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Interesting technology, but what is the intended use?

fraXis 15d ago
So you can use more than one iPhone as your primary phone. For example, if you have the new iPhone Duo but want to use your other 'standard' iPhone for the telephoto zoom camera capability, you could transfer your phone number from the Duo to that phone for the day if you're going to be out taking a lot of pictures. When you are done, transfer it back to the Duo, and the Duo will become your primary phone again.
- DANmode 15d ago
  So, popping out the SIM and putting it into a different phone, but with extra paid steps?
  - jasomill 15d ago
    The promise of eSIMs delivered for only $5/month. Honestly, a carrier charge for this feature doesn't sound any less reasonable than a variety of other near-zero marginal cost services providers have offered in the past, but $5 seems steep since you can add an entirely separate user to an existing family plan for not much more than $10.
- mrheosuper 15d ago
  i thought idevice can receive call/sms as long as they are login with same account? I tested it on my ip13mini, ip7+ and macbook.
  - lathiat 15d ago
    I think for phone calls this only works on Facetime and for calls maybe only on Wifi. SMS syncing is true. But if you have a phone and you're out and about you also need mobile data, so would otherwise need a second mobile plan. Or to swap the SIM over, which was easier with a physical SIM, more difficult with eSIMs.
  - klausa 15d ago
    The SMS forwarding is handled entirely within iMessage. Phone call forwarding works when all the devices are nearby, and they can handoff the audio streams between themselves; but you can't pick up a phone call on your Mac if your phone is on the other side of the world/at the office/etc; the feature we're talking about here would not have this limitation.
- alterom 15d ago
  >So you can use more than one iPhone as your primary phone. For example, if you have the new iPhone Duo but want to use your other 'standard' iPhone for the telephoto zoom camera capability, you could transfer your phone number from the Duo to that phone for the day if you're going to be out taking a lot of pictures. When you are done, transfer it back to the Duo, and the Duo will become your primary phone again. Ah, so the functionality that switching the physical SIM card gave you instantly and at no cost at all. Thanks, I hate it.
bigfatkitten 15d ago
Travel is one. Have a daily driver phone that you use at home, and another one with much less personal data that you take across borders.
- benoau 15d ago
  Wouldn't all the apps, app data, your photos, messages etc be synced between your phones?
  - fraXis 15d ago
    Yes, they would be, because you are still logged into your Apple account. You wouldn't use iPhone Handoff for border crossing unless you wanted to leave one phone at home and transfer your number to the iPhone you are taking with you when you leave the country. Still, the phones would have identical data on them unless you turned off syncing for certain apps, such as iMessage (messages).
ChrisRR 15d ago
People who want 2 phones but one number. Seems self explanatory to me

So you can use more than one iPhone as your primary phone. For example, if you have the new iPhone Duo but want to use your other 'standard' iPhone for the telephoto zoom camera capability, you could transfer your phone number from the Duo to that phone for the day if you're going to be out taking a lot of pictures. When you are done, transfer it back to the Duo, and the Duo will become your primary phone again.

DANmode 15d ago
So, popping out the SIM and putting it into a different phone, but with extra paid steps?
- jasomill 15d ago
  The promise of eSIMs delivered for only $5/month. Honestly, a carrier charge for this feature doesn't sound any less reasonable than a variety of other near-zero marginal cost services providers have offered in the past, but $5 seems steep since you can add an entirely separate user to an existing family plan for not much more than $10.
mrheosuper 15d ago
i thought idevice can receive call/sms as long as they are login with same account? I tested it on my ip13mini, ip7+ and macbook.
- lathiat 15d ago
  I think for phone calls this only works on Facetime and for calls maybe only on Wifi. SMS syncing is true. But if you have a phone and you're out and about you also need mobile data, so would otherwise need a second mobile plan. Or to swap the SIM over, which was easier with a physical SIM, more difficult with eSIMs.
- klausa 15d ago
  The SMS forwarding is handled entirely within iMessage. Phone call forwarding works when all the devices are nearby, and they can handoff the audio streams between themselves; but you can't pick up a phone call on your Mac if your phone is on the other side of the world/at the office/etc; the feature we're talking about here would not have this limitation.
alterom 15d ago
>So you can use more than one iPhone as your primary phone. For example, if you have the new iPhone Duo but want to use your other 'standard' iPhone for the telephoto zoom camera capability, you could transfer your phone number from the Duo to that phone for the day if you're going to be out taking a lot of pictures. When you are done, transfer it back to the Duo, and the Duo will become your primary phone again. Ah, so the functionality that switching the physical SIM card gave you instantly and at no cost at all. Thanks, I hate it.

bigfatkitten 15d ago

Travel is one. Have a daily driver phone that you use at home, and another one with much less personal data that you take across borders.

benoau 15d ago
Wouldn't all the apps, app data, your photos, messages etc be synced between your phones?
- fraXis 15d ago
  Yes, they would be, because you are still logged into your Apple account. You wouldn't use iPhone Handoff for border crossing unless you wanted to leave one phone at home and transfer your number to the iPhone you are taking with you when you leave the country. Still, the phones would have identical data on them unless you turned off syncing for certain apps, such as iMessage (messages).

ChrisRR 15d ago

People who want 2 phones but one number. Seems self explanatory to me