Motorola Phones Get Built-In Travel eSIM for Data Abroad

Motorola is taking the hassle out of international connectivity by embedding a native travel eSIM experience directly into its smartphones, eliminating the need to hunt down third-party apps or fumble with physical SIM cards at airport kiosks.

The feature launches as an app called Global Connect, available for download from the Google Play Store, though it will come preinstalled on future Motorola devices. Any Motorola phone with eSIM capabilities can use it, including budget models like the $180 2026 Moto G Play. For now, the service is live in five Latin American markets: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, and Chile. Motorola says support for Germany, the UK, and Europe will roll out within weeks, but has not yet announced a timeline for the United States.

Travel eSIMs have surged in popularity because they let users instantly activate a data-only plan for their destination, often at a fraction of the cost of standard international roaming. They don’t support voice calls or SMS, but travelers typically rely on apps like WhatsApp for communication anyway. With Global Connect, users can top up their data allotment through the app on a pay-as-you-go basis, avoiding the inconvenience of visiting a SIM card vendor at the airport.

The service is powered by Gigs, a San Francisco company that enables businesses to sell mobile data plans without navigating complex telecom contracts. Gigs also powers mobile plans for Klarna and Cash App. Motorola says it collaborated closely with Gigs to ensure the experience feels like a seamless, Motorola-branded feature rather than a third-party add-on.

Motorola claims this is the first time a major smartphone maker has integrated a travel eSIM natively, though Chinese rival Xiaomi offered a similar virtual SIM function as early as 2015 before discontinuing it.

Sudhir Chadaga, Motorola’s vice president for Partnerships, explains that users simply install Global Connect, create a Gigs account, and receive 1 GB of free data with their first travel eSIM (for a limited time). After that, they can purchase additional data at competitive rates: $3 for 1 GB valid for 30 days, up to $14 for 20 GB. The service covers more than 160 countries, and the same eSIM can be reused for future trips.

“What we’re trying to do for our consumers is solve that friction point of getting that travel eSIM quickly on the device as they’re heading out to travel,” Chadaga says. “With Global Connect, that’s exactly what we’re bringing to our users.”

The cost savings are significant. Travel eSIMs are far cheaper than traditional roaming, where carriers often charge double the price for half the data. Siddhant Cally, a senior analyst at Counterpoint Research, notes that legacy network operators in some regions were offering roaming at twice the cost for half the data compared to travel eSIMs.

The combination of low prices and the ability to download and store an eSIM before departure has made these services immensely popular. In response, U. S. carriers like T-Mobile, Verizon, and AT&T have launched their own travel eSIM options for visitors entering the country during the World Cup, aiming to protect their roaming revenue from third-party competitors.