Using SIM Card on Galaxy S22: the Definitive Guide

To access mobile networks (e.g., phone calls, SMS, and mobile data), you have to use a SIM card on Galaxy S22.

This Galaxy S22 guide explains everything you need to know to use a SIM card on Galaxy S22, including Galaxy S22 SIM card support (size, eSIM), how to add and manage the SIM card on Galaxy S22 SIM, how to use two SIM cards on Galaxy S22, and how to check SIM card status on Galaxy S22.

In this guide, Galaxy S22 refers to Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra, and the guide applies to all these three models.

The definitive guide to using SIM card on Galaxy S22

• Galaxy S22 SIM card support
  • Use a physical SIM card on Galaxy S22
  • Use eSIM on Galaxy S22
• How to add and manage SIM card on Galaxy S22?
  • Step 1: Eject the SIM card tray.
  • Step 2: Pull out the SIM card tray.
  • Step 3: Add, change or remove SIM cards.
  • Step 4: Insert back the SIM card tray.
• How to use two SIM cards on Galaxy S22?
  • Customize name and icon for SIM card on Galaxy S22
  • Assign default SIM card for calls, SMS, and mobile data
  • Increase the availability of the two SIM cards
  • Enable Dual SIM always on
• How to check the status of SIM card on Galaxy S22?
• Do you have any questions on using SIM card on Galaxy S22?

Galaxy S22 SIM card support

Galaxy S22 supports two types of SIM cards:

1. Physical SIM card.
2. eSIM.

Use a physical SIM card on Galaxy S22

If you plan to use a physical SIM card on Galaxy S22, you should ensure it is a nano-SIM card, the smallest SIM card in the market.

If your carrier gives you a 3-in-1 SIM card, you need to detach the smallest part, as shown below. You should not throw away other parts. Keep them as a SIM card adapter when you need to put the SIM on an ancient device that requires a micro SIM card.

If you migrate to Galaxy S22 from other devices, you probably can use the existing SIM card if your previous device also uses a nano-SIM card.

Here are some popular phones that use a nano-SIM card:

• Samsung Galaxy S6, S7, S8, S9, S10, S20, S21 and all their variants.
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5,  Note 7 FE, Note 8, Note 9, Note 10, Note 10+, Note 10 Lite, Note 20, and Note 20 Ultra.
• Any of Samsung Galaxy A series: Galaxy A3, A5, A7, A8, and A9.
• Galaxy J3 2017 and later, Galaxy J5 2017 and later, Galaxy J7 and later.
• iPhone 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, X, 11,12, and 13 (and all variants).
• Moto X (all generations).
• Moto Z (all generations)
• Moto G5, G6, G7, G8 and G9, G10, G30, G50, G100, G stylus, G20, G40, G31, G51, G61, and G22  (all variants).
• Moto E4, E5, E6, E7, E20 (all variants).
• Motorola Edge (all variants and generations)
• Pixel and Pixel XL (all generations).
• LG G5, G6, G7, G8, G9 (all variants), V10, V20, V30, V40, V50, and V60.

Please note some carriers may ask you to change the SIM card to use 5G features (if your mobile plan includes 5G).

If your previous phone uses a micro-SIM card, it is NOT recommended to trim it to a nano-SIM. At least, you should not trim it with scissors. It is better to get a new SIM card from your carrier.

Most local handphone shops have a mini tool to trim SIM cards. But it may damage the SIM card depending on the dimensions of the metal part of your existing micro-SIM card. Some old SIM cards may have a metal part that is too large for a nano-SIM card.

Use eSIM on Galaxy S22

Galaxy S22 supports eSIM. So, you can use eSIM profiles instead of a physical SIM card on Galaxy S22.

To add eSIM profiles to Galaxy S22, normally, you should scan the QR code provided by your carrier.

In Galaxy S22 Settings, go to Connections settings, then tap SIM card manager, as shown in the screenshot below, to add or manage eSIM profiles for Galaxy S22.

In the SIM card manager, you can manage two physical SIM cards (dual SIM version of Galaxy S22) and multiple eSIM profiles.

As shown in the screenshot above, Galaxy S22 is using two physical SIM cards now. And there is no eSIM profile stored.

You can tap Add mobile plan, as shown above, to add an eSIM profile to Galaxy S22.

In some regions, you can sign up for new mobile plans automatically using an eSIM profile.

So, after tapping the Add mobile plan, Galaxy S22 may search for available mobile plans (provisioned through eSIM).

In this example, two SIM cards are activated on Galaxy S22. It will need to temporally disable SIM card two so that Galaxy S22 can scan the available mobile networks.

Tap OK, as shown in the screenshot below, to temporally disconnect SIM card two from the mobile network.

In most cases, you need to scan the QR code provided by your carrier to add eSIM to Galaxy S22.

As shown in the screenshot above, tap the Scan carrier QR code to add the eSIM profiles manually.

You can add multiple eSIM profiles on Galaxy S22. But you are limited by the number of SIM cards supported for your phone. The single SIM version can only support one SIM card, and therefore you can activate only one eSIM profile or one SIM card on Galaxy S22, not both at the same time.

When migrating data from your old phone to Galaxy S22, the eSIM cannot be transferred. You need to get a new eSIM from your carrier. This is the limitation for all Android phones.

How to add and manage SIM card on Galaxy S22?

As Galaxy S22 does not support a microSD card, the SIM card tray is for nano-SIM cards only.

To add or remove the SIM card on Galaxy S22, you may follow these steps.

Step 1: Eject the SIM card tray.

You should insert the ejection pin (included in the Galaxy S22 box) into the hole of the SIM card tray, as shown in the animation below. Then apply some force to eject/loosen the SIM card tray.

You should NEVER insert the pin into the microphone hole (see Galaxy S22 layout). Otherwise, you may damage the microphone.

Step 2: Pull out the SIM card tray.

Step 3: Add, change or remove SIM cards.

When adding a SIM card to Galaxy S22, you should match the shape (the chopped corner) of the SIM card with the slot. You also need to ensure the SIM card is secured.

For the dual-SIM version of Galaxy S22, the second SIM card slot is on the backside of slot 1.

The metal side of the SIM card in both slots should face outwards.

Step 4: Insert back the SIM card tray.

Please note the Galaxy S22 SIM card tray is different from that in Galaxy S21, although they look similar. You should never use the SIM card tray for Galaxy S21 on Galaxy S22. It may damage the phone.

Once the SIM card is registered on the carrier’s mobile network, you should see the signal strength icon in the status bar.

How to use two SIM cards on Galaxy S22?

In most regions, Galaxy S22 supports two SIM cards. So, you can:

• Use one or two physical SIM cards only.
• One physical card and one eSIM profile.
• Activate one eSIM profile only.

Galaxy S22 currently does not support multiple eSIM profiles concurrently. So, you can only activate one eSIM profile at any time on Galaxy S22.

In most regions, the dual SIM version of the Galaxy S22 supports dual 4G. Both SIM cards can be registered on 4G networks and use voLTE if both plans support voLTE. You should also see the voLTE icon in the status bar.

Please note, even with a single SIM version of Galaxy S22, Dual Messenger lets you currently use two messenger accounts on the phone, for example, two WhatsApp accounts and two Facebook Messenger accounts. Some messenger app accounts (e.g., WhatsApp) are tied to the phone number, not the SIM cards. Please check this guide on how to use Dual Messenger on Galaxy S22.

You can manage the roles and functions of two SIM cards on Galaxy S22 in the SIM card manager.

• Customize the name and icon of each SIM card.
• Assign a default SIM card for calls, messages, and mobile data.
• Increase the availability of the two SIM cards.
• Enable Dual SIM always on.

When using two SIM cards on Galaxy S22, the battery drain may be slightly faster depending on mobile signal quality and strength. Normally, it may shorten battery life by about 5%-15%. If you enable Protect battery to limit the maximum charging level to 85%, you should factor in the battery consumption of two SIM cards.

Ringtones on SIM cards 1 and 2 are independent. You can customize them individually, as explained here.

You can also set different call backgrounds for the two SIM cards, as explained here.

Customize name and icon for SIM card on Galaxy S22

Tap the SIM card name to customize its icon and name, as shown in the screenshot below.

For example, as shown above, you can customize the name and icon for SIM card 1.

Assign default SIM card for calls, SMS, and mobile data

In the SIM card manager page shown above, the default preferred SIM card for calls, SMS, and mobile data are set to SIM card 1.

Please note, in the Phone app and Messages app, you always can manually choose the SIM card when making calls or sending messages. The default (preferred) one does not overwrite your manual selection.

When enabling mobile data in Galaxy S22 Settings or quick settings, the default (preferred) SIM card will be used. You need to set it up improperly before enabling the mobile data.

You can tap the field to change.

For example, you want to change the SIM card for mobile data. So, tap the mobile data field,

As shown in the screenshot below, you can then choose the default (preferred) SIM card for mobile data or turn off mobile data for both SIM cards.

Increase the availability of the two SIM cards

The Auto data switching option in the SIM card manager page lets you increase the availability of the SIM card on Galaxy S22.

For example, you set the SIM card 1 for mobile data. When SIM card 1 has problems connecting to the network, by default, there will be no mobile data. You cannot receive calls as well.

If you turn on this option, SIM card 2 will be used for mobile data when SIM card 1 fails. If WiFi Calling is turned on, you can still make and receive calls for SIM card 1 (using SIM card 2’s mobile data connection assuming there is no WiFi connection).

By default, this option is not turned on. You may turn it on ONLY if both SIM cards have a sufficient mobile data quota.

Enable Dual SIM always on

When using two SIM cards on Galaxy S22, you can make both SIM cards available concurrently.

Of course, this requires the support of call waiting and call diverting for both SIM cards.

Tap More SIM card settings in the SIM card manager, as shown earlier. You can then see the option to enable/disable Dual SIM always on.

Just follow the prompt to set it up.

Please note you should enable Dual SIM always on if one of the SIM cards is roaming. The call diversion for a roaming card can be very expensive.

How to check the status of SIM card on Galaxy S22?

When you encounter any mobile-related issues, you may check the status of the SIM card on Galaxy S22.

To check the status of the SIM card on Galaxy S22, open Galaxy S22 Settings.

On the Galaxy S22 Settings page, as shown below, tap About phone.

On the About phone page, as shown above, you can find a lot of information about the phone, for example, IMEI number, and serial number.

To check the status of the SIM card on Galaxy S22, tap Status information, as shown in the screenshot above.

On the status information page, as shown below, you can find the status information of mobile, WiFi, and Bluetooth connections.

Tap SIM card status, as shown below, to check the status of the SIM card on Galaxy S22.

Now, you can see the detailed connection information of each SIM card on Galaxy S22.

Most often, you may check the signal strength and network type.