Have you ever accidentally left your smartphone or other mobile device behind? One minute you’re paying your check at a restaurant, and the next you’re walking away while your device sits on the table amid the dishes, condiments and tableware. It happens to all of us.
What happens next is often a measure of the trustworthiness of others. Once you realize your mistake, there are ways to attempt a rescue. Getting in touch with the restaurant or returning to look for it could end with a happy reunion, or maybe not. If someone saw your abandoned device and wanted to make it their own, all they have to do is remove your SIM, or Subscriber Identity Module, the small plastic card that contains your information and connects it to a wireless network.
The latest version of SIM technology could make it more difficult for that scenario to play out in a thief’s favor. Embedded SIM, or eSIM, does away with the physical card in exchange for a chip inside the device that cannot be removed easily. This method has significant security advantages over a removable SIM card.
Here are two key reasons why eSIM will make your smartphone or device more secure.
It’s harder for criminals to steal your device—and your identity.
One of the weaknesses of the physical SIM card is how bad actors can remove it from a stolen phone and replace it with their own and use your device. Worse, they could use your SIM card to get access to your calls and texts and try to reset your passwords. With eSIM, scamming you is more difficult. Unless a thief has your unique security key, they won’t be able to access the information stored on your device.
Get a leg up on chasing down your missing phone.
If you misplace your eSIM-outfitted device, or if it is stolen, you have a greater chance of recovering it than with devices loaded with a physical SIM card. On an iPhone with eSIM, for example, the Find My iPhone feature will continue to work for as long as the device has a charge. That gives you or law enforcement more opportunities to track down the lost or stolen loot—and meanwhile, the device is locked from hijacking.
