One phone number can now follow two iPhones. Apple’s iPhone Handoff lets users share the same eSIM number between two devices, provided both run iOS 27 and use the same Apple ID. Verizon plans to support the feature by the end of 2026, but that access will cost $10 a month.
Verizon describes iPhone Handoff as “coming soon” to its network. The carrier will offer Apple’s feature for iOS 27, which was released in September, giving customers another way to keep one number across two compatible iPhones.
The arrangement comes with a clear limitation: both phones cannot use the shared number at the same time. Users must choose which iPhone is active, then switch the primary device whenever they want.
How iPhone Handoff Works
When the active device changes, calls, messages, and Find My move to the iPhone being used. iCloud backups sync across both devices, so the two phones share more than a number while remaining separate pieces of hardware.
Both iPhones must run iOS 27, connect to Wi-Fi, and share the same Apple Account to use Handoff. Apple also advises putting passcodes on the phones so users can control which device actively uses the number.
Setup starts on the newer iPhone. Go to Settings > Cellular > Set up Cellular or Add eSIM, then select iPhone > Continue > Transfer.
The process is simple on paper, though the service is not free. Verizon will charge $10 a month for iPhone Handoff, making the carrier’s version twice the price of T-Mobile’s offering.
Carrier Support Comes With Different Prices
T-Mobile is the first US carrier to support iPhone Handoff and charges $5 a month. Deutsche Telekom charges six euros and ninety-five cents, while Verizon has set its price at $10 a month.
That leaves carrier support and monthly pricing varying by provider, which is familiar territory for anyone who has ever tried to compare wireless plans without losing the will to live. Verizon’s service is coming soon, with support planned by the end of 2026.
AT&T does not support Handoff as of the publication of the sources. For customers who use two iPhones, the choice therefore depends on both the carrier and the price attached to keeping one number available across devices.
The feature covers several practical setups. One person might use two iPhones and switch the active device as needed, while another might keep separate work and personal phones that share a number through Handoff.
It also supports a larger phone-and-smaller-phone arrangement without requiring a second number. The shared eSIM stays tied to the compatible devices, but only the selected iPhone handles the number at any given time.
iPhone Handoff does not make two phones active together. It makes switching between them possible while calls, messages, Find My, and iCloud backups follow the selected device.
That is the useful part. The $10 monthly fee is the part Verizon customers will notice first.
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