Is this possible? (work and personal phone setup)

[jntdroid]

I want to have two phones - one is my work phone, and the other has zero work stuff on it. I'm trying to figure out how to make this work without having to provide a new phone number to work related people/clients for calls and messages, and without having to switch sim cards between phones. Edit: if there is no good way to do this, it wouldn't be the end of the world to do a new number for clients only...

During the day/week, I could carry around my work phone, and nights/weekends I just pick up my personal phone. Is there any way to set this up to where I can have two separate phones that conceptually share the same number for calls and messages? Or any other/better ideas from someone who runs with a two phone setup to help separate work/personal?

Sidenote: Focus Mode isn't enough for me. Call me undisciplined, but I simply get to what I need to in the app "drawer" when Focus mode is on

Edit 2: I just read you can use the same Apple ID on two phone numbers, and it sounds like messages could be synced between the two, even with different phone numbers, thanks to being synced to the same iCloud? I wonder if that applies to incoming calls as well?

 

[iStorm]

Edit 2: I just read you can use the same Apple ID on two phone numbers, and it sounds like messages could be synced between the two, even with different phone numbers, thanks to being synced to the same iCloud? I wonder if that applies to incoming calls as well?

Yes and no... Making and receiving calls is possible on an iPad, iPod touch, or Mac, but I don't think it can be done with another iPhone.

With these devices, it can be done a couple different ways:​

1) iPhone Cellular Calls: This is where the iPhone acts as a relay. All devices need to be on the same network, and the iPhone needs to be nearby.​

2) Wi-Fi Calling (if your carrier supports it): The device needs to be on Wi-Fi (doesn't work over cellular data), but the iPhone can be away or turned off.​

So even if it were possible with a second iPhone, it'd need to be be on a Wi-Fi network...which probably wouldn't work for your situation.

I think your best bet would be to use two separate phones with each having their own plan/number if you really want to keep work and personal separate. What are you trying to accomplish though, or ultimate end goal? This might be a bit overkill if all you are trying to do is stop you from opening apps. Would it'd truly solve your problem? What if you start switching between phones often (checking your work phone when at home and vice versa), or heading to the App Store to get your apps.

Otherwise, I'd suggest using Focus Modes or swapping SIMs, but it seems you've already ruled them out.

 

[velocityg4]

Are you adverse to a new personal number? Is there a reason for two phones?

You could do two numbers on one phone. Sim + esim

You could also look at a third party app for a second number. It could keep in sync between two phones. Then port your number to that VOIP provider.

You could port your number to someone like ring central. To get your work calls, texts and even faxes on all your devices. Including computer. I haven’t checked for message syncing. As I only use it on a laptop.

I’d assume Google voice offers this too. Along with a lot of others.

The downside being the apps likely use data for calls. Then again my call burner uses my line for calls with a different number, I think. So maybe there’s a way for them to piggyback through your call plan instead of data.

 

[ian87w]

Easiest solution, take 2 phones with you all the time, each with its own separate number (work and personal). This is what I do in a sense.

However, sounds like you want to only carry one phone at a time. In this case, you have to figure out how to get one number on two phones. @velocityg4 's suggestions of using a VOIP provider is probably the best solution. Use something like Ringcentral/Google Voice for your number that you share with everyone. Install the app on both phones, and you can just bring one phone. Downside is you loose iMessage and have to rely on the VOIP app for calls and text. And of course, you still have to have one line on each phone for data, unless you want to move your SIM every time.

If the work phone is not company owned/controlled through MDM (ie it's your property), then you can probably just use one phone. The question is, how do you communicate for work. For example, in my case (Android, but applicable on iOS), I use dual SIM, one personal and one work. We communicate mainly on whatsapp, so I have regular whatsapp for personal, and Whatsapp business for the work number. All communications are nicely segregated. For email, you can use a separate email client for the work vs personal emails to segregate them (eg. built-in email app and GMail/Outlook).

A lot of scenarios and possible solutions, depending on your situations.

 

[jntdroid]

I appreciate all of the input.

This is more info than necessary, but regarding the "why" question - I have two great (but necessary) jobs that I love, and I'm relatively high up with a lot of responsibilities and people who need me for things at both jobs - which makes it easy for me to justify checking in all the time. But more importantly, I have three kids who are on the downhill side of being out of the house. When they're gone, I'm not going to look back and say, "man I wish I had worked more." I'm going to say, "man I wish I had spent more time engaged with my kids."

I need to do a better job of completely disconnecting from work when I'm not working, and being fully engaged with my non-work life. That's ultimately what I'm trying to do here. I do pretty good already, but definitely have room for improvement (kids sense every little distraction you have from them), so I'm just trying to figure out ways to hack my brain a bit more to get better at it. I know ultimately it comes down to a self-discipline issue. And unfortunately our phones are a pretty vital part of keeping our personal lives organized and moving forward (and our kids' lives as well, who are all old enough to "need" phones for school, groups, etc.). So I can't easily just put it away all of the time (though sometimes I could). I also would want to leave my work phone behind when I'm not actually working.

So, enter the possible solution of just having two phones.

Having two lines with two numbers might need to be the solution, and just giving clients/work contacts the new number and forwarding it if/when it's necessary, and turning off the forward when not.

Keeping a mirrored device (with work app differences) and just switching sims on the weekends could also work. I just don't want to have to switch sims (I know that's lazy of me, especially if it's just once per week).

After continued reading and seeing the helpful comments here, I don't think there will be a perfect solution without some sacrifices in one direction or another.

 

[jntdroid]

However, sounds like you want to only carry one phone at a time.

Correct - and I think if that's what I end up doing, something will have to give and it won't be perfect.

If the work phone is not company owned/controlled through MDM (ie it's your property), then you can probably just use one phone. The question is, how do you communicate for work.

No MDM, it's my property. Text and calls with clients (and a lot of iMessage, though not all); Slack, Teams, Groupme, and Texts with co-workers

Are you adverse to a new personal number? Is there a reason for two phones?

You could do two numbers on one phone. Sim + esim

Yes, but I'm less adverse to a new work number, which might be what I have to do. And ultimately I don't want it all on one phone, that's a part of the issue now.

I think your best bet would be to use two separate phones with each having their own plan/number if you really want to keep work and personal separate. What are you trying to accomplish though, or ultimate end goal? This might be a bit overkill if all you are trying to do is stop you from opening apps. Would it'd truly solve your problem? What if you start switching between phones often (checking your work phone when at home and vice versa), or heading to the App Store to get your apps.

Otherwise, I'd suggest using Focus Modes or swapping SIMs, but it seems you've already ruled them out.

I think I answered part of your question in the last post (the end goal). And yes it could be overkill. If Focus Mode made the apps harder to get to (they're just in the drawer...). Sim swapping might work, especially if I just do it on weekends. Then I could keep the two devices synced up where I want them, but have different apps on each. Or I just develop some more self discipline and let Focus Mode work and forget about the app drawer... Two phone numbers might be on the table as well, because there are definitely times where I don't need to be getting texts/calls from clients.

 

[krezimax1975]

I use 2 different numbers for work and personal. on esim. and I switch them when I'm not working. you are right - on the weekend a person should rest and be with his family.

 

[ian87w]

When they're gone, I'm not going to look back and say, "man I wish I had worked more." I'm going to say, "man I wish I had spent more time engaged with my kids."

I need to do a better job of completely disconnecting from work when I'm not working, and being fully engaged with my non-work life. That's ultimately what I'm trying to do here. I do pretty good already, but definitely have room for improvement (kids sense every little distraction you have from them), so I'm just trying to figure out ways to hack my brain a bit more to get better at it. I know ultimately it comes down to a self-discipline issue. And unfortunately our phones are a pretty vital part of keeping our personal lives organized and moving forward (and our kids' lives as well, who are all old enough to "need" phones for school, groups, etc.). So I can't easily just put it away all of the time (though sometimes I could). I also would want to leave my work phone behind when I'm not actually working.

So, enter the possible solution of just having two phones.

Having two lines with two numbers might need to be the solution, and just giving clients/work contacts the new number and forwarding it if/when it's necessary, and turning off the forward when not.

Keeping a mirrored device (with work app differences) and just switching sims on the weekends could also work. I just don't want to have to switch sims (I know that's lazy of me, especially if it's just once per week).

After continued reading and seeing the helpful comments here, I don't think there will be a perfect solution without some sacrifices in one direction or another.

First step is to decide if you want to carry one phone or two phones. Personally, I have made peace that I will carry two phones all the time with me. Segregating apps and data is easier.

Then think what kind of things you actually need to be "in sync" on both phones. I don't think mirroring them would help you in separating work and personal life. Best to keep either phone separate (literally separate set of apps, wallapaper, ringtone, etc) so your mind knows when to switch off from work. For emergency work stuff, let co-workers know that the best way to contact you is via email, then you can simply set the work email on both phones so you can at least keep tabs. Work files can easily be synced through the cloud. And that's it. I wouldn't install slack and other work related communication apps on the personal phone. It's too easy to be tempted to respond to those notifications. Just stick with email (easier to turn off notification for it).

It's a challenge for sure. But have a strong conviction to go through with the decision. Good luck/

 

[antiprotest]

Focus modes does exactly what you want, except for the discipline part, which is perhaps the part that makes the most difference, so that's too bad.

You can add Downtime to Focus to lock the work apps during personal time, and if that is not enough, since you can override Downtime, you can give the passcode to Downtime to someone else. Usually you would not need the code if you schedule the Downtime and have no need to override it.

 

[jntdroid]

Focus modes does exactly what you want, except for the discipline part, which is perhaps the part that makes the most difference, so that's too bad.

You can add Downtime to Focus to lock the work apps during personal time, and if that is not enough, since you can override Downtime, you can give the passcode to Downtime to someone else. Usually you would not need the code if you schedule the Downtime and have no need to override it.

You're 100% correct. Ultimately it's a self-discipline issue. All of these "solutions" are basically a fix for a lack of self-discipline in this area. Heck, the work stuff could be sitting on my main home screen and I still have to make a choice to check it rather than ignore it.

I didn't realize you could customize apps allowed during Downtime, that might be a great thing to try as it requires some extra input to make them work in that scenario.

 

[jntdroid]

I use 2 different numbers for work and personal. on esim. and I switch them when I'm not working. you are right - on the weekend a person should rest and be with his family.

If you have two numbers on one phone, they both become associated with your Apple ID. If you turn one of them off, and the other end is using iMessage, does that message still come through when that line is turned off? I'm assuming it does?

 

[jntdroid]

First step is to decide if you want to carry one phone or two phones. Personally, I have made peace that I will carry two phones all the time with me. Segregating apps and data is easier.

Then think what kind of things you actually need to be "in sync" on both phones. I don't think mirroring them would help you in separating work and personal life. Best to keep either phone separate (literally separate set of apps, wallapaper, ringtone, etc) so your mind knows when to switch off from work. For emergency work stuff, let co-workers know that the best way to contact you is via email, then you can simply set the work email on both phones so you can at least keep tabs. Work files can easily be synced through the cloud. And that's it. I wouldn't install slack and other work related communication apps on the personal phone. It's too easy to be tempted to respond to those notifications. Just stick with email (easier to turn off notification for it).

It's a challenge for sure. But have a strong conviction to go through with the decision. Good luck/

Thanks - this might end up being the cleanest option. A bit more hassle, but at the end of the day, this ultimately keeps things very separated.

 

[jntdroid]

Circling back here 6 months later. Yes I've still been going back and forth on options here.

I think I've gotten to the point where I'm just going to get a second phone and new number and only give that new number to people I'm ok having access to me 24/7.

It looks like there are two ways I can handle this:

1. I have two phones/numbers tied to the same Apple ID so I can mirror messages and phone calls; the logic here would be to maintain the ability to get personal messages/calls on my work phone when needed. I think message and call forwarding will work between two numbers using the same Apple ID from what I've read? The downside to this is work texts/calls will be synced to my personal phone - unless I can somehow filter those out. Hmm, I wonder if they can be forwarded one way but not the other?
2. I just keep them completely separate with no mirroring at all...

I know most won't care about these details, but I thought this thread might be helpful for others in my shoes that might come across it, so I figured I'd circle back again...

 

[ian87w]

Circling back here 6 months later. Yes I've still been going back and forth on options here.

I think I've gotten to the point where I'm just going to get a second phone and new number and only give that new number to people I'm ok having access to me 24/7.

It looks like there are two ways I can handle this:

1. I have two phones/numbers tied to the same Apple ID so I can mirror messages and phone calls; the logic here would be to maintain the ability to get personal messages/calls on my work phone when needed. I think message and call forwarding will work between two numbers using the same Apple ID from what I've read? The downside to this is work texts/calls will be synced to my personal phone - unless I can somehow filter those out. Hmm, I wonder if they can be forwarded one way but not the other?
2. I just keep them completely separate with no mirroring at all...

I know most won't care about these details, but I thought this thread might be helpful for others in my shoes that might come across it, so I figured I'd circle back again...

How do you get those messages? If just through regular SMS/iMessage, then yes, better keep them separate. You wouldn’t want to mistakenly reply someone. In fact, I would use a separate AppleID for the work number. Better to keep work and personal separate.

 

[jntdroid]

How do you get those messages? If just through regular SMS/iMessage, then yes, better keep them separate. You wouldn’t want to mistakenly reply someone. In fact, I would use a separate AppleID for the work number. Better to keep work and personal separate.

Yes, regular SMS / iMessage. My only concern with keeping them completely separate is if there's a day where I'm primarily using my work phone, I want to be able to get personal messages conveniently as well. It's not uncommon to communicate with my wife/kids via text during the day. I believe mirroring the devices will allow that to happen. I just won't to be able to filter out the opposite (getting work messages on the personal side), so maybe that's not worth it. I'm not really concerned with mistakenly replying to someone (famous last words!).

 

[ukms]

Yes, regular SMS / iMessage. My only concern with keeping them completely separate is if there's a day where I'm primarily using my work phone, I want to be able to get personal messages conveniently as well. It's not uncommon to communicate with my wife/kids via text during the day. I believe mirroring the devices will allow that to happen. I just won't to be able to filter out the opposite (getting work messages on the personal side), so maybe that's not worth it. I'm not really concerned with mistakenly replying to someone (famous last words!).

Does your carrier support sim cloning / multi sim ? ….. If so have a cloned sim in each device and switch them back and forth for the calls, the data will be shared between the 2 sims from your allowance.

Have a look at my post on the last part of this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/esim-dual-sim-q-a.2150226/page-48

 

[jntdroid]

Does your carrier support sim cloning / multi sim ? ….. If so have a cloned sim in each device and switch them back and forth for the calls, the data will be shared between the 2 sims from your allowance.

Have a look at my post on the last part of this thread https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/esim-dual-sim-q-a.2150226/page-48

No it doesn't, good idea though. I don't think that's very common in the United States unfortunately.