I have a U.S.-model iPhone 14 Pro that was modified to support two physical SIM cards instead of relying only on eSIM. It is currently running iOS 26, which was already installed when I received the phone, and I have not performed an iOS update myself yet. I live outside the United States and have heard that trying to use eSIM could cause problems on this modified device. Has anyone with a similar physical-SIM conversion successfully updated to iOS 27, or could the update disable the SIM modification or cause other cellular issues?
2 Answers
There is no reliable way to guarantee this will work. A physical-SIM conversion is an unofficial hardware modification, and Apple’s update process is not designed or tested for it. A future iOS update could leave the phone working normally, or it could affect cellular functions, SIM detection, activation, or the modified tray. Make a complete encrypted backup first and confirm you have a way to restore or contact the technician who performed the conversion before updating.
The safest answer is that this situation is effectively untested from Apple’s perspective. Other modified iPhones may have updated without problems, but that does not prove every hardware conversion will behave the same way. If both physical SIMs are essential, waiting for reports from the exact type of conversion—or getting confirmation from the person who modified the phone—would be safer than updating immediately.
I cannot simply switch to eSIM because I am outside the United States, and I have also heard that eSIM might not work correctly after this modification.
That is what worries me. I was hoping to find someone with the same modification who has already gone through a major iOS update successfully.