I gave my unused Pixel 3a to my old neighbor who lived alone and has no smartphone. She will use it only for phone calls, and taking pictures (She never used internet, does not need data plan)

I need to buy a SIM for her, and I would like to know if I can go for an eSIM ?
I understand the latest version running on Pixel 3a is SP2A.220505.006.2022081800
But I'm not sure if this version can handle eSIM ?

Thanks for your help.

The eSIM part should work, it's not really dependent on the OS, it's a chip inside the phone.

  • Edited

The eSim activation support was added to pixel 3 series on the SP2A.220305.012.2022032110 version :

add eSIM activation support as an optional toggle available when using sandboxed Google Play in the Owner profile (note: regular apps including sandboxed Google Play do not have additional access in the Owner profile)

However as you know pixel third gen are unmaintained. It's not 100% sure it will work correctly.

Hello. Hardware-wise Pixel 2 and above seem to support eSIM. However, the end of life GrapheneOS devices with version predating 2024011800 release require sandboxed Google Play to be installed in order to activate eSIM. If I recall correctly, sandboxed Google Play is not guaranteed to work after device stops receiving OS updates.

Going for physical SIM might be the easiest solution for both of you.