This article explains how eSIMs work within Aircall, including how calls and SMS are handled, how data works, and what to expect from the Aircall Mobile App when an eSIM is active.
Making outbound calls
When your eSIM is active, you can make outbound calls from any of the following:
- Your mobile device, using the native phone dialer
- Aircall Workspace, desktop or web
- A CTI integration
- The Aircall Mobile App
Regardless of which device or interface you use, the person you call will see your Aircall number as the caller ID.
Note: When making a call from the Aircall Mobile App with an eSIM number selected as your caller ID, you will be prompted to choose how to place the call: through the native dialer (via eSIM) or through the app (via VoIP). This prompt appears each time you initiate an outbound call from the mobile app.
Receiving inbound calls
When someone calls your Aircall number, it will ring on:
- Your mobile device, via the native phone app
- Aircall Workspace, desktop or web
- A CTI integration
Important: Incoming calls to your eSIM number will not ring in the Aircall Mobile App. Your device's native phone app handles inbound calls instead. You can still use the Mobile App to make calls and access other Aircall features.
All answered calls are logged in your Aircall account regardless of which device you use.
If you miss a call, the missed call notification will appear on both your native device and in the Aircall Mobile App.
Availability status and eSIM calls
Your Aircall availability status does apply to calls routed to your eSIM. If you're outside your working hours, set to Do Not Disturb, using a custom unavailable status (for example, "Out for lunch"), or already on a call, your eSIM will not ring.
What your eSIM calls don't depend on is whether Aircall Workspace is open. Because your eSIM is a separate channel, it can ring when your Aircall Workspace app is closed or even if you are logged out, as long as you're within your working hours and not otherwise busy.
Your eSIM rings when all of the following are true on your Aircall user account:
- You're within your working hours.
- You're not set to Do Not Disturb or a custom unavailable status.
- You're not already on a call, or receiving one.
- You're not in wrap-up time or mandatory tagging.
- You haven't just transferred a call.
For outbound calls, the only thing that stops you from placing one is being "busy" in Aircall, meaning you're already on a call, in wrap-up time, in mandatory tagging, or have just transferred a call. Once that finishes, you can dial again.
Note: Because your eSIM can ring while the Aircall Workspace app is not open, your status may show as Unavailable or Offline on analytics dashboards in Aircall Dashboard, even though you're reachable. This is why a user's status may appear to move from Unavailable, to In a call, and back to Unavailable.
Sending and receiving SMS
You can send SMS from:
- Your mobile device's native messaging app
- Aircall Workspace or a CTI integration
All messages sync with your Aircall account.
Note: Messages sent from Aircall Workspace or a CTI integration will not appear in your device's native messaging app. You can view these messages in the Aircall Mobile App.
Using mobile data with your eSIM
If you selected a 20 GB or 50 GB data package, your eSIM provides mobile data directly. You can browse, use apps, and access the internet using this allowance.
If you selected the 0 GB, voice and SMS only package, your eSIM does not provide internet access. To connect to the internet, use Wi-Fi or, if your device supports dual SIM, the data from a second SIM card.
eSIMs and direct numbers
eSIMs can only be used with direct numbers. A direct number means:
- The number is assigned to one specific user
- The number cannot route calls to a team
- The number can redirect to other individual numbers, but not to teams
If a French mobile number is currently configured as a shared line, it must be converted to a direct number before an eSIM can be assigned. This doesn't apply to Spanish mobile numbers, which are always created as Direct Numbers and can never exist as shared lines. See direct numbers configuration for more information.