Android 13 May Allow 2 Carrier Connections on a Single eSIM: Report

Google is said to be working on an Android 13 feature that would be a game-changer for those using two SIM cards on a single phone. As per the report, even though the feature will debut with Android 13, it's not intrinsic to Android and can be implemented on iOS and even Windows.

According to a report by Esper, through a feature called Multiple Enabled Profiles (MEP), the search giant wants to assign two carrier profiles to a single eSIM and easily switch between networks.

Google is reportedly basing the new feature on a patent filed in 2020, which describes a splitting of the existing SIM interface into two digital connections. There have been reports in the past that Google is testing it on an engineering Pixel hardware. This could allow manufacturers to get rid of the SIM card slot, leaving room for some extra hardware.

Android 13 is expected to be fully unveiled at Google's developer conference Google I/O 2022 in May, before being released later this year. So far, the company has released the Android 13 Developer Preview 1, and it features a lot of privacy-focussed changes.

The developer preview showed off features like a system photo picker, a Nearby Wi-Fi Devices feature, themed app icons, per-app language preferences, Quick Settings Placement API, and more. Other Android 13 feature expected include an Apple Handoff-style feature where users can tap to transfer playback.