AT&T Readies Technology to Let Multiple Devices Share One Phone Number

It was developed in part at the company’s Foundry incubator in Palo Alto, Calif. This means that if you conduct a call or send a text from your connected device – like a smartwatch or tablet – it’ll appear to the recipient from the same number as your regular phone number. “This is really a first in the industry that we are giving customers the ability to do this”, AT&T Mobility CEO Glenn Lurie told Re/code.

Your phone number isn’t just for your phone anymore. Many existing smartphones will be able to support the feature through a software upgrade; the company’s goal is to work with all manufacturers to support the feature going forward in both phones and connected devices, such as tablets and watches. When customers receive calls or send text messages from those devices, it will come from their normal number. If you have four connected devices on an AT&T plan, you can give them all the same phone number without paying a penny more than what you’re now paying.

With NumberSync, you can leave your phone at home and still get calls and texts on your smartwatch.

AT&T wants to simplify things with a new system that will let you share one phone number between multiple connected devices.

NumberSync won’t require smartphones to be on a Wi-Fi network, connected via Bluetooth, or even powered on for other connected devices to work with your real phone number. “We’re really excited about bringing this functionality to market soon”. AT&T SVP Jeff Bradley says the feature will launch later this month with one supported device from a hush-hush phone maker (our money’s on Samsung), with a few more to follow by the time the holidays roll around. AT&T says that while it’s starting with tablets and wearables, it hopes to have the feature on all network-connected devices one day.

NumberSync will be available as a free option for any device linked to an AT&T Mobile Share plan.