Dual Sim Smartphone

[stewartglock]

I wanted to throw this question out there and see if anyone has any experience with it.

My issue is I have a personal cell and a work cell. Apple has made forwarding everything to one phone or the other easier, but there is still some functionality that is missing. I've tried to make the jump to Android a couple of times but just haven't been able to fully commit. All this to ask, does anyone have any experience using a dual sim smartphone?

It would be wonderful if I could slap both sim cards in one handset and it would operate as 2 cell phone. Maybe it is just a dream of mine but the little bit of reading I have done makes it sound like tech is there or is close.

 

[TerryMiller]

Even if the tech is there, you'd probably be charged for two phone lines. Plus, if one is on the personal line and the business line rings, decisions would have to be made, especially if the personal line was about something very important for the family.

But, I would doubt that the technology is there. Even the manufacturers would probably not want to give up too much to customers.

However, this is just speculation on my part.

 

[stewartglock]

Hey Terry, thanks for the input. Fortunately, the tech is there but provided by only a few manufacturers. What I have read is it is something the carriers do not want because people use dual sim phones for international travel to avoid international calling and data plans. I pay for my personal phone but the company I work for pays the work phone, so I already have 2 sims. The OnePlus 5t seems to be the best dual sim smartphone on the market currently. What I may run into if I decided to try this route is if IT and IT security at the company I work for would allow it. How it works is you assign one sim as the primary which will work for calls text and data on 4G, the other sim as secondary and works for calls texts and 2G/3G data if applicable (this is the way the OnePlus 5t works, others work similar with slight differences it seems).

 

[TerryMiller]

Just out of curiosity, who would be buying the phone and determining which (business or personal) would be the Primary? Or, it might be that you don't need so much data capability for one or the other, thus making the decision that way. But, like you say, I'm not sure your IT security would like the idea.

We are retired now and seeing the country, so I wouldn't need two phones, but if worse comes to worse, two very slim phones stuck together back-to-back with velcro might accomplish nearly the same thing.

(Just brainstorming there.)

 

[stewartglock]

It would be me buying the phone. I've been carrying 2 phones now for 7 years now and as they get larger and larger you can imagine its a hassel. I don't mind the iPhone Plus size, but its tough to fit a Plus and a 7 in a pocket.

I would make business primary, it gets used more. I may just stick to forwarding my personal phone (calls and texts) to my work phone as they are both iPhones and Apple has it pretty close to being seemless.

 

[NightShade]

There are a ton of dual sim phones out there. The problem with them is they are only partially compatible with the systems in the US. Most of them are also oddball brands and they are sold for use in around Asia where one cell company has service in one town and another company has service in another area. For instance the Philippines is one like this. They have two or three carriers but no single carrier has service in every city so to have a phone that works everywhere you have to have two sim cards.

It sucks having two phones though I understand. I actually use google voice for a second line, you can port numbers in and out with it but no clue if it works on an iphone or not. But I can make outbound calls as if I am using that number, receive calls with it and send and receive text messages. I use a different dialer for each line so there is no confusion on which one is which.

 

[BReeves]

I have two phones also. Only issue I have with forwarding all my business calls to my personal phone is if I return a call without thinking the caller ID gives them my personal number and the number isn't registered on the business phone. If I want to call back or save the number I have to enter it on the business phone. Most of the calls I get are personal and why I forward the business line, I own the business so it isn't a big deal but it is an issue. Doubt it would be much different dealing with contacts on a dual SIM phone. Maybe that are smart enough to have two contact lists.

 

[donner]

i could be wrong, but i believe there are some apps out there that give you more functionality of two phones. I.e. you run all your business stuff through the app and it can simulate an outgoing call from that number, etc. Google voice has a lot of options, too, but if you already have two numbers you might not want to port one over to google voice.

i've got a business phone that i forward to my personal. it's only an issue when someone tells me they've texted me something and/or i make an outgoing call from my phone since it shows as an out of state area code. Older folks often will screen my calls out but that is changing as more and more people get used to having 'one' number they take with them for years.

 

[Backstrap]

i could be wrong, but i believe there are some apps out there that give you more functionality of two phones. I.e. you run all your business stuff through the app and it can simulate an outgoing call from that number, etc.

I use the app Hushed on my iPhone 7 - gives me a second number for incoming and outgoing calls & text messages right on my existing phone.

 

[Mos Eisley]

Just tell your IT guys that you don't need their official e-mail on your phone. You have a server in your basement and you wipe it down with a cloth once a week.