Two phones, one number?

[Beefuhfulchi]

I've had a phone on contract for the past year and still have another year to go, but I also added an S24 ultra to my account, now I have two phones with active contracts. Is there any way to use the phone number from my original phone across both phones, so I don't have to keep checking both?

[Chris_B]

@Beefuhfulchi  You can forward all calls to your new phone via the old phone.   Look for call forwarding.  This doesn’t include text messages though.  

  Alternatively, set up your new phone with the eSIM on the device and then put your old Sim card into your new phone. You then have a one phone with two numbers and everything will be on the new device.  

Make sure the esim is working before you put your old sim in the new device. 

[Beefuhfulchi]

Thanks for the info! I did consider the esim thing but I looked around on this forum and it looks like once you make an esim the original card becomes useless? I don't wanna test it out because I don't want to use an esim unless I have to. 

Edit: I think I misread your reply, I'm still using both devices so I actually want my old number to still be active on both my old phone and my new. Any way to do that including texts?

Also, if I forward calls, will I only get them on the handset I'm forwarding them to, as opposed to both?

Cheers!

[Chris_B]

@Beefuhfulchi  All calls will be only on the new handset with call forwarding and there is no way to get texts to go forward. 

[XRaySpeX]

You can't have 2 SIMs with the same no.

[Dougal62]

There are videos on YouTube quite clearly showing one number working on two separate phones side by side so those on here that say it can't work have no idea. The only thing is finding a provider that will allow this service. That's what I'm trying to do and if I have to physically call all the major providers then that's what I'll do. It's something I definitely want because call forwarding is not being allowed after an update to the system on one of my phones!

[Chris_B]

@Dougal62   It’s not possible as you would be migrating the number from one sim to the other sim it cannot be one number on 2 sims and no UK network provides 2 sims with one number.    So obviously you are not looking at a YouTube clip that’s about a UK network.     YouTube is world wide not uk based.    So obviously your assumption is totally wrong.  

[Dougal62]

Thanks for the obvious Chris. Yes it was in America. I was merely pointing out that it can be done and I have a partial solution to my quest tonight. Apart from switching to Apple technology because apparently EE allow this if you have Apple phones through Smart Number, in the UK - I have went down the WhatsApp route and can ask my interested parties to contact me via this. It's all I need. Two phones with the same ability to call and send messages and not having to use the same number. Obviously other social media platforms should follow suit, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Why didn't I think of this before, 🤔 Anyway, thanks for your input Chris. Now to change the operating system on both phones to get away from Google's stranglehold 🤗

[bristolian]

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@Dougal62 wrote:

There are videos on YouTube quite clearly showing one number working on two separate phones side by side so those on here that say it can't work have no idea.

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Two phones cannot have the same number, anyone who claims otherwise is mistaken.

Orange used to offer a "Single Number" facility whereby two phones operated under one number, but did both have separate numbers. Various technical solutions were employed to hide the second number, but it was always there. Vodafone Spain also had a similar setup.

Those technical solutions - different for each operator - did provide limitations in the service. WhatsApp is an app and does not route calls in the same way as mobile networks - you cannot make or receive calls to & from landlines, only other app users.

[Dougal62]

Totally understand where you are coming from. So is this a fake video (regardless that it's presumably in the USA): ---https://www.alltop9.com/use-same-mobile-number-on-two-phones/---