Best App to Forward iPhone Texts to Another Phone
By Fwrd ·
The best app to forward iPhone texts to another phone sends each one from your own number through Apple’s Messages, to any iPhone or Android, and lets you pick which texts go. Fwrd works that way: it hands each matching text to Apple’s Send Message action, with no account and no Fwrd server, and its free plan includes another phone for 15 forwards a month. It needs iOS 26 or later, so if your iPhone runs an older version, the table below shows which apps run on it.
What you need: an iPhone with Messages set up, the number that should get the texts, and a rule for which texts to forward, such as ones that contain the word code.
Which iPhone apps forward texts to another phone?
These six US App Store apps list another phone as a destination. Ratings, minimum iOS and what each says about its servers come from Apple’s App Store data and each app’s own description, checked on November 4, 2026.
| App | US rating | Minimum iOS | Free plan, as described | What it says about your texts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fwrd | 5.0 from 3 | 26.0 | 15 forwards a month, another phone included | No account, no Fwrd servers |
| SMS Forwarder: Forward SMS | 4.3 from 391 | 17.0 | Subscription needed for all features | Processed on the device |
| SMS Forwarder — Re Text | 4.1 from 52 | 17 | 1 destination | Not stored on its servers |
| SMS Forwarder | 4.4 from 45 | 16.6 | A limited number of messages | Processed on the device |
| Forward SMS: SMS Forwarder | 3.5 from 24 | 16.0 | Not stated | Never stored, forwarded locally |
| SMS Forwarder - Forwardly | 4.0 from 4 | 18.0 | A free tier | Not uploaded or stored |
Prices and plans change, so check the purchase screen in your own storefront. For every destination, see the best SMS forwarding apps for iPhone.
What matters when the destination is another phone
- How it’s sent. Apple’s Send Message action sends from Messages on your iPhone: as an iMessage to an Apple device, and as SMS or RCS to Android and other phones. The other phone needs no app and no shared Apple Account.
- No compose sheet. With Show Compose Sheet on, Messages waits for you to tap Send, which a locked iPhone can’t do.
- Who sees it. The other phone gets the text in its normal Messages thread with you, so pick a number whose owner should see those texts.
- Which texts go. Forward codes or alerts, not private conversations.
Why I’d pick Fwrd for another phone
I make Fwrd, so here’s my case, and each point is on its App Store page:
- Apple’s Messages sends it, from your own number, to any iPhone or Android. Nothing goes through a Fwrd server.
- No account, and your forwarding history stays on your iPhone.
- Guided setup hands you a ready-made shortcut with Fwrd’s action and Apple’s Send Message.
- Include Who Sent It adds a From: line, so the other person knows who texted.
- The same text can go further, to email or WhatsApp too, and one text counts once.
For a work phone, see forwarding work phone texts to your personal phone.
How to forward iPhone texts to another phone with Fwrd
- Add Another Phone in Fwrd. Tap +, choose Another Phone, enter the number and follow the guided setup.
- Create a Message automation in Shortcuts and set Message Contains to a word your texts include, such as code.
- Let it run without asking. Turn off Confirm Before Run on iOS 27, or choose Run Immediately on iOS 26.
- Add Fwrd’s action, Forward Message to All Destinations, with Message set to Shortcut Input.
- Add Apple’s Send Message below it, with Fwrd’s output as the message, the other number as the recipient, and Show Compose Sheet off.
Fwrd’s page on forwarding to another phone answers the common questions.
What forwarding to another phone can’t do
- No app can read your texts on its own. iPhone gives apps no access to your messages, so each one needs the Shortcuts automation you set up.
- It can’t forward texts you already have, only new ones that arrive after the automation is on.
- It doesn’t send pictures. Fwrd passes on only the words of each text.
- It can’t hide that it’s you. The forward arrives from your number, and your carrier’s usual texting rates may apply.
Questions about forwarding texts to another phone
What’s the best app to forward iPhone texts to another phone?
Fwrd, if you want them sent from your own number through Apple’s Messages, with no account or outside service: it hands each matching text to Apple’s Send Message, free for 15 forwards a month. It needs iOS 26 or later.
Can it forward to an Android phone?
Yes. Apple’s Send Message action sends SMS or RCS to Android and other phones, and iMessage to Apple devices.
Will the other phone see who sent the original text?
Not by default, because the forward comes from your number. Turn on Include Who Sent It and each forward starts with a From: line naming the sender.
Does it work while my iPhone is locked?
Yes, with Show Compose Sheet off in Apple’s Send Message. The exception is right after a restart, until you unlock the phone once.
Send your iPhone texts to another phone
Fwrd hands each matching text to Apple’s Send Message action, which sends it from your number to any iPhone or Android. No account. Start with 15 free forwards each month.
Free for 15 forwards a month. Pro removes the limits on forwards and filters and adds a Never Forward list, with a free trial on the yearly plan for eligible customers.
iPhone · iOS 26 or later