"Contact Verizon" message when trying to add eSIM

In another thread in this forum last month, I described a problem that two of us with Pixel 8 Pro phones are having when trying to download an eSIM from a non-Verizon source such as Nomad or Holafly. We found a workaround, but I'd still like either Verizon or Google to fix the problem. Here I'd like to simply find out if others have the same issue. If so, then I'll push Verizon tech support harder. If you have a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro, could you please try these steps and reply with the outcome?

1. Go into Settings, then Network & Internet.

2. Tap "SIMs".

3. Tap "Add SIM".

4. Tap "Download a new eSIM". Note that you don't actually need to have a new eSIM available for this. We're just going through the steps to download an eSIM.

At this point it will go to a new screen saying "Checking network info...". If it were working correctly, you would see a screen to scan the new eSIM QR code, and an option to manually input the eSIM activation code. On my Pixel 8 Pro and on my son's, we don't get to the QR code scanning screen and instead get a "Contact Verizon" screen. On my wife's iPhone (also on Verizon), it works as it should.

Can anybody else confirm that this also happens on your Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro? Thanks.

Accepted answers

Scott5337

Good morning. I have a Pixel 7 Pro and can instantly get to the scan QR code screen when trying to download a new esim through Settings. So this might not be a Verizon issue? This might be specific to the Pixel 8, maybe. Have you tried posting on the Pixel Help Community to see if other Pixel 8 users have the same issue? https://support.google.com/pixelphone/community?hl=en

And just to confirm I did what you asked in the original post:

1. Go into Settings, then Network & Internet.

2. Tap "SIMs".

3. Tap "Add SIM".

4. Tap "Download a new eSIM". Note that you don't actually need to have a new eSIM available for this. We're just going through the steps to download an eSIM.

At this point it will go to a new screen saying "Checking network info...".

That worked fine on my phone and instantly opened the scan code screen.

Good luck, hope you can figure this out.

All comments

Verizon_Support

jeffreykey, we're sorry to hear that you had these issues with the activation of your Pixel 8. Just to be sure, were you able to resolve the issues in the end?

~Jesse

jeffreykey

It's not a problem with the activation of a Pixel 8. It's a problem with the process to download a new eSIM. The other thread that I mentioned, and provided a link to, gives the whole story and a workaround. Not a solution per se, but a way around the problem. All I'm requesting in this thread is for others to confirm that it is also a problem on their Pixel 8 Pro, and maybe the Pixel 8. I have no reason to think that it's not also a problem for others, because it's a problem on two Pixel 8 Pros that we have.

In the end, I want to make sure that Verizon tech support is going to do something about it, even if that just means working with Google to resolve a Google problem. As I explained in the other thread, I have contacted both Verizon and Google. They blame each other!

SynthpopAddict

Is your phone locked to Verizon's network? My phone doesn't support eSIM so I don't know, but a locked device won't take a regular SIM from someone else, so may be the same with eSIM.

I have also read that having a physical SIM in a phone will interfere with an eSIM, so you don't want to mix and match; use one or the other in both available slots.

jeffreykey

That's a reasonable question that I should have addressed in this thread, but did address in the other. My phone is unlocked on Verizon. I know this to be true because I did install an eSIM (from Holafly) in addition to the physical Verizon SIM. The phone functions fine with a phyical SIM and an eSIM.

The problem is not having an eSIM in the phone, it's how to get it there. The normal method is what I described in my first message above. That's what's broken. You can install an eSIM on the Verizon Pixel 8 Pro a different way: Skip the normal download and install through the settings, and instead just point the camera at a QR code for an eSIM that you purchased. A link will appear on the camera screen that you can tap and download the eSIM. The limitation of this approach is that you can't manually add an eSIM with an activation code like you could if the approach through the settings worked properly.

So it's not a huge problem, but it is a bug that somebody needs to fix.