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Smart SIM Usage Guide (Android)

Already set up your Smart SIM? Here's how to get the most out of it.

Written by Will

This guide covers everything you need to use the Smart SIM, from setting up automatic data switching as a backup connection, to manually switching to Smart SIM when you're travelling abroad.

1. Automatic data switching

Automatic data switching lets your phone fall back to your Smart SIM whenever your main SIM loses signal completely, without you having to do anything.
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We recommend turning this on so you're always covered in the UK.


Go to Settings β†’ Network & Internet β†’ SIMs (or Connections β†’ Mobile Network), select your primary SIM (not the Smart SIM), and turn on Switch mobile data automatically.
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πŸ’‘ This only kicks in when your main SIM has no signal at all, your Smart SIM won't interfere with your normal connection day-to-day.

2. Manually switching to Smart SIM

Sometimes you'll want to switch to your Smart SIM yourself, particularly when travelling abroad and you don't want to rack up roaming charges with your main provider.
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Simply switch to Smart SIM when you arrive in a supported country, and you'll be covered.
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Settings β†’ Network & Internet β†’ SIMs β†’ select the Smart SIM as your preferred data SIM
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Follow the same steps to switch back to your main SIM when you're done.
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3. Manually selecting a network

By default, your Smart SIM will automatically pick the best available network. If you'd prefer to choose one yourself, for example, to test a specific local network, you can do that in Settings.
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Go to Settings β†’ Network & Internet β†’ SIMs (or Connections β†’ Mobile Network), select Smart SIM, then tap Network Selection or Network Operators. Turn off Select Automatically.
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The list of available networks will take a few minutes to appear; stay on this page and it will populate shortly. Once loaded, tap the network you want to connect to.
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What happens next? Your phone will connect to that network, but it may take a few minutes for signal to appear.
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⚠️ Switch back to automatic selection when you move to a new country or a different part of the UK. While a network is manually selected, your Smart SIM won't be able to move networks automatically, so your connection may drop if you move out of that network's coverage area.
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You can see which networks are available in each country in our supported countries guide.


Need to go back to basics? See the full Android setup guide

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