Apple's iOS 27 Extends 1 Number to 2 iPhones With iPhone Handoff

Q: Could Apple’s new dual-iPhone feature secretly increase your monthly carrier bill, or will networks offer companion eSIMs for free?

It could raise your bill, and there is no evidence yet that companion eSIMs will be free. What Apple has shown so far is a technical setup: one “main” eSIM stays on the primary iPhone, while a “companion” eSIM is provisioned on the second phone. But the feature appears to depend on carrier support, which means pricing will likely be decided by each network, not by Apple. The clearest clue is how carriers already handle similar services. Cellular Apple Watch plans often use number-sharing or companion-line arrangements, and many carriers charge a monthly add-on for that rather than including it at no cost. That makes a free companion eSIM possible, but not the most obvious default. Networks could treat it as a premium multi-device feature, especially if both devices can stay associated with one number. There is also no official carrier price list yet. T-Mobile in the U.S. and Deutsche Telekom in Germany are mentioned as likely early supporters, but neither Apple nor the carriers have publicly confirmed whether the second eSIM will be bundled, offered as a limited-time perk, or billed as an extra line or add-on. The practical takeaway is that users should not assume this will be free. If iPhone Handoff launches as expected with iOS 27 later this month, the key detail to watch will be each carrier’s terms: whether the companion eSIM is included in your existing plan, requires a monthly surcharge, or is limited to premium tiers.

Q: If your companion iPhone automatically updates your shared location, what happens when someone else picks up your secondary device?

If someone else picks up your secondary iPhone while it is the device actively using your number, your shared location could appear to move with that phone. That is the clearest implication of Apple’s current iPhone Handoff design. The feature reportedly makes location sharing follow whichever iPhone is “currently using the number,” so Find My and other shared-location views may reflect the companion phone’s location rather than your physical location. In practical terms, if you leave the secondary device with a family member, friend, or even lose it, people you share location with could see that device instead of you. What is not yet clear is whether Apple will offer safeguards before the public release of iOS 27. Apple has not published the full support document or detailed privacy controls for iPhone Handoff, and the feature is still emerging from beta testing. It is possible Apple could let users lock location sharing to one device, pause it, or warn users when the active number shifts to the companion phone, but none of that has been officially confirmed. Until Apple spells out the controls, the cautious assumption is simple: location sharing may follow the active handset, not the person. That makes the feature convenient for switching between two personal iPhones, but potentially confusing if the companion device is borrowed, misplaced, or intentionally carried by someone else.

3 articles · Updated · Digital Trends · Sep 3

A newly surfaced demo shows iOS 27's iPhone Handoff letting one phone number work across two iPhones by pairing a main device with a companion device.
Settings place the primary eSIM on the main iPhone, while the second phone gets a companion eSIM tied to it rather than a full cellular clone.
Location sharing also shifts dynamically to whichever iPhone is actively using the number, making swaps between personal and work phones more seamless.
Carrier support remains a gatekeeper: the feature appears to require participating networks, with T-Mobile in the US and Deutsche Telekom in Germany cited as early candidates.
Apple teased the feature at WWDC in June and is expected to ship iOS 27 later this month, when launch support across carriers and iPhones should become clearer.