This might be a question one might have, especially considering that I am living on low income. First, and foremost – I do not pay a lot for my service lines. Many companies are charging $50+ for phone service, and that is simply not me. You may also be asking if I have 2 numbers, then do I have 2 devices, and if so – why? Well here is the answers to these questions.
First, my phone services. I use a carrier that charges $205/year for service. This rounds out at less than $20/month. The only condition is I must pay the $205/year, and not a monthly rate. This phone service is my primary line, and the number that displays on my contact cards, and Virtual Card File. This service line is using an iPhone 14 Pro Max which I bought shortly after it was released. I am hoping to keep it until 2027, or 2028. The second line is on a Motorola Razr 2025 edition. I will be intending on keeping this phone until 2030 since there is supposedly a commitment of 4 years in updates, but I hadn’t have much luck in Android OS updates, so here is to hoping. The carrier for this phone is a Lifeline provider. Anyone considered as low income will qualify for a Lifeline phone (one phone per household). The service in itself is free, so I am not paying anything for the second line.
So why 2 numbers? I can’t share my primary cellular number with my second phone. It is simply not possible to have 1 number, and 2 cellular lines. I wanted an Android phone to use an app or 2 that is only available on Android. I considered using my old Google Pixel 3A, but the latest update is Android 12. In June of 2025, the latest version is Android 15. This meant that the phone was a security risk, and forced me to buy a new Android phone. One might now be asking why not just retire the iPhone, and use Android exclusively? Well, the answer to that is that I prefer iOS. If for some reason that Android grows on me, and becomes my preferred OS, I can simply transfer my phone number from the eSIM on my iPhone to the eSIM on my Razr. I don’t see this happening though, and therefore will likely have 2 numbers, and therefore 2 devices.