Dual simcard capability for iPhone 4: Unique iPhone battery case from 2phone

Many business travelers often need to be contactable on 2 mobile numbers: 1 local number for their business clients and another personal number for family and friends. Until now, this means having 2 phones and the constant need to make sure that contacts are transferred from one phone to another, or having to forward messages from one phone to another.

The 2phone dual sim case is a very neat solution that is offered by a website linked to the well-known iPhone accessory maker, the QYG group. This iPhone case not only protects the iPhone, but also has its own full size simcard slot that allows the iPhone to operate a second mobile line SIMULTANEOUSLY. And i mean complete voice and text messaging functionality for the second simcard.


The iPhone is able to run two mobile lines simultaneously with the 2phone case.


The 2phone app is where voice calls and messaging can be made using the 2nd simcard. The settings for the 2nd line is also accessed from this menu. The menu interface has been thoughtfully designed to have the same outlook as the iPhone's call app.

The 2phone case also has its own separate 800mAh battery that can serve as an emergency battery charger for the iPhone. The catch is that this accessory requires the phone to be jailbroken because the 2phone cydia app is required in order to install the 2phone voice call and text app.


2phone case comes with an internal replaceable battery and extra simcard slot for a 2nd line. It also has a free simcard tray pin and mini simcard adaptor that neatly sits within the case.

During testing with my iPhone 4 running iOS 5.0.1 (jailbroken with redsnow), I found that the voice and text messaging capability works smoothly as advertised. The ringtone for the second line can be set differently from the main line so that you can immediately identify whether an incoming call or sms is coming through the main or second line.


2phone settings allows the user to set a different ring/text tone for the 2nd simcard.

However, I found that there is added battery drain on the iPhone due to having 2 lines operating at the same time. With my usage profile (with about 50-100mb of data usage per day, checking email throughout the day, making about 5-10 calls and 5-10 sms per day), I found that I could be low on battery by the evening. The added battery capacity of 800mAh also proves to be insufficient at times as it will only charge the iPhone if it has more than 50% of charge remaining. In practice, this means that it will only charge about 10-20% of the iPhone.

Battery issues aside, I found that the added convenience (and in my case, necessity whenever I am overseas) of having 2 lines on my iPhone turns out to be a game-changer. I can now easily buy a local simcard while overseas for making local calls while retaining the use of my own simcard for any calls from home. I can now use both at the same time without worrying about missing calls or sms from either line. Since the 2phone app is able to access the iPhone contact book, there is also no need to maintain two separate contact lists on separate phones. The build quality of the case is good and does not add much weight or bulkiness to the iPhone. It is similar in size to the Mophie Juice Pack Air but slightly lighter at 59 grams.


iPhone 4 with 2phone case.

The 2phone is available in Singapore for about S$99. The international model is FM-01A.



The 2phone packaging is basic but provides the key specifications at the rear.


The specifications are clearly shown.

The 2phone official website can be found here. I bought mine at Sim Lim Square.

Update 1:

This is what an incoming call would look like using the 2phone and a second simcard:

Dual Sim Adapters for iPhone 4: Using a Normal 3G Sim Card and your microsim at the same time.

Let’s face it. For those of us early adopters of microsim cards because of iPhone 4, we know that microsim cards are not catching on in any other phone model and is likely to stay that way for a while. However, for about S$25-30 or about US$20, the Chinese have developed a dual simcard adaptor that allows you to slot in a normal-sized simcard with an external adaptor, while at the same time allowing you to keep your existing Iphone 4 microsim in the simcard tray – in layman terms, this means that the 2 simcards (Normal Sim + Microsim) are essentially paired up much like batteries connecting in series.



There is a nifty but tiny circuitry in the adaptor that works seamlessly with the iPhone 4 under Settings>Phone>Sim Applications that allows toggling between either simcard. If you are a traveller who believes in purchasing prepaid foreigh simcards for cheaper local call rates when you are in a foreign country, then this dual sim adaptor makes perfect sense. You can use your own micro simcard as default, and toggle to the local simcard whenever you need to make calls.



As you can see in my photo, one end of the flat ribbon cable has to be placed under the Iphone 4 microsim and positioned within the Iphone 4 microsim tray. As a result of the additional thickness, the simcard tray is a little stiff when pushed back into the Iphone. The other end of the flat ribbon cable then sticks out of the simcard tray and is connected to the external simcard adaptor. Most of us would then no longer need to fiddle with the microsim card and tray because we would only need to change simcards at the external adaptor end.

That is however not the end of it all because the dual sim adaptor comes with a special external casing that includes a pocket space to hold the dual sim adaptor in place. You can see manufacturer pictures of the external casing and the dual sim adaptor at the official QYG website over here.

Other than a 5-10 second lag (due to reacquisition of phone network by the simcard) when I toggled between the microsim and the external simcard, there was no noticeable issue. The manufacturer, QYG, also offers a tri-simcard adaptor for slightly more.

The only negative about using the dual sim adaptor is that the phone casing with the special pocket for the external sim adaptor only comes in limited designs. (Mine was a matte finish).

If you happen to be in Singapore, it is easily available at the major electronics malls. I am pretty sure that you can purchase this item from an online retailer or if you visit China and Hong Kong.