My current multi-phone strategy
Reply to: A comment by Jerry
I also have multiple phones (a Pixel and an iPhone), and when reading about others who use multiple phones I'm always curious: how do you handle data and phone numbers? Do you have a sim card that you move around, do you have multiple sims, or do you use one phone as your "main" phone and then use wi-fi or hotspot using the others when you need to?I've personally enjoyed having two phones, and since I do dev work on both it's nice to keep up with both OSes, but juggling is sometimes a struggl…
In response to a question a commenter named Jerry asked, I want to briefly explain my multi-phone strategy.
My Samsung Galaxy A54 is my main phone, which I carry everywhere I go, except for planned bike rides, for which I use my Samsung Galaxy XCover 7. That device is more robust, and in case the battery becomes weak, I have the possibility to easily change it, as it has a removable back plate and the battery can be swapped without any tools (it also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack!). But it also acts as a backup for some two-factor authentication apps (banking etc.). The iPhone (SE 2020) is currently just sitting at home and is used to manage the YouTube Premium subscription and whenever I feel like doing some casual gaming or exploring the world of iOS.
For the SIM cards, eSIMs, and mobile phone contracts, I have the following strategy: I have a business phone contract (I don’t have a business, but I am co-owner of some rented properties) with unlimited data/calls/texts and four included SIM or eSIM cards (the providers calls it “multicard”; I could even get a fifth, but that would cost extra). Whenever someone calls me, I can take up the call on any of these cards. One physical SIM card is in my A54, one eSIM is in my smartwatch (a Galaxy Watch 7), and another physical SIM is in the 5G router I use for internet at home. Then there’s another physical SIM that is mostly in the XCover 7, but that’s the card I sometimes also use for other purposes (like trying it in the iPhone or temporarily using another LTE router).
Next to this main phone contract, I also have two other free eSIMs with a couple of GB data allowance and unlimited calls and texts in both the A54 and XCover 7. Those are for fallback purposes (as they are in another network) or whenever I want to test something.
Having many things twice or tree times is a common theme that is also present in some other areas, like having three bikes, two electric toothbrushes, or two identical pairs of slippers. 😅 But just one romantic relationship! ☺️