Verizon will charge $10 a month for iPhone Handoff, double T-Mobile's price

iPhone Handoff is a feature in iOS 27. Apple first previewed it at WWDC and shared more details at its "Surprise and Shine" event last month, 9to5Mac reports. It lets two iPhones share a single phone number.

Here is the key detail: the number is active on only one iPhone at a time. You don't get two working lines. You get one line that hops between two phones.

Think of it like a single house key that you move from one jacket to the other. You own two jackets, but only one can open the front door at a time.

When you switch, MacRumors explains, these things move to the phone you are using:

• Calls and voicemail: they ring on the active iPhone.
• Messages: iMessage, RCS, SMS and MMS all follow you.
• Find My: your location comes from the active phone.
• Confirmation: the screen shows "Switched to this iPhone."

Don't confuse it with Apple's older Handoff feature. That one lets you start an email on your iPhone and finish it on your Mac. The new one moves your phone number, not your apps.

Verizon tucked the price into its iPhone Duo pre-order announcement on October 16. The carrier says it will support iPhone Handoff on two compatible iPhones running iOS 27.

Verizon gives an example: use the pocketable iPhone Duo on the go and an iPhone 18 Pro for work. You can switch which phone is active at any time and keep full access to Verizon's 5G network.

The price is $10 a month on compatible iPhones. Verizon calls it "coming soon" and gives no date. MacRumors notes that Apple had already said Verizon would add the feature before the end of the year.

By the numbers: $10 a month is $120 a year. Over a typical 2-year stretch, that adds up to $240 on top of your plan.

T-Mobile got there first. It already supports iPhone Handoff in the US and charges $5 a month, according to both 9to5Mac and MacRumors. Verizon's price is exactly double.

Here is where the feature stands today:

In Germany, Deutsche Telekom runs iPhone Handoff through its existing MultiSIM service. It costs €6.95 a month unless your plan already includes it. MacRumors reports that the L plan includes one extra SIM and the XL plan includes two.

The UK news is newer. MacRumors reports that EE said this week it will soon support iPhone Handoff. Customers on EE's Full Works Plus plan will get it free. Everyone else on EE pays £5 a month.

AT&T, the third big US carrier, seems to be sitting this one out for now. When CNET asked last month, AT&T acknowledged the feature's possible benefits, 9to5Mac reports. But the carrier said it was focusing on its existing eSIM activation and transfer options instead.

The catch: if you are on AT&T and want this feature, there is no price to compare yet. There is simply no option. That could change, but AT&T has not made any promises.

The timing is no accident. Verizon announced the price alongside the iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable iPhone. It opens to a 7.6-inch screen and closes to a 5.4-inch one, Verizon says. Pre-orders opened October 16, and it reaches stores October 23. We covered the launch details in our story on iPhone Duo pre-orders.

The iPhone Duo starts at $1,999. Verizon also offers it for $72 a month for new customers on its Simplicity plan: $42 for the phone over 48 months and $30 for the plan. Some buyers will keep their current iPhone as a second phone instead of trading it in. For them, iPhone Handoff turns two phones into one number.

In real life Say you carry the iPhone Duo to the office for its big screen, then grab your older iPhone for a run because it is lighter. With iPhone Handoff, you unlock the small phone at the door, and your calls and texts follow you out. Unlock the Duo when you get back, and they move again.

Other people who might care:

• Work and personal phones: one number, two devices, switch when you clock out.
• Travelers: a rugged phone for the trip and a nicer one for home.
• Parents with a backup phone: a spare that can take over if the main one dies.

Setting it up takes a few taps, according to MacRumors. On a new iPhone, choose "Use Number on This iPhone and Another" on the Set Up Cellular screen. On a phone you already use, go to Settings, then Cellular, then Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM.

You then pick a main iPhone and a second one. MacRumors suggests making the main one the phone you use most. A few things stay tied to it:

• Apple Watch: it does not switch with your number, so pair it with your main iPhone.
• Wallet: some transit passes and IDs may work on only one phone at a time.
• Carrier settings: call forwarding, caller ID and account management stay on the main phone.
• Requirements: both phones need iOS 27, Messages in iCloud, and the same Apple Account for FaceTime and iMessage.

Banking apps may ask you to approve access on the second phone. Some other apps may need a fresh sign-in or a little time to sync.

Dual SIM users have one more rule. MacRumors says iPhone Handoff works with Dual SIM only if both eSIMs come from carriers that support it. You set up each eSIM separately, one at a time. After that, both switch together when you unlock the other phone.

You can, MacRumors explains. Place the new iPhone next to your current ones, open Settings, then Cellular, and choose Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM. Pick the iPhone to move from and tap Transfer.

If your carrier does not support moving the eSIM from a companion iPhone, you have to enroll in iPhone Handoff again. Either way, the eSIM switches off on the phone you moved it from.

If you ever want to stop, call your carrier: MacRumors warns that deleting the eSIM from your phone may not stop the monthly charge. That matters even more at $10 a month.

• Verizon customers: iPhone Handoff is coming, but it will cost $10 a month, and there is no launch date yet.
• T-Mobile customers: you already have it for $5 a month, half of Verizon's price.
• AT&T customers: there is no iPhone Handoff option for now, and AT&T has not promised one.
• iPhone Duo buyers: if you plan to keep your old iPhone as a second phone, add $120 a year to your budget on Verizon.