Has anyone changed to using an esim with republic wireless on their iphone and using the nano sim slot for a different provider on the same phone. I’m not sure if I’m brave enough to try it yet.
I have used eSIMs on both Apple iPhones and Google Pixels. Some Samsung models (generally newer S series and Note series phones) support eSIM also. I’ve not yet attempted moving an RW by DISH line to eSIM. The documentation on how to do so must be relatively new. Last I had checked in, it was new lines only.
If the idea is to use dual SIM via eSIM, I think I’d leave RW service on the physical SIM and use an alternate provider’s eSIM. Several have free trials. When it comes technological transitions, RW by DISH isn’t exactly confidence inspiring. If, unlike RW by DISH currently, the alternate provider supports eSIM on Android as well as iPhone, one could keep their My Choice plan on a physical SIM while activating a second line on eSIM.
Are you using iPhone instead of Android now?
For what it’s worth, I walked through RW by DISH’s documentation. It’s accurate but could be improved. Because, iPhones that support eSIM are dual SIM phones, there are two IMEIs. On needs to pick one and that’s not mentioned in documentation or the activation flow. I’m stopping short of activating the eSIM with my current RW by DISH number and no longer have interest in adding any lines.
@rolandh yes I am using the iphone SE 2 with republic wireless. I still am using the Hello mobile $5 plan which uses T-Mobile which is the only reception in some areas around my location. They do not support esim. With both carriers on the same phone it would of course save carrying two phones and my ability to forget the other phone.
Tello has a $6/month plan (and eSIM) but you only get 100 minutes as opposed to Hello Mobile’s unlimited talk. Like Hello Mobile’s $5 plan, text messaging is unlimited and you would get 500 MB of cell data. Tello doesn’t advertise it, however, if one remembers to manually renew their plan the day before it auto-renews, anything unused that is metered rolls over to subsequent months forever as far as I’m able to tell.
I use Tello for my locked T-Mobile hotspot device. Obviously the hotspot doesn’t do talk but it does do SMS. Tello, like Hello Mobile operates on T-Mobile’s network. Let me know if giving Tello a try is of interest to you.
Update:
I was able to switch my republic wireless line to esim using the republic wireless document instructions. And then added the Hello Mobile physical sim to the phone.
Thanks for being the guinea pig! I’m very much interested in eSIM but not ready to make the move. It’s nice to know, RW by DISH managed to get something right. 
The one drawback to eSIM is it’s more difficult to switch service from one phone to the next. When helping others troubleshoot, I find it sometimes helpful to be testing on the same brand with which they are having difficulty.
For those who have moved their primary line to eSIM and are looking for a second “emergency” line, FreedomPop’s Walmart exclusive might be of interest. The cost of the SIM is $10, however, one gets limited monthly service free.
FreedomPop is now owned by Red Pocket. They no longer use Voice over Internet Protocol numbers or require use of an alternative dialer (Phone app). The numbers attached to the Walmart exclusive SIM and coverage are on T-Mobile’s network.
Here’s a fun fact; the guy who founded and sold FreedomPop now works for DISH running Boost.
With republic wireless (AT&T) as primary using esim and Hello Mobile (T-Mobile) using the physical sim and the above setting, I visited friends ten miles from my house and no AT&T signal there. The phone automatically switched to Hello Mobile(T-Mobile network) which is excellent service in that area because of towers built there by the local NTelos network which was sold to sprint. Did not miss any text or emails and able to search with the phone browser.
Felt like this must be similar to the Google fi experience.
I took the plunge on eSIM (with Mobi not RW by DISH and on Android rather than iPhone).
For some time, iPhones with dual SIM capability, have had the ability to make “Wi-Fi” calls using the other SIMs cell data. This is a nice to have when traveling internationally. For example, if traveling to France, one would be able to make “Wi-Fi” calls using the service attached to one’s domestic U.S. SIM leveraging the cell data provided by a local French SIM.
Google Pixels (series 6 and newer) are also capable of performing this trick. On Pixels, it’s called “Backup calling”. I have “Backup calling” enabled for the RW My Choice SIM in my Pixel 6a. If I were ever in an area where the RW My Choice SIM lacked coverage and Wi-Fi was also unavailable, I would still be able to make and receive calls leveraging the cell data from the Pixel 6a’s Mobi eSIM.
Dual SIM Samsung phones are equally capable at the hardware level. Samsung calls the feature “Automatic data switching”. Alas, while Samsung enables “Automatic data switching” for international variants, it is disabled for North American models.