line other people dial or text | The contacts or phone settings | Only if you port or change number |
That distinction matters when you are asked for something specific. A shop checking whether a handset is locked wants the IMEI. A provider preparing a profile for a device that cannot scan a code wants the EID. An agent investigating why data will not flow wants the ICCID.
Why support asks for your ICCID
Providers hold profile records keyed on the identifier, so it is the fastest route from a vague description to a definite answer. With it, an agent can see whether the profile downloaded, whether it has ever attached to a network and whether an allowance is running against it. Without it they are guessing from an email address and a rough timeline.
It also settles the most common confusion in eSIM support: the gap between installed and active. A profile can sit perfectly on your device, visible in Settings with a healthy ICCID, while the line is switched off or the data line is still pointed at your home carrier. An agent reading the record against the identifier you quoted can tell you which of those is happening in a couple of minutes. If you are working through an installation that stalled, the fastest route is to gather the identifier first, then open the Qrispy help centre and start the conversation with the digits already to hand.
Common problems and quick fixes
Most reported cases fall into a handful of patterns and none of them require anything drastic.
- The ICCID row is missing on iPhone: the profile has not finished downloading, so complete the install and check again.
- Several identifiers are listed: your device holds more than 1 profile, so match the block label to the plan name.
- The digits are cut off: rotate to landscape or take a screenshot rather than transcribing by eye.
- Your provider quotes a different identifier: you have probably installed a replacement profile, so send both strings.
- The row is greyed out and will not copy: read it from the provider account page or the original purchase email instead.
- The number is right but data will not flow: check the data line selection and roaming toggles before you blame the profile.
Resist the temptation to delete and reinstall while you are troubleshooting. Removing an eSIM is instant, quiet and frequently irreversible. The identifier you were about to send goes with it. Moving a working profile to a different handset is a separate process covered elsewhere on the Qrispy blog.
Keep the digits to yourself
Treat the identifier the way you would treat a bank account number. It is not a password and by itself it does little, yet paired with your name and email it gives a social engineering attempt a convincing start. Share it only inside an official support channel that you opened yourself, never in a public forum, a social media reply or a group chat.
Screenshots deserve particular care, because the About screen shows the IMEI and the EID alongside the ICCID and people rarely notice what else is in the frame. Crop the image to the row you need or blur the rest. If a full screenshot is already public, delete it and tell your provider.
Frequently asked questions
Is an ICCID your phone number?
No. The ICCID is the serial number of the SIM or the eSIM profile, while the phone number is the address other people dial or text. A profile can exist and work perfectly with no dialable number attached to it at all, which is exactly how a data only travel line behaves on your device.
Does every eSIM have an ICCID?
Yes. Every profile written into a device carries its own identifier, whether it came from a home carrier or a travel provider. The identifier is assigned when the profile is created rather than when you first connect. Install a second profile on the same phone and it arrives with a completely separate identifier of its own.
Can I find an ICCID offline?
Yes for a plastic SIM, because the digits are etched on the card and printed on the plastic holder it came in. For an eSIM you need the device to be working, since the number lives in the settings menus. If the handset will not start, look in your purchase confirmation email or sign in to your provider account from another device.
Why are 2 ICCIDs listed?
Because your device holds 2 subscription profiles, which is normal on any dual SIM handset. A physical card and a downloaded profile each get their own identifier, as do 2 downloaded profiles on a device that supports them. Match the identifier to the label shown above it and rename the profiles in Settings if the labels are unclear.
Does an ICCID change between phones?
For a plastic SIM, no: move the card and the identifier moves with it. For an eSIM, usually yes, because a new device generally means a newly issued profile and therefore a new identifier. Your account, your remaining balance and your purchase history stay where they are, so only the profile itself is replaced.
Is it safe to share your ICCID?
It is safe inside an official support channel that you opened yourself and providers ask for it routinely. It is not safe in public. Avoid posting it in forums, reviews or social media replies, crop screenshots so the IMEI and EID stay out of frame and tell your provider straight away if it has already been exposed in public.
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