Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Sep 2
Apple Adds 2-iPhone Number Switching in iOS 27 as Release Nears Later This Month
Updated
Updated · MacRumors · Sep 2

Apple Adds 2-iPhone Number Switching in iOS 27 as Release Nears Later This Month

3 articles · Updated · MacRumors · Sep 2

Summary

  • A MacRumors forum demo showed iOS 27's new "iPhone Handoff" letting users switch between two iPhones while keeping the same phone number active on either device.
  • Settings in the Cellular menu designate a main iPhone and a companion iPhone; the main device keeps the primary eSIM, while the second gets a companion eSIM.
  • Apple routes all cellular management through the main iPhone, and location sharing follows whichever phone is currently using the number.
  • Two iPhones running iOS 27 and carrier support appear to be required, with T-Mobile in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom in Germany cited as possible early partners.
  • Apple only briefly referenced the feature at WWDC in June, and more details are likely when iOS 27 ships after roughly 3 months of beta testing later this month.

Insights

How will carriers handle security when your single phone number suddenly exists on two different iPhones simultaneously?
Could Apple’s new cellular handoff secretly be a strategy to double hardware sales by encouraging multiple device ownership?
Will Apple's groundbreaking iOS 27 eSIM feature finally pave the way for their highly anticipated foldable iPhone?