T-Mobile to Charge $5 a Month for Apple's iPhone Handoff as iOS 27 Arrives
T-Mobile will charge subscribers $5 a month for Apple's iPhone Handoff, an iOS 27 feature that lets one eSIM number serve two iPhones.
Apple is rolling out iOS 27 on September 14. To use iPhone Handoff, both handsets must be running iOS 27 and signed in with the same Apple ID.
The two phones cannot use the same number at the same time. Subscribers choose which handset is active at any given moment and can switch between devices whenever they want. Calls, voicemail, messages and Find My move automatically to whichever iPhone is currently in use, and iCloud data and third-party apps sync across both devices.
Users can set up iPhone Handoff through Settings on their current device or while activating a new iPhone. On the newer phone, they open Settings, tap Cellular, and then choose either Set up Cellular or Add eSIM, before selecting an iPhone, tapping Continue and then Transfer. After following the onscreen prompts on both devices, the user only needs to unlock the iPhone they want to use; a message reading "Switched to this iPhone" appears at the top of the screen to confirm that the device is using their number.
Engadget reported the $5 monthly charge alongside the initial launch markets. The publication treated the fee as a disappointment, writing that it wished there were a carrier that eliminated such charges. T-Mobile has not said whether the fee varies by plan, and the report did not address pricing for Deutsche Telekom subscribers in Germany.
The feature extends the reach of an eSIM beyond a single handset, letting subscribers keep one number on a work phone and a personal phone, or move service to a replacement device without contacting the carrier. Apple's release schedule puts iOS 27 on devices on September 14, though the carrier's fee applies only where the feature is offered.