After killing the headphone jack, Apple could have potentially set its sight on getting rid of the SIM card slot in future iPhones. A new rumor originating from a Brazillian blog claims that the Cupertino company intends to ditch the physical SIM card slot in future iPhones.

Corroborating this rumor, MacRumors was tipped that Apple has asked US carriers to prepare for the launch of eSIM-only smartphones by September 2022. This further adds credence to the possibility of Apple ditching the SIM card slot from the iPhone 14 series in at least a few regions across the world, though the original rumor claimed this would happen with the launch of the iPhone 15 in 2023.

Apple does not bundle a nano-SIM card with iPhones purchased through its online or retail store in the US. Instead, users are required to first connect their device to a Wi-Fi network and then activate the eSIM. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 series already support eSIM, though they continue to feature a nano-SIM card slot for compatibility reasons. Many carriers worldwide still don’t support eSIM functionality, though rumors of Apple switching to eSIM-only on the iPhone 14 Pro series will boost its adoption rate in 2022.

It’s possible that Apple will launch the iPhone 14 Pro series without the nano-SIM card in the US this year and then further expand this “feature” to other parts of the world with the launch of the 2023 iPhones.

If Apple ends up entirely ditching the nano-SIM slot on the iPhone 14 Pro series in 2022, it will significantly boost eSIM adoption among carriers that have been lackluster so far. There were rumors of Apple launching a port-less iPhone in the future, but it looks like the company will kill the SIM card slot first before the Lightning port.