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T-Mobile will charge $5/month for Apple’s new iPhone Handoff feature

Apple’s new iPhone Handoff feature, which lets users share a single phone number across two iPhones, will cost $5 per month on T-Mobile. Here are the details.

Deutsche Telekom will also require a subscription

Earlier this year, during the WWDC keynote, Apple quickly showcased a slide containing dozens upon dozens of features and improvements coming to iOS 27, one of which read “Switch between two iPhone devices with the same phone number.”

During yesterday’s “Surprise and Shine” event, Apple’s VP of iPhone Product Marketing, Kaiann Drance, shared more details about the feature:

“iOS 27 improves connectivity with smarter transitions between cellular and Wi-Fi networks and introduces iPhone Handoff that lets you use a single phone number across two iPhones. The number is instantly active on whichever iPhone you pick up. iPhone Handoff launches with T-Mobile and Telekom Germany. Verizon and EE will add support by the end of the year with more carriers to follow.”

What wasn’t mentioned during the event, however, was the fact that at least for T-Mobile customers, the feature will come at a $5/month cost, as noted by Stetson Doggett on X:

Top comment by Brent Plummer

Liked by 12 people

Well, cheaper than buying two lines, I suppose, but no one is gonna be happy about it. At least it's not $10+ like many carriers charge for the Apple Watch.

Pretty neat feature if you have a lot of money and want to rock the Duo and the Pro. I'm guessing Apple employees mostly developed this, since they switch phones a lot.

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Apple’s support page for iPhone Handoff states that “carrier fees might apply when enrolling in iPhone Handoff,” and adds that customers should contact their carrier for more details.

9to5Mac consulted Deutsche Telekom’s announcement of the feature, and the carrier does not charge a separate fee for iPhone Handoff specifically.

However, the feature is part of the carrier’s MultiSIM offering. Adding a MultiSIM to an existing plan costs €6.95 per month, although one is already included at no additional cost with select plans.

To learn more about iPhone Handoff, follow this link.

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Avatar for Marcus Mendes Marcus Mendes

Marcus Mendes is a Brazilian tech podcaster and journalist who has been closely following Apple since the mid-2000s.

He began covering Apple news in Brazilian media in 2012 and later broadened his focus to the wider tech industry, hosting a daily podcast for seven years.