Two phones, one number: Apple just beat Android to a very handy feature

If you regularly carry two phones, Apple just removed one of the biggest annoyances that comes with it. iOS 27 officially introduces iPhone Handoff, letting you switch between two iPhones while keeping the same phone number.

Apple confirmed the feature today as part of its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo announcements. The company says iPhone Handoff will allow users with supported carriers to “easily switch back and forth between two iPhone models with the same phone number.” iOS 27 rolls out next week on September 14.

This isn’t actually the first we’ve heard of iPhone Handoff. Apple briefly mentioned the feature at WWDC in June without explaining it, and we got a much better look at it in an iOS 27 beta last week. That showed a setup with a primary eSIM on one iPhone and a companion eSIM on the other, so you can pick up either phone and stay connected without manually porting your number.

There is a fairly big catch at launch. Buried in the small print of Apple’s announcements is confirmation that iPhone Handoff will initially only work with T-Mobile in the US and Telekom in Germany. However, CNET reports that Verizon and EE are set to gain support by the end of the year, with more carriers to follow.

That limited availability takes a little shine off the feature for now, but being able to move one number seamlessly between devices could be particularly handy if you keep a foldable, gaming phone, or another specialist handset alongside your daily driver. Apple has beaten Android to making that idea a reality.