I often read in these forums where people use more than 1 phone and it sounds like it's not just a work phone and personal phone. I'm sure I've read posts where people have 3 phones. Just wondering how common this is for people. Do people have multiple lines active at once or they're just using one phone and switching sims when they want to use a different phone?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Using more than 1 phone
- Thread starter dsa1971
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Outside of the forums I don't think it's very common, unless it is work and personal. I usually have multiple phones at the same time for personal use, but just until I decide what I want to keep. Anytime a new one comes out, I buy it at the very least to test it. I decide what I like best and sell the other one. I know a few people have an iPhone and an android phone just so they can test both OS's. I have an ipad and that is how I test iOS.
Using more than 1 phone
I have had an iPhone since the 3GS so when the iPhone 5 came out I got it right away. However, Android started to look more and more appealing and when the Nexus 4 got announced I jumped on it because of the price, it being unlocked, and pure android experience. I ended up liking it and used it primarily for a couple months. But I couldn't bring myself to sell my iPhone because every now and then I'd pick it up and use it and just remember how much I enjoy using it. Also, it's 64GB and it holds all my music/podcasts. Being limited to just 16GB on my N4 kind of sucks.
So I liked both phones and couldn't decide which to keep or which to sell. I just chose to hold onto both and have the best of both worlds in case anything crazy was announced from either Google or Apple. Google I/O didn't bring as much as I expected but then again I don't think it was the main android event. There are reports that there will be another event or press release this summer to unveil 4.3 and a new N7. I'm really excited by Googles new direction and design language, so I want to be able to get the new stuff right away.
Obviously, WWDC is coming in a few weeks and we will get a peak of iOS 7 hopefully. I want to keep my iPhone in case it turns out to be great. I'm not holding my breath though. Not to mention whatever we see at WWDC probably won't actually come to our devices until the fall.
I have had an iPhone since the 3GS so when the iPhone 5 came out I got it right away. However, Android started to look more and more appealing and when the Nexus 4 got announced I jumped on it because of the price, it being unlocked, and pure android experience. I ended up liking it and used it primarily for a couple months. But I couldn't bring myself to sell my iPhone because every now and then I'd pick it up and use it and just remember how much I enjoy using it. Also, it's 64GB and it holds all my music/podcasts. Being limited to just 16GB on my N4 kind of sucks.
So I liked both phones and couldn't decide which to keep or which to sell. I just chose to hold onto both and have the best of both worlds in case anything crazy was announced from either Google or Apple. Google I/O didn't bring as much as I expected but then again I don't think it was the main android event. There are reports that there will be another event or press release this summer to unveil 4.3 and a new N7. I'm really excited by Googles new direction and design language, so I want to be able to get the new stuff right away.
Obviously, WWDC is coming in a few weeks and we will get a peak of iOS 7 hopefully. I want to keep my iPhone in case it turns out to be great. I'm not holding my breath though. Not to mention whatever we see at WWDC probably won't actually come to our devices until the fall.
If WWDC fails to impress, I'll seriously consider getting a Nexus 4.
I love Apple (and even work at a Premium Reseller) and I couldn't imagine living without a Mac, but it pains me to say that I'm currently getting quite frustrated by the iPhone's state of affairs.
Android is looking more and more impressive all the time and I'm a big user of Google's services, so it makes a lot of sense to have a Nexus phone.
As well as that, I've had quite a few issues with my iPhone 5, such as camera dust (which has thankfully become invisible in photos recently, moved off the sensor) and now the front-facing microphone has died... the aluminium casing is also horribly easy to dent and scratch, but I hate cases.
Ideally, I'd like to have both my iPhone and a Nexus 4, though I'm not sure I can afford to have both. I'm also unsure how I'd feel being literally the only guy at my workplace without an iPhone.
I love Apple (and even work at a Premium Reseller) and I couldn't imagine living without a Mac, but it pains me to say that I'm currently getting quite frustrated by the iPhone's state of affairs.
Android is looking more and more impressive all the time and I'm a big user of Google's services, so it makes a lot of sense to have a Nexus phone.
As well as that, I've had quite a few issues with my iPhone 5, such as camera dust (which has thankfully become invisible in photos recently, moved off the sensor) and now the front-facing microphone has died... the aluminium casing is also horribly easy to dent and scratch, but I hate cases.
Ideally, I'd like to have both my iPhone and a Nexus 4, though I'm not sure I can afford to have both. I'm also unsure how I'd feel being literally the only guy at my workplace without an iPhone.
I hold accounts with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon and also have a few MVNO SIMs lying around for when I need them. I usually carry two phones with me, but never more than three.
Generally if you carry multiple phones, I recommend going the MVNO route or have one line with a major carrier and have any other phones you'd like to use on an MVNO plan.
Generally if you carry multiple phones, I recommend going the MVNO route or have one line with a major carrier and have any other phones you'd like to use on an MVNO plan.
At the moment I have an S3 on Verizon and a Nexus 4 on T-Mobile. I never really do this but I wanted to switch to the T-mobile Walmart plan (but was worried T-Mobile wouldn't have the best coverage in my area). The two different lines sucks and I can't wait to get back to one phone line. I'll probably keep the Nexus and then may buy another phone on Craigslist as a backup however.
Sounds like a lot of people are torn like I am between platforms. I still only have iPhone 4S but if I could justify it financially I would have more than one phone. I have tried android devices but they haven't stuck with me. Part of me wants to switch to android since I use google drive, gmail, google maps so I sort of want to be all in on one platform.
I actually have 4 phones at the moment. iPhone 5, Galaxy S3, Galaxy Note 2, and LG Optimus G. My daily driver is the Note 2.
There's no being torn on the platforms for me. Frankly, the reason I've got the iPhone 5 is because my wife has my old 4S, so I like to keep an iPhone around for myself in case she needs help figuring something out (so I can do the tinkering on my device rather than hers). She'll also eventually take over my iPhone 5 and we'll sell her 4S, which will leave me with her upgrade to use at my discretion (I'm also eligible for an upgrade right now, but I'm waiting to see what's coming down the pipeline later this year). While there are a couple of apps that are iPhone-specific that I miss sometimes, Android just seems to work better for my needs.
I'm hoping to be down to 3 phones later this week, as I'm about to pull a trade for the HTC One. I'll be trading my S3 and OG for it (a 2-for-1). I could sell the S3 for about $300-$325 and the OG for about $225, so when you do the math, they add up to about the cost of a mint used One.
There's no being torn on the platforms for me. Frankly, the reason I've got the iPhone 5 is because my wife has my old 4S, so I like to keep an iPhone around for myself in case she needs help figuring something out (so I can do the tinkering on my device rather than hers). She'll also eventually take over my iPhone 5 and we'll sell her 4S, which will leave me with her upgrade to use at my discretion (I'm also eligible for an upgrade right now, but I'm waiting to see what's coming down the pipeline later this year). While there are a couple of apps that are iPhone-specific that I miss sometimes, Android just seems to work better for my needs.
I'm hoping to be down to 3 phones later this week, as I'm about to pull a trade for the HTC One. I'll be trading my S3 and OG for it (a 2-for-1). I could sell the S3 for about $300-$325 and the OG for about $225, so when you do the math, they add up to about the cost of a mint used One.
I have two phones, a Nexus 4 and a 4S. Both have active service through T-Mobile using the $30 accounts on each. Why? Mostly just for the 5GB data plan that I have on each one. My Nexus 4 is my main phone. I once had a $30 plan on my 3GS also but three plans was too much even though they were only $90 total.
I am currently using two phones. A BB Tour for work and an SGS3 for personal use. I also kept my old personal phones.
My Nokia N97 acts as a music player for legacy devices. It has an FM transmitter. I can play the music on the phone via any FM receiver. It is pretty handy to play my music over my old portable stereo.
I also kept my old HTC Desire Z. Sometimes, I just load some apps on it to test out the latest up dates before deciding to update the app on my current SGS3.
My Nokia N97 acts as a music player for legacy devices. It has an FM transmitter. I can play the music on the phone via any FM receiver. It is pretty handy to play my music over my old portable stereo.
I also kept my old HTC Desire Z. Sometimes, I just load some apps on it to test out the latest up dates before deciding to update the app on my current SGS3.
I really like Apple's iCosystem more than Google. But Android Smartphones, from a hardware perspective, just beat the pants off of the iPhone.
As strange as this sounds, I think iOS beats out Android but Samsung and HTC have cleaned Apple's clock when it comes to Smartphone hardware.
Still Apple reigns supreme in the tablet market with the iPad and in the personal computer market with the MacBook Pro and Air. I don't see Apple losing this position within the next two to four years.
With that said, I would like to have the latest and greatest Android Smartphone and I would like to have an older iPhone for when I need to use iOS on a Smartphone.
In my book, the best that could happen would be for Apple to buy HTC, slap an Apple logo on the HTC One, load it with iOS 7.0 and call it the iPhone 6.
So I have a work phone, a personal iPhone and a personal Android phone.
As strange as this sounds, I think iOS beats out Android but Samsung and HTC have cleaned Apple's clock when it comes to Smartphone hardware.
Still Apple reigns supreme in the tablet market with the iPad and in the personal computer market with the MacBook Pro and Air. I don't see Apple losing this position within the next two to four years.
With that said, I would like to have the latest and greatest Android Smartphone and I would like to have an older iPhone for when I need to use iOS on a Smartphone.
In my book, the best that could happen would be for Apple to buy HTC, slap an Apple logo on the HTC One, load it with iOS 7.0 and call it the iPhone 6.
So I have a work phone, a personal iPhone and a personal Android phone.
I usually have one main high end expensive smartphone which is my "daily driver." For the past few years this has been my iPhone 4 which is now getting on a bit and due for replacement soon.
I then traditionally have a second phone which I replace every few months or so. Usually I pick these up on the cheap (Amazon price drops, sales, eBay, etc.) so I can try out different devices and different platforms. Most of these were HTCs and BlackBerries.
These days I just use the one phone because I'm often too busy to mess about with phones like that these days, plus I lack the disposable income. I also have filled my need for Android with my Nexus 7 anyway and I will be replacing my iPhone with a BB10 phone (still unsure of which one) to try something new. Maybe I'll just get the cheap Q5.
I then traditionally have a second phone which I replace every few months or so. Usually I pick these up on the cheap (Amazon price drops, sales, eBay, etc.) so I can try out different devices and different platforms. Most of these were HTCs and BlackBerries.
These days I just use the one phone because I'm often too busy to mess about with phones like that these days, plus I lack the disposable income. I also have filled my need for Android with my Nexus 7 anyway and I will be replacing my iPhone with a BB10 phone (still unsure of which one) to try something new. Maybe I'll just get the cheap Q5.
I'm in the two column:
iPhone 5 - daily driver (use as my main phone)
Droid DNA - android development/when I feel like something different
I swap SIM cards. I like iOS "just works" and the flexibility of Android.
People think its stupid to have two phones but I have two xbox 360s, multiple computers, and more than one glass in the cupboard.
iPhone 5 - daily driver (use as my main phone)
Droid DNA - android development/when I feel like something different
I swap SIM cards. I like iOS "just works" and the flexibility of Android.
People think its stupid to have two phones but I have two xbox 360s, multiple computers, and more than one glass in the cupboard.
I don't carry more than one phone but I have a few that I keep around.
iPhone 5 is my fall back (safe) phone. If all else fails, I know that it's there, solid as a rock. Currently trying to decide between the HTC One and GS4. This is seriously the hardest choice ever decision ever. Love the hardware on the One but digging some of the software on the S4.... decisions, decisions....
----------
LOL, 4 nexus 4s?
iPhone 5 is my fall back (safe) phone. If all else fails, I know that it's there, solid as a rock. Currently trying to decide between the HTC One and GS4. This is seriously the hardest choice ever decision ever. Love the hardware on the One but digging some of the software on the S4.... decisions, decisions....
----------
LOL, 4 nexus 4s?
I've been an iPhone guy since the 3G, but recently was afforded the luxury of carrying two phones because of my job (sales, company pays for the line).
Given my company requires iOS, I decided instead of carrying two iPhones (or consolidating to a foreign phone number and one phone), I'd try out Android.
Began with the Nexus 4 back in February and quite enjoyed it. Now I'm on the HTC One and think its pretty much the greatest smartphone I've ever used.
Now that I have the two phone lines (plus an iPad mini cellular line I can use for upgrades) I'll be buying and selling to try out new phones as they come out. Generally I'll keep an iPhone, a stock Android and a skinned Android on hand and use two of those on a daily basis.
I have toyed with the idea of grabbing a cheap WP8 to check out that ecosystem - something like the Lumia 521, and also the Q5 to check out BB10.....but I don't really have the disposable income to go 5 phones deep lol....
At this point I really enjoy using both iOS and Android simultaneously and will continue to do so for the forseeable future. My next plan is to sell my N4 (and various accessories) in order to buy a GS4 GE - which I forsee being my stock Android phone (and backup phone/occasional daily driver if I'm digging something different) until it no longer receives updates.
Come iPhone 5S time, I'll likely upgrade my 5 and next year, see what happens with Android. Maybe a new HTC, possibly something else. I just like trying new phones out
Given my company requires iOS, I decided instead of carrying two iPhones (or consolidating to a foreign phone number and one phone), I'd try out Android.
Began with the Nexus 4 back in February and quite enjoyed it. Now I'm on the HTC One and think its pretty much the greatest smartphone I've ever used.
Now that I have the two phone lines (plus an iPad mini cellular line I can use for upgrades) I'll be buying and selling to try out new phones as they come out. Generally I'll keep an iPhone, a stock Android and a skinned Android on hand and use two of those on a daily basis.
I have toyed with the idea of grabbing a cheap WP8 to check out that ecosystem - something like the Lumia 521, and also the Q5 to check out BB10.....but I don't really have the disposable income to go 5 phones deep lol....
At this point I really enjoy using both iOS and Android simultaneously and will continue to do so for the forseeable future. My next plan is to sell my N4 (and various accessories) in order to buy a GS4 GE - which I forsee being my stock Android phone (and backup phone/occasional daily driver if I'm digging something different) until it no longer receives updates.
Come iPhone 5S time, I'll likely upgrade my 5 and next year, see what happens with Android. Maybe a new HTC, possibly something else. I just like trying new phones out
Usually I have more than one phone but for the past 2 1/2 months I've only had an iPhone 5. Tomorrow my Optimus G will be delivered so then I'll use that as my daily driver. I'm interested to see what the Note 3 looks like especially if Samsung can increase the screen size while keeping the overall size pretty much the same like they did with the S4.