💰 iPhone Handoff looks like it’s going to be a paywalled feature, but not by Apple
📱 Verizon has confirmed support for it with iPhone Duo and the 18 Pro
📅 It’s going to charge $10 a month for it when it comes later this year
🤷♂️ Other carriers are also charging, although are more affordable – it’s $5 a month with AT&T, while EE in the UK is including it on some of its plans
It appears the clever new iPhone Handoff feature Apple has introduced with iOS 27 will be paywalled, but not by Apple.
As noted by MacRumors, various mobile carriers have confirmed they will be charging for the feature which allows one phone number to be shared across two iPhones.
Verizon intends to charge customers $10 a month for iPhone Handoff, which was confirmed in the network’s iPhone Duo announcement today. The carrier also confirmed iPhone Handoff will work with the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro.
The network stated that “Verizon will support iPhone Handoff, giving customers the flexibility to use a single Verizon phone number seamlessly across two compatible iPhone models. Whether using the pocketable iPhone Duo on the go or iPhone 18 Pro for work, customers can switch active status between devices at any time while keeping full access to Verizon’s 5G network. iPhone Handoff will be available from Verizon for $10/month on compatible iPhones models running iOS 27.”
With iPhone Handoff, users can switch between a main iPhone and a companion one with one phone number, although a phone number is only accessible on one device at a time.
Verizon says that support for the feature is “coming soon”, and Apple said that Verizon would adopt it by the end of 2026.
Other networks are also charging for iPhone Handoff, although not as much as Verizon in some respects. For instance, T-Mobile is charging just $5 a month, although AT&T has suggested it has no imminent plans to support the feature.
In the UK, carrier EE has said it too will soon support iPhone Handoff, and it’ll be included for free for those who have EE’s Full Works Plus plan. Other EE users can get it for £5 per month.
Meanwhile, in Germany, Deutsche Telekom is the only other carrier that’s added iPhone Handoff support so far, with a cost of €6.95 per month. As with EE, though, if you’re on the carrier’s MagentaMobil L and XL plans, you get the feature for free.
We first heard more about iPhone Handoff back in September when a MacRumors forum user showed it working in Xcode 27’s Device Hub.
Up next: Apple’s new iPhone Duo case requires… glue?
Reece Bithrey is a journalist with bylines for Trusted Reviews, Digital Foundry, PC Gamer, TechRadar and more. He also has his own blog, UNTITLED, and graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in International History and Politics in 2023.