The short answer
On a recent Pixel the install takes about two minutes: open Settings > Network & internet > SIMs, tap Download a SIM instead? (or the + next to Add eSIM), and scan the QR code from your order email while you are on Wi-Fi. Do it at home a day or two before you fly. Installing changes nothing yet: the eSIM sits idle until it first connects to the network after you land, so there is no rush and no plan data is used during setup.
Which Pixel phones support eSIM
Every Pixel from the Pixel 4 onward supports eSIM without regional catches, and the Pixel 3 and 3a support it on most variants. The older Pixel 3 and 3a carry exceptions: units bought in Australia, Japan or Taiwan, and most US or Canadian carrier models, shipped without working eSIM, and the Pixel 2 only did eSIM on Google Fi. Two honest requirements apply to any model: the phone has to have eSIM hardware, and it has to be carrier-unlocked. A quick test settles the hardware question: dial *#06# and look for an EID number. If one appears, your Pixel has eSIM hardware.
The install path, step by step
On recent Android and Pixel builds the path is Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Download a SIM instead? (some builds show a + or an Add eSIM button instead). Connect to Wi-Fi first, because the phone downloads the eSIM profile over the internet. Point the camera at the QR code from your Goodbars order email, shown on a laptop or a second screen, since a phone cannot scan a code on its own display. If you cannot scan, tap Enter it manually and type the SM-DP+ address and activation code from that same email. When asked, give the eSIM a clear name like Travel so you can find it later.
Set the data line and roaming
After the download, set the new eSIM as your mobile data line, and turn Data Roaming on for it once you land in Indonesia. Roaming sounds like a bill risk, but for a travel eSIM it is simply how the line reaches the local network, and it cannot touch your home plan. Keep your home SIM active for calls and texts on your usual number: the travel eSIM is data-only, so your number keeps working beside it. Leave your home SIM's mobile data off to rule out any accidental home-network charge.
Dual eSIM and your home SIM
Newer Pixels, the Pixel 7 and later, can run two eSIMs at once, so a home eSIM and the travel eSIM sit side by side. On those models you do not have to remove anything to add the travel line. On older Pixels with one eSIM slot plus a physical SIM tray, your physical home SIM handles calls while the eSIM handles data. One thing to watch: after a restart or a system update, Android sometimes flips the data line back to your home SIM, so if your Bali data stops, check the SIMs screen before anything else.
Check before you fly
A one-minute check at home saves airport stress. The day before you leave, confirm:
- The eSIM is listed under Settings > Network & internet > SIMs with its own entry.
- You know where the mobile data selector is, so switching lines on landing takes seconds.
- You have found the Data Roaming toggle for the travel line.
- The order email is saved offline, in case you need the QR or manual details again.
None of this starts your validity early: the clock only runs from the first connection in Indonesia.
