T-Mobile to Charge $5 Monthly for Apple's iPhone Handoff, Launching with iOS 27

Apple is preparing a new capability called iPhone Handoff that will let a single eSIM number work across two iPhones. According to Engadget, the feature is set to arrive with iOS 27, which Apple will release on September 14.

On T-Mobile in the United States, subscribers will pay an additional $5 per month for access, Engadget reports. The carrier has positioned the charge as a recurring add-on. The feature will also be available to Deutsche Telekom customers in Germany at launch, though pricing for that market was not detailed in the source material.

The central limitation is that both phones cannot use the same number simultaneously. T-Mobile subscribers will choose which device is active and can switch between them at any time, per Engadget. When a swap occurs, calls, voicemail, messages and Find My move automatically to the iPhone currently in use. iCloud data and third-party apps also sync across devices, the report states.

Setting up Handoff can be done either from the current device's Settings or during activation of a new iPhone. On the newer phone, users navigate to Cellular in Settings, then tap Set up Cellular or Add eSIM. From there, the flow is iPhone > Continue > Transfer. After following the on-screen prompts on both devices, the user only needs to unlock the iPhone they want to use. A confirmation message reading "Switched to this iPhone" appears at the top of the screen to indicate the active device.

Both devices must run iOS 27 and share the same Apple ID for Handoff to work. Engadget also noted, in a critical aside, that the $5 fee contrasts with T-Mobile's past branding as an "un-carrier" that removes certain charges.

For readers, the practical questions are straightforward. Handoff is aimed at people who carry two iPhones and want to avoid swapping SIMs or managing separate numbers. That could include professionals who keep a work and personal device, frequent travelers who want a secondary handset, or anyone who upgrades regularly and wants to keep an older iPhone as a backup. The benefit is continuity: a single number that follows the user rather than the hardware.

The trade-offs matter. The $5 monthly fee is a recurring cost on top of existing service, and the one-device-at-a-time limitation means the feature does not turn two phones into a simultaneous dual-line setup. Users who need both devices reachable at once will not get that here. The setup process also requires both phones on iOS 27 and signed into the same Apple ID, which may rule out scenarios where devices are managed by different accounts or where one phone cannot be updated.

No details were provided about whether other carriers will support Handoff, how Deutsche Telekom will price it, or whether Apple will expand availability beyond the initial launch partners. Those gaps are worth watching as iOS 27 rolls out.

Attribution: This article is based on reporting by Engadget.