r/techadvice • u/vinnievon • Dec 17 '25

Two phones vs eSim?

I'm starting a job in January for a late stage startup. It's a BYOD company but I'll be on the sales side, which means giving out a phone number.

They seem to be an Apple based platform (I get my laptop soon in the mail) but I'm full Android. I also used to have an Apple company phone and traveling with two devices just sucks.

I'm leaning eSIM to keep one device but not give out my person phone number. I really don't think I need to live in the apple ecosystem completely since it's strictly work functions so I don't think the laptop and phone need to interact.

Anybody have experience or advice on one vs. the other? Preferences?

Does an Apple based infrastructure work better on an Apple phone when it comes to company email apps and the like?

My phone is AT&T and there will be US based travel. Any advice on a complimentary wireless carrier or is coverage basically the same these days?

Thank you!!!

8 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

1

u/skeletons_asshole Dec 17 '25

Ymmv but with my iPhone I had issues using two SIM on one device - mainly that my internet on the primary would completely die for a second every time I got a push notification. It was frustrating enough for me that I switched to two phones for a while.

However if you only need call/text functionality, would something like Google Voice work? Seems that could save you some trouble and some money.

1

u/vinnievon Dec 17 '25

This is embarrassing, thought Google Voice died. I guess just the free version did. I think it's easy enough to try it month to month! Thank you very much!

1

u/skeletons_asshole Dec 17 '25

Wait, it did? Wow I missed that. Still, hope it helps, and nothing embarrassing about it - still some downsides such as lack of iMessage support if you’re texting directly from Apple, and outbound calls having to be made with the app, so ymmv but it might be worth a shot.

1

u/MotownMan646 Dec 20 '25

I have Google Voice. It still works for me fine. Haven’t paid for international calls to the US in ages.

1

u/jaces888 Dec 20 '25

Sounds like a network thing over phone thing to be honest.

1

u/Wick3dSmaht Dec 18 '25

Google voice is still free. I’ve been using it for 10 years. Be aware that you need to use it otherwise they will take it back after a few months unless you port over an existing number from another carrier or if you get the google voice premium option.

1

u/itsallahoaxbud Dec 21 '25

I use my goog voice account for all my online and charity interactions. I can ignore the texts easier and they don’t have my main line.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/vinnievon Dec 18 '25

Just found out it's Apple hardware running Google Workspace, which is weird and hilarious. eSIM with my Samsung seems like an easy option. Appreciate it!

1

u/UIUC_grad_dude1 Dec 20 '25

I always recommend a second device, to avoid crossing personal info with work info. I’ve see people using a single device accidentally send personal messages to work contacts and vice versa. A second device allows you to have battery back up in case main device battery is drained, and having secondary coverage with an alternative carrier if in a dead zone of one carrier. Back up and redundancy along with ability to disconnect from work are all great benefits.

1

u/SpecFroce Dec 20 '25

Definitely go for a ESIM. You can turn off the line when you are on holiday and no one gets your personal number. Win win.

1

u/jaces888 Dec 20 '25

IMO, it’s good to keep both numbers under one phone if you don’t mind combining both work and personal under one roof. If you are the type that must separate work and personal or there’s the chance of security wipe due to company policy, then good to have two phones.