Best approach to running 2nd iphone

[manni]

I've recently bought an iphone8 to replace my 5 but I'm hoping to keep the old 5 going for a while yet. My life is split between two countries for work so it makes sense for me to have an iPhone in each country with a sim set up.

My question really comes down to whether i should set up the new phone as a new phone or restore it. Does it matter if I restore from a backup of my 5 but then keep going with the 5? I guess the system is intended for those who lose or sell their old phone so that the back up is used to set up a new phone as a replacement - in my case I want it as an addition not a replacement though.

Has anyone else attempted this? Had any issues?

I already split my iCloud account between an iPad and iPhone so I know there isn't any huge issue in this regard - really just trying to see if there is anything I've missed. I'm minded to just set it up as a new phone but will of course then not have the past messages and photos etc - is there any downside to restoring the new phone from back-up but carrying on using the old phone I wonder?

 

[eyoungren]

I have a 6s+ and a 5. I set up the 5 as new, but logged in with my Apple ID and designated the phone number for the 5 as the identifier for iMessage and Facetime.

I use my 5 for financial transactions and some network monitoring. Other than Apple Pay, which it cannot do, it's easier to pull out my 5 for Walmart Pay, CVS, store cards, etc.

Setting it up seperate keeps all that stuff on one phone but still lets me utilize my Apple ID for relevant stuff. I also have a Google Voice number set up on this phone and use Google's app for texting. That number I give out to those sites requiring a phone number for security purposes. Since it's a GV number if it gets burned it isn't my main number, nor the number for the 5.

My 6s+ I continue to use as my main phone. Email, light web browsing, texting, calls, etc. Other than Apple pay I don't use it for transactions.

I also have a 4s which is logged in under the same Apple ID and I use an email as it's identifier. Mainly that sits, but I also use it for network monitoring.

I had an iPad which was also logged in under my Apple ID, but that has since been sold.

One last use, and to me an important one, is that both my 5 and my 4s serve as trusted devices for my Apple ID. If someone steals my 6s+ or I otherwise lose it I can still gain access to my Apple ID with those two phones or, because I have 2FA active - allow or deny requests to use my credentials with those phones. It's a good backup.

 

[manni]

I have a 6s+ and a 5. I set up the 5 as new, but logged in with my Apple ID and designated the phone number for the 5 as the identifier for iMessage and Facetime.

I use my 5 for financial transactions and some network monitoring. Other than Apple Pay, which it cannot do, it's easier to pull out my 5 for Walmart Pay, CVS, store cards, etc.

Setting it up seperate keeps all that stuff on one phone but still lets me utilize my Apple ID for relevant stuff. I also have a Google Voice number set up on this phone and use Google's app for texting. That number I give out to those sites requiring a phone number for security purposes. Since it's a GV number if it gets burned it isn't my main number, nor the number for the 5.

My 6s+ I continue to use as my main phone. Email, light web browsing, texting, calls, etc. Other than Apple pay I don't use it for transactions.

I also have a 4s which is logged in under the same Apple ID and I use an email as it's identifier. Mainly that sits, but I also use it for network monitoring.

I had an iPad which was also logged in under my Apple ID, but that has since been sold.

One last use, and to me an important one, is that both my 5 and my 4s serve as trusted devices for my Apple ID. If someone steals my 6s+ or I otherwise lose it I can still gain access to my Apple ID with those two phones or, because I have 2FA active - allow or deny requests to use my credentials with those phones. It's a good backup.

Thanks for such a detailed answer. And yes, I hadn't thought of that, another trusted device is welcome.

Did you mean that you set up the 6s+ as new and then logged in with your apple ID and designated the number for the 5 as the identifier? That sounds sensible and somehow setting it up as new seems "cleaner" to me.

Have you, or anyone else here, tried having two phone numbers associated with iMessage for one iCloud account? Most people I know have both my numbers so it's not a big deal but still not sure which way to go on that.

 

[eyoungren]

Thanks for such a detailed answer. And yes, I hadn't thought of that, another trusted device is welcome.

Did you mean that you set up the 6s+ as new and then logged in with your apple ID and designated the number for the 5 as the identifier? That sounds sensible and somehow setting it up as new seems "cleaner" to me.

Have you, or anyone else here, tried having two phone numbers associated with iMessage for one iCloud account? Most people I know have both my numbers so it's not a big deal but still not sure which way to go on that.

No, I meant I set up the iPhone 5 as new and then entered my Apple ID details, using the 5's phone number as the identifier.

My main phone number, the phone number of the iPhone 5 and my Google Voice number are all entered as trusted phone numbers for my Apple ID.