Apple is set to introduce a new feature in its upcoming iOS 27 operating system that will allow a single phone number to be shared across two iPhones. The feature can be activated through the Settings app, with the primary device’s eSIM serving as the foundation for assigning a profile with the same number to a secondary device. Carrier support is essential for the feature to function, with U.S.-based T-Mobile and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom expected to be the initial launch partners.<\/p>\n
The new feature, called “iPhone Handoff,” can be enabled through the Cellular menu within the Settings app on the device users use most frequently. During setup, users select which iPhone will serve as the primary device, with the other automatically becoming the secondary device. The details were reported by MacRumors on September 2.<\/p>\n
Under the hood, the primary device retains the primary eSIM, while the secondary device receives a companion profile linked to the same number. The number is not simultaneously active on both devices; rather, location data is shared from whichever device is actually using the cellular connection at any given time. All settings are managed centrally from the primary iPhone.<\/p>\n
Requirements include two iPhones running iOS 27 and an eSIM from a carrier that supports the feature. Both devices must belong to accounts with the same carrier. According to user reports cited by MacRumors, T-Mobile briefly opened registration for the feature last month before withdrawing it. In Germany, Deutsche Telekom is expected to be among the first carriers to offer the service.<\/p>\n
Apple first announced the feature at its developer conference in June, though details were scarce at the time. This week, a participant in the developer forums demonstrated the setup process using two simulated iPhones in Xcode 27’s Device Hub\u2014marking the first time the general public has seen the actual user interface in action.<\/p>\n
The technical foundation for this feature dates back four years. In 2022, Apple eliminated the physical SIM tray from U.S. versions of the iPhone 14, and the subsequent iPhone Air was sold as an eSIM-only device. The company has been steadily migrating number provisioning from plastic cards to software, and iPhone Handoff represents the latest step in that evolution.<\/p>\n
Apple’s eSIM transition has unfolded in the following stages:<\/p>\n
The iPhone Air, announced and released in September 2025 alongside the iPhone 17 series, was the world’s first device to adopt an eSIM-only design without a physical SIM slot. iPhone Handoff can be seen as the culmination of this four-year transition.<\/p>\n
In practical terms, the feature could appeal to users who carry separate work and personal devices, or those who want to use a secondary iPhone as a companion device while their primary phone is charging. Previously, such scenarios required swapping SIM cards, call forwarding, or maintaining a second line. iPhone Handoff offers a software-based solution jointly controlled by carriers and Apple, drawing significant attention in the industry.<\/p>\n
Apple has scheduled its next iPhone unveiling event for September 9, where the iPhone 18 Pro and the company’s first foldable model are widely expected to debut. The public release of iOS 27 is anticipated within days of the event, following a beta testing period of approximately three months. Apple has not yet disclosed which markets will receive iPhone Handoff at launch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Apple is set to introduce a new feature in its upcoming iOS 27 operating system that will allow…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84373,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20989],"tags":[21597,11785,45571,60980,60982,60981,21550],"class_list":["post-84372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-deutsche-telekom","tag-apple","tag-deutsche-telekom","tag-esim","tag-ios-27","tag-iphone-18-pro","tag-iphone-handoff","tag-t-mobile"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/germany\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}