Other Second phone backup solutions

[jsmith1]

Just cancelled landline after over 20 years, I know I’m rare that even had landline but it’s strange just having one line now to be reached, then if something goes wrong with the cell it’s off the grid time.

Looking to get a second phone(some kind of iPhone) as a backup to activate if main phone goes on fritz, what are some of your solutions to this and what is best way to have second phone ready to go if something happens?

 

[jsmith1]

Ok, maybe with prices the way they are, nobody gets backup phones.....

 

[Jordan921]

Never thought about it before or been in a situation where someone couldn’t get a hold of me somehow. So no need to get a second phone for someone to get a hold of me.

 

[KeepCalmPeople]

We cancelled our landline about 4 years ago, and moved to VoIP with Ooma. We ported our old number over. We pay $3 a month in FCC taxes and that’s it. We almost never use it, but it’s nice to have a ‘home’ phone number so people don’t cold call your cell phone all the time.

 

[eyoungren]

Just cancelled landline after over 20 years, I know I’m rare that even had landline but it’s strange just having one line now to be reached, then if something goes wrong with the cell it’s off the grid time.

Looking to get a second phone(some kind of iPhone) as a backup to activate if main phone goes on fritz, what are some of your solutions to this and what is best way to have second phone ready to go if something happens?

Ok, maybe with prices the way they are, nobody gets backup phones.....

My wife and I ditched our landline some time in 2004 I think. We were paying $50 a month for nothing because people called us on our cell phones.

Our phones are on 24/7. Mine is plugged in at night and my wife whenever she feels like it. Consequently we can still be reached.

However, I have an iPhone 5 with an active line as a secondary phone that could be a backup easily. There's also a 4 and a 4s. My daughter has my wife's old iPhone 5 and it just needs an active SIM. My son has his own line with an SE.

This is just one of the reasons we do not sell our old phones off.

But one other thought for you. Some of the cable companies offer digital phone in their packages. In order to get the current price we have we had to take that. All we need to do is plug a digital phone into the cable modem and give that number out. So, that's an option to if you have cable.

 

[Apple_Robert]

Buy a cheap used phone off Swappa and then sign up for T-Mobile Lay as you go plan $3.00 a month for 30 texts, 30 mins of calling or a combination of the two totaling 30.

 

[darksithpro]

Just cancelled landline after over 20 years, I know I’m rare that even had landline but it’s strange just having one line now to be reached, then if something goes wrong with the cell it’s off the grid time.

Looking to get a second phone(some kind of iPhone) as a backup to activate if main phone goes on fritz, what are some of your solutions to this and what is best way to have second phone ready to go if something happens?

Why does the backup have to be an iPhone? You can get cheap "blu" brand androids unlocked at your local electronc stores for like 50-60 bucks. Enough time to swap out the sim, get your primary repaired, or replaced. Why spend 3-400 dollars for a backup u might never use?

 

[jsmith1]

Never thought about it before or been in a situation where someone couldn’t get a hold of me somehow. So no need to get a second phone for someone to get a hold of me.

So if your phone breaks or dies?
[doublepost=1544305541][/doublepost]

We cancelled our landline about 4 years ago, and moved to VoIP with Ooma. We ported our old number over. We pay $3 a month in FCC taxes and that’s it. We almost never use it, but it’s nice to have a ‘home’ phone number so people don’t cold call your cell phone all the time.

I should have checked into that but now have lost my landline number, I’m mainly now looking to get a second phone setup with all current info and activate when needed

 

[darksithpro]

I’m mainly now looking to get a second phone setup with all current info and activate when needed

You in the states?

 

[jsmith1]

My wife and I ditched our landline some time in 2004 I think. We were paying $50 a month for nothing because people called us on our cell phones.

Our phones are on 24/7. Mine is plugged in at night and my wife whenever she feels like it. Consequently we can still be reached.

However, I have an iPhone 5 with an active line as a secondary phone that could be a backup easily. There's also a 4 and a 4s. My daughter has my wife's old iPhone 5 and it just needs an active SIM. My son has his own line with an SE.

This is just one of the reasons we do not sell our old phones off.

But one other thought for you. Some of the cable companies offer digital phone in their packages. In order to get the current price we have we had to take that. All we need to do is plug a digital phone into the cable modem and give that number out. So, that's an option to if you have cable.

Yes, I wish now I had kept one of my old iPhone’s but looking to get another one used and activate when needed.

Best unlocked or with Att sim already in it, then if needed I will have to check on how to activate
[doublepost=1544305837][/doublepost]

You in the states?

Yes
[doublepost=1544305927][/doublepost]

Why does the backup have to be an iPhone? You can get cheap "blu" brand androids unlocked at your local electronc stores for like 50-60 bucks. Enough time to swap out the sim, get your primary repaired, or replaced. Why spend 3-400 dollars for a backup u might never use?

Well I wanted iPhone to stay with the same ecosystem and have all iCloud contacts etc already downloaded

 

[darksithpro]

Yes, I wish now I had kept one of my old iPhone’s but looking to get another one used and activate when needed.

Best unlocked or with Att sim already in it, then if needed I will have to check on how to activate
[doublepost=1544305837][/doublepost]

Yes

Go to BestBuy and look at the cheaper "unlocked" ones. I bet you can find one for under a hundered bucks that would work well in a bind. Make sure the sim cards are the same.

 

[jsmith1]

So this forum has no marketplace for buying and selling?

Seems this would be a good place to buy used iPhone’s/Apple products that are in good shape with lots here upgrading every year or so
[doublepost=1544306315][/doublepost]

Go to BestBuy and look at the cheaper "unlocked" ones. I bet you can find one for under a hundered bucks that would work well in a bind. Make sure the sim cards are the same.

Will check it out

 

[darksithpro]

So this forum has no marketplace for buying and selling?

Seems this would be a good place to buy used iPhone’s/Apple products that are in good shape with lots here upgrading every year or so
[doublepost=1544306315][/doublepost]


Will check it out

200 bucks, here u go, fully unlocked iPhone: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone...=UTF8&qid=1544306299&sr=1-7&keywords=iphone+6

 

[eyoungren]

So this forum has no marketplace for buying and selling?

Oh it does: https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/marketplace.132/

But if you have no access to it then it means you don't have enough posts.

 

[0970373]

Just cancelled landline after over 20 years, I know I’m rare that even had landline but it’s strange just having one line now to be reached, then if something goes wrong with the cell it’s off the grid time.

Looking to get a second phone(some kind of iPhone) as a backup to activate if main phone goes on fritz, what are some of your solutions to this and what is best way to have second phone ready to go if something happens?

Used or refurb devices aren't too expensive on Swappa. The iPhone SE still works great. It's still currently my 2nd phone but I won't need to use it much longer as I have the eSIM working now. But I'm hanging on to it for my backup device.

 

[jsmith1]

Oh it does: https://forums.macrumors.com/forums/marketplace.132/

But if you have no access to it then it means you don't have enough posts.

Lol, ok been a member long time but mostly reader....guess I don’t have enough posts to access
[doublepost=1544309336][/doublepost]

200 bucks, here u go, fully unlocked iPhone: https://www.amazon.com/Apple-iPhone...=UTF8&qid=1544306299&sr=1-7&keywords=iphone+6

Thanks for the link, but due to 2 bad experiences from third party sellers, I only buy stuff from amazon if it is sold and shipped from them, but I hear they are going to start selling Apple stuff now so will check them out as I use amazon a lot

 

[drewaz]

I use OOMA also. It gives me a 'home' number I can leave with various people that I don't want calling my cell phone. Costs me $3.11/month and if I want I can have calls forwarded to my cell phone. And if the internet is down, calls are automatically forwarded to my cell.

 

[purged]

Absolutely.

 

[eyoungren]

It's an immense pleasure to not be reachable, like the old days when you were away from the landline. You should just come to terms with it instead of trying to "solve" it.

I prefer to be imminently reachable with the ability to choose not to answer. I'd much rather not go back to those old days when miscommunication caused great inconvenience.

When I was dating my wife we lived 30 minutes away by freeway. She sent me to an address once to pick her up. So I got there only to find out that address didn't exist. Had to drive back home to wait for her to call again to get the correct address.

30 minutes down, 30 minutes back, wait 20 minutes for her to call again then 30 minutes back down. So, an hour and fifty minutes wasted, gas wasted, wear and tear on my car - because I didn't have a cell phone and she didn't either.

No thanks. Let the old days remain in the past.

 

[jsmith1]

I prefer to be imminently reachable with the ability to choose not to answer. I'd much rather not go back to those old days when miscommunication caused great inconvenience.

When I was dating my wife we lived 30 minutes away by freeway. She sent me to an address once to pick her up. So I got there only to find out that address didn't exist. Had to drive back home to wait for her to call again to get the correct address.

30 minutes down, 30 minutes back, wait 20 minutes for her to call again then 30 minutes back down. So, an hour and fifty minutes wasted, gas wasted, wear and tear on my car - because I didn't have a cell phone and she didn't either.

No thanks. Let the old days remain in the past.

Absolutely right, I have to be reachable, some at my convenience and some not but both are needed.

 

[pika2000]

Easiest second backup is your older iPhone. If you have only one iPhone, then you can explore marketplaces like swappa or even Apple’s own refurbished iPhone selections. Just make sure the backup phone has big enough storage so it is enough to restore your backup to.

If budget is an issue, Android is a great solution. Nowadays, cheap Android phones are better than ever. Even phones in the $100 range are actually great. Even better many are dual SIM capable with newer ones are even dual VoLTE capable.

 

[purged]

Yeah!

 

[eyoungren]

I’ve been stood up for hours even being reachable. Teaches you to be firmer and make darn sure everyone is on the same page before firing off on plans.

I can’t even begin to describe the pleasure of letting go of constant notifications. To know that the phone won’t ring, that messages won’t reach you. You become the person who calls (I’m the one who knocks), your time becomes more important, you stop hanging on to every person, it elevates you.

I guess we just see things differently.

You don't want things reaching you at all. I just choose to ignore whatever reaches me.

The difference may be that I don't have a life. My wife and I are generally loners and 99% of our time outside of work is spent at home. So, we don't have a lot of unexpected people calling or contacting us, nor do we have a lot of social website activity. And anything not in my contacts I ignore unless I am expecting a call from that area code. I start to get suspicious that my phone is working when it is quiet for too long.

I don't like being out of contact, but I'm part of the latchkey generation (Gen-X) so that may be why.

 

[purged]

Okay.

 

[jsmith1]

Better to buy unlocked sim free phone and if phone dies or whatever can just put my Att SIM card in and turn on to activate or buy unlocked but with Att sim in already?
Then I would activate how, I currently buy straight from Apple and say Att and they setup so good to go when I turn old one off and new one on...I see I can buy unlocked sim free as well, which is better option to buy I’d just letting sit till needed....unlocked sim free one?