What Is an APN? Access Point Name Explained, Plus Official APN Settings for AT&T, T-Mobile and Mint

Quick answer: what is an APN?

APN stands for Access Point Name. It is the setting your phone uses to connect to your carrier's mobile data network and, from there, to the internet. Google describes access point names as settings that "help your carrier find the right IP address for your phone and connect your phone securely" (Google Pixel Help).

• It is usually set for you. T-Mobile says all devices it sells, and many it doesn't, configure network and data settings automatically. US Mobile says iPhone users don't need to enter APN settings by hand.
• Change it only when told to. Apple's advice: "Don't edit the APN unless directed by your carrier or mobile device administrator."
• Common US APNs (as of Nov 6, 2026): T-Mobile fast.t-mobile.com, AT&T ENHANCEDPHONE (5G smartphones) or NXTGENPHONE (LTE devices), Mint Mobile Wholesale.
• On a travel eSIM, the APN normally comes with the eSIM. What matters abroad is that Data Roaming is on for the travel eSIM line.

APN settings for US carriers (as of Nov 6, 2026)

These values come only from each carrier's own support page. Enter them only if your mobile data doesn't work and the APN field is empty or wrong, or if your carrier asks you to. Type them exactly: US Mobile and Mint Mobile both point out that APN entries are case-sensitive.

Sources: T-Mobile, AT&T, Mint Mobile, US Mobile, checked Nov 6, 2026. The carrier pages also list MMS settings for picture messages. If you enter an APN by hand, copy those fields from the same page.

What about Verizon? We didn't find a Verizon support page that lists a phone APN, so Verizon isn't in the table. Verizon's help pages for its own mobile hotspots, for example the Jetpack MiFi 8800L, say to enter VZWINTERNET if the APN field is blank or shows SOS. If a Verizon phone has no data, contact Verizon before you type anything.

What does an APN do?

Every time your phone uses mobile data, it connects through an access point in your carrier's network. The APN names that access point. If the APN is right, your phone gets online. If it is missing or wrong, you can have full signal bars and still no data.

That is why AT&T's APN help page starts with "Can't connect to the internet on your mobile device?" (AT&T). Picture messages (MMS) can fail too, because T-Mobile and AT&T list the MMS settings in the same APN entry.

What is inside an APN entry

When you open an APN on Android, you see a list of fields. Here is what they mean, with T-Mobile's published values as the example (T-Mobile):

Where to find APN settings

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Cellular, then Cellular Data Network. On some devices the path is Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options > Mobile Data Network.
3. You see the APN here and can edit it if your carrier allows it.

According to Apple, you can only view or edit the APN if your carrier allows it. If the menu is missing or locked, contact your carrier. Three more points from Apple:

• Reset Settings in the Cellular Data Network screen brings back your carrier's default APN.
• Updating iOS resets manual APN changes to the defaults, so a value you typed in can disappear after an update.
• If your carrier needs a different APN, you might be able to use a configuration profile with the correct setting. iOS updates don't reset it, and Reset Settings then uses the profile's values.

Android

• Google Pixel: Settings > Network & internet > SIMs > Access point names.
• Samsung Galaxy: Settings > Connections > Mobile networks > Access Point Names, then tap the access point you want to check.

Google notes that these settings vary by phone and Android version, so the names on your phone may differ a little. Sources: Google Pixel Help, Samsung Support.

When should you change your APN?

Almost never. Most phones get the right APN automatically, as T-Mobile and US Mobile note on their APN pages. Look at it only in these cases:

• Your carrier tells you to, or gives you new values.
• You brought an unlocked phone from another carrier and mobile data doesn't work. T-Mobile and Mint Mobile both describe manual APN setup for exactly this case.
• You have signal but no data, the steps below didn't help, and the APN field is empty or clearly wrong.

Then enter exactly what your carrier's own support page says. Don't copy values from random APN lists online, and don't "tweak" a working APN to get faster speeds. One typo is enough to cut off your data.

No data? Check these before you touch the APN

A wrong APN is rarely the problem. Go through this list first:

Sources: Apple, if you can't set up an eSIM, Apple, data roaming options, Apple, choosing the data line. On Pixel, mobile data and roaming are in the same Network & internet > SIMs menu as the APN (Google).

Last resort: Reset Network Settings. On iPhone, T-Mobile gives the path Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings, and warns that it resets all network settings, including saved Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth pairings (T-Mobile). On Pixel, Google lists Reset Mobile Network Settings under System > Reset options (Google).

APN on an eSIM and a travel eSIM

With an eSIM, the APN normally comes with the eSIM profile you install, so you usually don't type it in. If your eSIM provider's instructions name a specific APN, enter exactly that value. New to eSIM? Start with What is an eSIM?.

On a travel eSIM, another setting matters much more: Data Roaming must be on for the travel eSIM line. As the eSIMFOX installation guide puts it: "Travel eSIMs need data roaming enabled to connect to partner networks abroad."

1. Install the eSIM before your trip, while you are on Wi-Fi. eSIMFOX's rule: install before travel, connect after landing.
2. After landing, go to Settings > Cellular, tap the travel eSIM line, then Cellular Data Options, and turn on Data Roaming.
3. Under Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data, choose the travel eSIM as your data line.
4. Turn off cellular data switching so your phone doesn't fall back to your home SIM. You can leave Data Roaming off for your home line.

Sources: Apple, data roaming, Apple, eSIM while traveling, eSIMFOX installation guide.

Signal bars but no data on the travel eSIM? The eSIMFOX guide says this usually means mobile data is still on your main SIM, roaming is off, or the phone joined the wrong network. Missing APN settings or a plan for the wrong country are less common causes. eSIMFOX asks you to send your order number and screenshots of your eSIM and cellular settings on WhatsApp.

Visiting the US? According to the eSIMFOX USA eSIM page, the eSIM connects to AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon partner networks, validity starts with the first network connection in the USA (not when you buy), and you turn on data roaming after you arrive. For a comparison of options, see Best eSIM for the USA.

Sources

• Apple: View and edit your APN on your iPhone and iPad, If you can't set up an eSIM on your iPhone, About cellular data roaming options, Use eSIM while traveling internationally, checked Nov 6, 2026.
• Android: Google Pixel Help, connect to mobile networks, Samsung Support, what is an APN (updated Aug 14, 2026), checked Nov 6, 2026.
• Carriers: T-Mobile data & APN settings, AT&T program data settings, Mint Mobile Android settings, US Mobile list of APN settings, Verizon Jetpack APN, checked Nov 6, 2026.
• eSIMFOX: installation guide and USA eSIM page, checked Nov 6, 2026.

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