iPhone Handoff Feature Has an Extra Cost — Here’s How Much

The iPhone Handoff feature, which enables sharing a single phone number across two iPhones, carries an additional monthly cost imposed by carriers. T-Mobile, for instance, charges customers $5 per month for utilizing the feature. This cost applies to iPhone models running iOS 27, including the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and iPhone Duo, which ship with the feature natively.

However, the active phone number cannot be simultaneously active on both devices; users must switch the active connection between the two iPhones. T-Mobile’s support is necessary for the feature’s activation, even though updating an iPhone to iOS 27 alone is insufficient. In contrast, German carrier Telekom provides the feature via its MultiSIM service, with the price depending on Telekom’s existing MultiSIM arrangements.

The iPhone Handoff feature extends beyond sharing a phone number, as it allows for seamless transfer of calls, voicemail, iMessage, RCS, SMS, and MMS between devices. The active iPhone also assumes responsibility for location tracking through Find My. While both iPhones remain linked to the same Apple Account, iCloud-synced data updates remain consistent.

On compatible T-Mobile plans, the second iPhone can also leverage mobile data, hotspot functionality, and other eligible carrier services. Still, limitations exist, such as only one iPhone being able to connect to the mobile network at a time, and certain Wallet items and Apple Watch connections remaining tied to a single iPhone.

For frequent switchers between two iPhones, Handoff simplifies the process of changing the active phone number without repeatedly transferring the cellular connection.