Unlock the second iPhone, and the phone number follows: Apple’s iPhone Handoff brings that switch to iOS 27, with a monthly charge attached for T-Mobile customers. Apple introduced the feature at its September 9 event; 9to5Mac and MacRumors now report that T-Mobile will charge $5 per month for the shared-number service. Two iPhones can use the number, but only one can keep it active at a time.
iPhone Handoff Adds a Monthly Charge
Apple’s September presentation put the handover on stage before the carrier bill entered the picture. Kaiann Drance, Apple’s vice president of iPhone Product Marketing, described a number that becomes active on whichever iPhone its owner picks up. The event carried the name Surprise and Shine. Apple had already previewed the idea in a slide at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), promising a way to switch between two devices with the same number. [1]
T-Mobile’s price emerged in the reporting that followed. Marcus Mendes at 9to5Mac cited Stetson Doggett’s post on X about the $5 monthly cost, while Juli Clover at MacRumors reported the same charge and detailed the service requirements. Apple also leaves room for billing in its support guidance: “carrier fees might apply when enrolling in iPhone Handoff.” The fee comes from the carrier. Installing iOS 27 alone does not establish eligibility for the service. [1, 2]
How much does T-Mobile charge monthly? For this particular feature, the reported answer is $5 a month in addition to the underlying mobile service, rather than a total monthly phone bill of $5. Neither report provides a universal price for the eligible plan itself. A customer’s full bill depends on that plan, so the Handoff figure answers the cost of sharing the number, without settling the cost of the whole account.
One Active Phone at a Time
Apple gives the two devices different roles during setup: a main iPhone and a secondary iPhone that shares its number. Unlocking either device triggers the automatic move. The number can be active on only one iPhone at a time, according to MacRumors’ account of Apple’s requirements. That limit determines what the subscription buys: the ability to move the number between compatible phones, with activation following the device in use. [2]
T-Mobile says calls, texts and data work across the two compatible iPhones when the customer has an eligible plan, and its list also includes mobile hotspot, Scam Shield and T-Satellite. Plan eligibility still matters. The reports do not say that paying the Handoff fee adds every listed service to every account, so the $5 figure should not stand in for the conditions attached to the existing subscription. [2]
Both phones need preparation before that automatic switch can happen. Apple requires iOS 27 or later, a Wi-Fi connection and the same Apple Account on both devices, with FaceTime, iMessage and Messages in iCloud enabled. MacRumors says activation can happen while setting up a new iPhone or through the Settings app. Carrier support is mandatory. A pair of phones meeting the software requirements still needs a participating network before its owner can enroll, and the reports describe compatible iPhone models without supplying a complete model-by-model eligibility list. The next check belongs with the carrier: whether the particular phones and plan qualify for its offer. [2]
Germany Takes the MultiSIM Route
Deutsche Telekom puts the same Apple feature inside an existing subscription arrangement in Germany. According to 9to5Mac, which consulted the carrier’s announcement, Telekom does not impose a separate charge specifically for iPhone Handoff. It supplies access through MultiSIM (its additional-SIM offering), which costs €6.95 per month when added to an existing plan. Some plans already include a MultiSIM without an additional charge. [1]
T-Mobile and Telekom Germany launch first. Verizon and EE are due to add support by the end of the year. [1, 2]
Apple named those later carriers during Drance’s presentation, but the supplied reports give no Handoff prices for Verizon or EE. Their eventual bills cannot be inferred from T-Mobile’s $5 fee or Telekom’s MultiSIM rate. Even the two launch offers need separate explanations: Telekom customers may already have the required MultiSIM included, whereas T-Mobile’s reported offer carries the monthly Handoff charge. The carrier and existing plan shape the cost as much as the software feature does.
Apple’s support guidance directs customers to their carrier for fee details. For a Telekom subscriber, the practical question is whether the current plan includes MultiSIM; for a T-Mobile subscriber, it is whether the plan and devices qualify for the reported offer. Those checks come before enrolling, and they leave another question for anyone expecting both phones to behave identically: what happens to the items beyond the phone number?
Wallet and Watch Keep Their Limits
Apple’s Wallet rules draw a line through the two-device promise. Payment cards and car keys can work across both iPhones, MacRumors reports, but Apple warns that certain other Wallet items may work on only one phone at a time. Transit passes, identification documents and corporate badges fall into that group. An active phone number on the second device does not establish that every credential from the first device will work there too. [2]
An Apple Watch does not transfer. iPhone Handoff leaves the watch’s iPhone pairing outside the handover, so switching the active number should not be mistaken for moving the entire arrangement of connected devices. The exception matters when a person alternates between two iPhones: cellular service may follow the unlocked phone while the watch remains subject to its own pairing relationship. Apple describes a shared-number feature, with specific boundaries around other parts of the setup. [2]
Two-phone ownership also sits behind the interest in Apple’s expanding hardware range. PerEXP Teamworks’ coverage of Gurman’s report that the iPhone Duo could start at $2,000 examines that prospective purchase cost. The Duo price remains a reported possibility. The Handoff reports establish no Duo-specific requirement; they describe compatible iPhones and supported carriers.
Dual SIM Needs Separate Setup
Apple also supports Dual SIM (two mobile subscriptions on one iPhone), provided both eSIMs come from carriers that support iPhone Handoff. Each eSIM needs its own setup. After enrollment, unlocking the iPhone switches both eSIMs simultaneously, according to MacRumors. An owner with two subscriptions must check support for both carriers; the feature’s availability on one subscription does not establish eligibility for the other. [2]
MacRumors lists Monday, September 14, for the iOS 27 release and Friday, September 18, for the new iPhone 18 Pro models. Carrier participation remains a separate requirement when the software arrives. The launch timetable gives owners a date to prepare their devices, while the plan checks, account settings and Wallet restrictions determine how much of their everyday setup can accompany the number.
Enrollment also has a lasting consequence: iPhone Handoff stays enabled until the customer contacts the carrier to turn it off, MacRumors reports. Before activating the service, customers can confirm the monthly charge and device eligibility with T-Mobile or check MultiSIM inclusion with Telekom Germany. Anyone later wanting to end the arrangement must take that request back to the carrier. [2]
- ONLINE NEWS Mendes, M. (2026, September 10). T-Mobile will charge $5/month for Apple’s new iPhone Handoff feature. 9to5Mac. [Article Link]
- ONLINE NEWS Clover, J. (2026, September 10). T-Mobile to charge $5 a month for iOS 27 iPhone Handoff. MacRumors. [Article Link]
