What you need to know
- Google One device backups currently include text message data, but not SIM information.
- In a future update, Google could add the ability to save SIM data, likely for eSIMs.
- This addition could simplify the process of backing up and restoring Android phones.
Google could be developing a way to include eSIM data as part of the device backup process for Android phones, according to code strings found by Android Authority. The code, discovered in an APK teardown of the Google Play Services app beta version 25.16.33, lists “SIMs” as a backup data type for the first time. However, it is not functional and isn’t guaranteed to arrive in a future update.
The code strings in the Google Play Services app beta aren’t the only things indicating Google is working on eSIM backups. In a refreshed version of Android’s device backup settings page, a description of “other device data” now includes “contacts, call history, device settings, apps and app data, SMS and MMS messages, and SIMs to your Google Account.”
While not explicitly stated, it can be assumed that this feature would handle eSIMs, as physical SIM cards can be easily transferred between devices. However, both Apple and Samsung offer software tools that can convert a physical SIM to an on-device eSIM, so it’s possible Google’s work-in-progress feature handles physical SIM cards as well.
Here’s the exact code string that points to future SIM backups:
<code><string name="backup_settings_devicedata_data_type_sims">SIMs</string></code>Of course, it’s worth noting that SIMs can’t be backed up at the moment. If this functionality was added in a future update, it would make the process of restoring backups on Android easier than on iPhone.
The feature would be added to the Google One device backup, and would require a paid Google One subscription plan for use. It’s unclear when or if this tool might become available for public use.
