What Is SM DP Plus Address eSIM? The Server Address Behind Manual eSIM Activation

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Quick answer: An SM-DP+ address (Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus) is the secure server address your phone contacts to download and install an eSIM profile when you activate it manually. It looks like an ordinary web hostname — something like rsp.provider.com — and it tells the eSIM chip inside your phone exactly which GSMA-certified server is holding your mobile plan. A carrier's QR code contains this same address bundled with an activation code inside an LPA:1$… string, so typing the SM-DP+ address by hand is simply the manual version of scanning that code.

If you have landed on a screen asking for an "SM-DP+ address" and an "activation code", you are on your phone's manual eSIM activation screen — the fallback route for when a QR code will not scan. It looks intimidating, but the address is just a server name, and once you know where your provider puts it, the whole job takes about two minutes.

The reason most people never see this address is that eSIM activation has become almost invisible. As of 2026, eSIM has passed 850 million smartphone connections globally and 98% of mobile operators offer it, according to Holafly's SM-DP+ address explainer. Nearly all of those activations happen through QR codes or carrier apps, which keep the server address hidden — until something goes wrong and you need it.

About the author: Chester Takau is an independent reviewer of dual-SIM and eSIM technology, testing setups from the Pacific where connectivity choices really matter.

What the SM-DP+ address actually is

SM-DP+ stands for Subscription Manager Data Preparation Plus. It is one piece of the GSMA's remote SIM provisioning system, the standardised framework (the consumer version is defined in the GSMA's SGP.22 specification) that lets a mobile plan be delivered to your phone over the internet instead of on a plastic card.

Three components matter here. Your phone contains an eUICC, the secure chip that stores eSIM profiles. Your phone's operating system includes an LPA (Local Profile Assistant), the software that talks to that chip. And your carrier or eSIM provider runs — or rents space on — an SM-DP+ server, which prepares your profile, stores it, and releases it when the right credentials arrive. When you type in the SM-DP+ address, the LPA opens an encrypted connection to that server, presents your activation code, and pulls the profile down into the eUICC. If you want the chip side of this explained first, our guide on what an eSIM is and how embedded SIMs work covers it in plain terms.

Because the whole flow is standardised, any eSIM phone can talk to any provider's SM-DP+ server. That is why Telnyx's technical explainer describes manual entry as the backup that always works under SGP.22 — it does not depend on a camera, a printed code, or a second screen.

SM-DP+ address vs activation code vs QR code

The manual entry screen usually shows two or three fields, and confusing them is the most common setup mistake:

SM-DP+ address — which server holds your profile. It is a hostname, not a full URL.
Activation code — which profile on that server is yours, plus the one-time key that releases it.
Confirmation / matching ID — an optional extra check some providers use; most leave it blank.

A QR code is just those fields packaged for a camera. Decoded, a typical eSIM QR reads LPA:1$server-address$activation-code. Some providers have started sending that whole string as a single "manual code" instead of two separate fields, which changes what the entry screen expects on newer phones, as SimFinder's manual code guide notes. If your provider gave you one long string starting with LPA:1$, paste the whole thing rather than splitting it yourself.

Where do I actually find my SM-DP+ address after buying an eSIM?

It depends on the provider, but it is almost always in one of four places:

The confirmation email — most travel eSIM providers include a "manual installation" section under the QR code with both values.
The provider's app — on the install or "My eSIM" screen there is usually a Manual tab. Airalo, for example, shows the SM-DP+ address and activation code on the eSIM's installation page, per Airalo's help centre article. Saily, Holafly, Nomad and others place it in a similar spot.
An SMS from your carrier — common when a carrier converts your physical SIM to eSIM remotely.
Your carrier account portal — some carriers list it under device or line settings.

One 2026 wrinkle: major carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T and Vodafone have rolled out apps with built-in SM-DP+ management, so their customers may never be shown the raw address at all. If your carrier app has no manual entry option, you will usually need to ask support for the address and code directly — they exist even when the app hides them.

How to enter the SM-DP+ address manually

On iPhone:

Open Settings → Cellular (or Mobile Data) → Add eSIM.
Choose Enter Details Manually at the bottom of the QR screen.
Paste or type the SM-DP+ address and activation code exactly as provided, then tap Next and let the profile download.

Our iPhone eSIM setup walkthrough shows the full flow with the screens you will meet, including how to label and switch plans afterwards.

On Android (Pixel, Samsung and others):

Pixel: Settings → Network & Internet → SIMs → Add eSIM, then tap Enter code manually on the scan screen.
Samsung: Settings → Connections → SIM manager → Add eSIM, then choose the option to enter the activation code instead of scanning.
Paste the SM-DP+ address and activation code, confirm, and wait for the download to finish before closing the screen.

Menus differ slightly between brands, so for other manufacturers our guide to setting up eSIM on any phone step by step covers the variations.

If you prefer to watch the process, this short video walks through what the SM-DP+ address is and how to set it up:

The four ways eSIMs get activated, compared

Most "what is SM-DP+" articles stop at the definition. To make the address useful, we mapped every current activation route against provider documentation and GSMA-based explainers — this side-by-side view is the piece generic definitions skip:

Activation method	What you actually do	Where the SM-DP+ address appears	Typical failure point
QR code scan	Point the camera at the provider's code	Hidden inside the LPA:1$ string	Glare, damaged printouts, no second screen to display the code
Manual SM-DP+ entry	Type the server address and activation code	Typed into the SM-DP+ field by you	Case-sensitive typos, stray https:// prefix
Carrier app	Tap "install eSIM" inside the provider's app	Handled silently by the app	App bugs, account mismatches, region locks
GSMA eSIM Discovery	Nothing — the phone queries the Discovery Service using its eID	Never shown to the user	Limited to 160+ newer device models so far

Common SM-DP+ errors and how to fix them

"Invalid server address" or "cannot add eSIM." In most cases this is a typo. Both the address and the activation code are case-sensitive, and autofill loves to add a trailing space or capitalise the first letter — the single most reported cause of silent failures in esimcard.com's troubleshooting guide. Retype both fields carefully before assuming anything is broken.

The https:// question. Guides disagree here because phone UIs disagree: some fields reject the address if you include https://, others strip it automatically. The safe habit, as GomoWorld's guide recommends, is to enter the bare hostname only, unless your provider explicitly shows the prefix in its own instructions.

The code worked once, then failed. Activation codes are typically single-use: the SM-DP+ server marks the profile as delivered after the first successful download and refuses further requests. If your install was interrupted mid-download, or you are trying to move the eSIM to a second phone, you will need a fresh code or a reissue from the provider — a pattern covered in Roami's 2026 deep troubleshooting guide.

Split the problem correctly. Server-side failures (expired code, wrong format) look identical to device-side failures (carrier-locked phone, region-locked eSIM, a model with no eSIM slot at all). Before blaming the address, confirm your phone is unlocked and eSIM-capable — no SM-DP+ server can install a profile onto hardware that refuses it.

Is it safe to type an SM-DP+ address by hand?

On the server side, yes. GSMA-certified SM-DP+ infrastructure is considered a very hard target to compromise, and the profile download is encrypted end to end. The real weak point is the human layer: Zendit's roundup of eSIM scams flags fake QR codes pointing to spoofed provisioning servers as a live scam vector through 2026, along with phishing emails carrying bogus "activation details".

That inverts the usual intuition. Typing an address you copied from your provider's genuine app or confirmation email is no less safe than scanning their QR code — and it is arguably safer than scanning a code from a source you have not verified. The checks that matter are boring ones: buy from the official app or site, confirm the sender domain on activation emails, and never install an eSIM from a code someone sent you unprompted.

Can two eSIMs from different SM-DP+ servers run on one phone?

Yes — this is the normal dual-SIM case, and the servers never interact. Each eSIM profile is an independent container on the eUICC: your home carrier's profile came from its SM-DP+ server, your travel eSIM from a different provider's server, and neither knows the other exists. The limits are on the device side, not the server side. Phones cap how many profiles can be stored (it varies by model and chip) and how many can be active at once — iPhone 13 and later and Pixel 7 and later can run two eSIM profiles simultaneously, which is what makes a home-plus-travel pairing work without swapping anything.

Will the SM-DP+ address disappear?

Slowly, for some users. The GSMA's newer eSIM Discovery service lets supported devices — over 160 models from 40-plus manufacturers so far — activate by querying a central Discovery Service with the phone's eID, skipping both the QR code and the manual address entirely, as explained in droam.news's overview of the 2026 eSIM standards. Carrier apps are absorbing the same job from the other direction. But manual SM-DP+ entry remains part of the SGP.22 standard, and it will stay relevant for the same reason it exists today: it is the fallback that works when the slick methods fail, on any eSIM phone, with any provider.

Frequently asked questions

The QR code won't scan — can I just type the SM-DP+ address manually?

Yes, that is exactly what the manual entry screen is for. Find the "Enter details manually" option under the QR scanner, then type the SM-DP+ address and activation code from your provider's email or app.

Should I type https:// in front of the SM-DP+ address?

Generally no. Enter the bare hostname (for example, rsp.provider.com). Some phones strip the prefix automatically, others reject the entry — bare hostname is the format that works everywhere.

Can I reuse the same SM-DP+ address and activation code on a second phone?

No. The activation code is single-use: once the server delivers the profile, the code is spent. Moving to a new phone means requesting a new eSIM or a reissued code from your provider.

Why did my activation code stop working after one use?

Because it did its job. The SM-DP+ server expires the code after the first successful download to stop one profile being installed on many devices. An interrupted download can also consume the code, in which case the provider has to reset it.

Does every eSIM phone accept an SM-DP+ address the same way?

The underlying standard is the same, so any eSIM-capable, unlocked phone can use any provider's address. What differs is the menu path and how forgiving each phone's keyboard and autofill are with case-sensitive entries.

What's the difference between the SM-DP+ address and the activation code?

The address says which server holds your profile; the code says which profile on that server is yours and unlocks it. You need both, which is why the QR code bundles them together.

Sources

Updated August 2026.

Transparency note: This article was researched and written by Chester Takau with AI assistance for research gathering and drafting. All recommendations reflect the author's own editorial judgment.

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