BELLEVUE, September 16 — T-Mobile US is the only American carrier putting Apple’s new iPhone Handoff in customers’ hands, and it is charging for the privilege. Apple began rolling out the feature as part of iOS 27 on September 14, letting a single phone number move between two iPhones and activating on whichever device the user unlocks.
The shift is a quiet one, but it matters. iPhone Handoff works at the telephony layer, not the app layer — a different animal from Apple’s existing Handoff, which moves emails or browser tabs between devices. Here, calls, voicemail, messages and Find My all follow the unlocked phone.
How it works
Setup designates one iPhone as the main device, which keeps the original eSIM. The second becomes a companion device, receiving a linked eSIM tied to the same number through the carrier. Unlock the companion and a banner appears at the top of the screen reading “Switched to this iPhone.” Both phones cannot be active at once.
Cellular settings such as roaming and data options are managed exclusively from the main iPhone. Users set it up through Settings, then Cellular, then Set Up Cellular or Add eSIM on the companion device.
MacRumors reported the pricing plainly. “T-Mobile will charge customers $5 per month to use iPhone Handoff, an eSIM feature that allows the same phone number to be used on two separate iPhones,” the outlet wrote.
Carrier support is the gate
Updating to iOS 27 is not enough. The carrier must enable the companion eSIM on its network before anything works, which means users in markets with limited initial support are stuck waiting regardless of their iOS version. That gating factor explains the split picture in Europe.
Deutsche Telekom in Germany folds the feature into its existing MultiSIM offering, which typically runs 6.95 euros per month (about US$7.50) but is included at no extra charge in higher-tier MagentaMobil plans. European customers on qualifying plans get Handoff as part of a product they are already paying for.
Verizon and EE are expected to add iPhone Handoff support later this year, but neither has confirmed pricing. Until they do, T-Mobile customers are the only U.S. users who can access the feature at all. The reporting advises users to check their plan directly with their carrier before assuming Handoff is included.
Watch this space — the pricing that lands when the other carriers switch on will tell you whether Handoff becomes a standard part of the plan or a line item everywhere.
