Apple’s new iPhone Handoff feature arriving with iOS 27 will allow users to share a single phone number across two iPhones.
Apple Announces iPhone Handoff at Surprise and Shine Event
Apple’s upcoming iOS 27 software release brings a long-awaited connectivity option that allows users to use the same number on two different phones. First teased briefly during an Apple developer conference slide earlier in the year, the capability was officially detailed during the company’s Surprise and Shine event alongside hardware rollouts like the iPhone 18 Pro and the foldable iPhone Duo.
During yesterday’s Surprise and Shine
event, Apple’s VP of iPhone Product Marketing, Kaiann Drance, shared more details about the feature: “iOS 27 improves connectivity with smarter transitions between cellular and Wi-Fi networks and introduces iPhone Handoff that lets you use a single phone number across two iPhones. The number is instantly active on whichever iPhone you pick up. iPhone Handoff launches with T-Mobile and Telekom Germany. Verizon and EE will add support by the end of the year with more carriers to follow.”
The functionality is built to help users who carry a secondary device—such as a dedicated business phone—easily move back and forth between devices optimized for the moment, whether for weekday work or weekend travel, without losing access to incoming messages and phone calls. It makes it easy to move back and forth between devices optimized for the moment — like weekday business or weekend adventures," Apple says.
Carrier Support and Monthly Pricing Structures
While Apple has scheduled the public release of iOS 27 for September 14, availability for iPhone Handoff is initially restricted to a select few telecommunications providers. T-Mobile is the sole confirmed US carrier supporting the feature at launch, but the convenience comes with a recurring charge.
Customers signing up for the capability through T-Mobile will face an extra fee of $5 per month, as noted by Stetson Doggett on X. Apple’s support page for iPhone Handoff states that carrier fees might apply when enrolling in iPhone Handoff,
and adds that customers should contact their carrier for more details. By contrast, European and UK rollout plans differ across partner networks. Deutsche Telekom is offering the feature in Germany, where a separate standalone fee is not charged specifically for Handoff; instead, the service is integrated into the carrier’s existing MultiSIM offerings. Adding a MultiSIM to an existing plan costs €6.95 per month, although one is already included at no additional cost with certain plans.
Additional carriers are slated to join the ecosystem later in the year.
Setup Requirements and Device Compatibility
To utilize iPhone Handoff, users must run iOS 27 on compatible hardware, which includes the iPhone 11 or later alongside the second-generation iPhone SE or newer models. The architecture relies entirely on eSIM technology rather than physical SIM cards, meaning users cannot simply swap a plastic card between handsets.
Configuring the feature requires both devices to be placed nearby while connected to Wi-Fi. Each phone must be signed into the same Apple Account—covering FaceTime and iMessage—with Messages in iCloud enabled to ensure seamless synchronization across both pieces of hardware.
Once you’ve got iOS 27 installed, place them both nearby, then go to Settings on one device, followed by Cellular. You’ll be prompted to hold the phones close to each other and pick which one keeps the main eSIM and which one gets the companion eSIM.
Once the setup is finalized, only the phone carrying the main eSIM will be allowed to alter the Cellular Settings after setup, keeping management centralized on a single handset while keeping the companion device instantly active on whichever phone the user picks up.
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