# Best iPhone SMS Forwarder for Telegram, Compared

> Which iPhone app forwards texts to Telegram best? Five SMS forwarders compared on whose bot they use, free plan, minimum iOS, ratings and privacy.

Last updated: 2026-11-05
Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/best-iphone-sms-forwarder-for-telegram
Published: 2026-11-05

The best iPhone SMS forwarder for Telegram sends each text from your iPhone through a bot you own, so your texts never pass through a bot someone else runs, and lets you choose which texts go. [Fwrd](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-best-telegram&mt=8) works only with your own bot, with no account and no Fwrd server, and its free plan includes Telegram 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, the Telegram app, a few minutes to make a bot with @BotFather, and a rule for which texts to forward, such as ones that contain the word code.

## Which iPhone apps forward texts to Telegram?

These five US App Store apps list Telegram 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](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-best-telegram&mt=8) | 5.0 from 3 | 26.0 | 15 forwards a month, Telegram included | No account, no Fwrd servers |
| [SMS Forwarder — Re Text](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sms-forwarder-re-text/id6746873130) | 4.1 from 52 | 17 | 1 destination | Not stored on its servers |
| [SMS Forwarder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sms-forwarder/id6753724792) | 4.4 from 45 | 16.6 | A limited number of messages | Processed on the device |
| [Forward SMS: SMS Forwarder](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/forward-sms-sms-forwarder/id6740165005) | 3.5 from 24 | 16.0 | Not stated | Never stored, forwarded locally |
| [SMS Forwarder - Forwardly](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/sms-forwarder-forwardly/id6761444629) | 4.0 from 4 | 18.0 | A free tier | Not uploaded or stored |

SMS Forwarder: Forward SMS, the forwarder with the most US ratings, doesn’t list Telegram. Prices and plans change, so check the purchase screen in your own storefront. For every destination, see [the best SMS forwarding apps for iPhone](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/best-sms-forwarding-apps-iphone).

## What matters when the destination is Telegram

- **Whose bot sends the text.** Telegram delivers through a bot. With the app’s ready-made bot, setup is quicker, but every text passes through a bot its developer runs. With your own bot, the texts go from your iPhone to Telegram and nowhere else. Re:Text says its Telegram setup uses its own bot, and SMS Forwarder and Forward SMS: SMS Forwarder have said on their websites that Telegram passes through their servers.
- **Where the token lives.** A bot token lets anyone send as your bot, so it belongs in the iPhone’s Keychain.
- **Groups.** Families and small teams often want a group, which needs the group’s chat ID and the bot added to it.
- **A filter per chat,** so a codes chat gets only codes.

## Why I’d pick Fwrd for Telegram

I make Fwrd, so here’s my case, and each point is on its [App Store page](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-best-telegram&mt=8):

- **Your bot, not mine.** Fwrd has no shared bot, so texts go from your iPhone to your own bot’s chat with nothing in between. No account and no Fwrd server.
- **The text arrives as it was sent.** Fwrd sends the plain text with no formatting, so characters like underscores and asterisks in a code don’t get mangled.
- **Groups work,** with the bot added and the group’s chat ID in Fwrd.
- **A filter on each Telegram destination,** by words, verification codes or hours, and a history in Activity of every forward.
- **One text counts once** across all your destinations, out of 15 free a month.

## How to forward iPhone texts to Telegram with Fwrd

1. **Make a bot.** In Telegram, open @BotFather, send /newbot, and copy the token it gives you.
2. **Start the chat.** Open your new bot’s chat and tap Start, because a bot can’t message you until you do. Then read your chat ID, as the [Telegram post](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-iphone-sms-to-telegram) shows.
3. **Add Telegram in Fwrd.** Tap +, choose Telegram, enter the token and chat ID, and tap Send Test Message.
4. **Create a Message automation** in Shortcuts with Message Contains set to a word your texts include, and let it run without asking: Confirm Before Run off on iOS 27, Run Immediately on iOS 26.
5. **Add Fwrd’s action,** Forward Message to All Destinations, with Message set to Shortcut Input.

The [Telegram setup guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/telegram) has a video of every tap.

## What forwarding to Telegram 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 can’t work while the iPhone is off or offline,** because the iPhone itself sends each text. After a restart, Fwrd waits until you unlock the phone once.
- **Fwrd forwards the words, not pictures,** and replying to your bot doesn’t reach the sender.

## Questions about forwarding texts to Telegram

### What’s the best app to forward iPhone texts to Telegram?

For privacy, Fwrd: it sends each text from your iPhone through your own Telegram bot, never a shared one, with a filter for which texts go, no account, and 15 free forwards a month. It needs iOS 26 or later.

### Do I need my own Telegram bot?

With Fwrd, yes. It takes a few minutes with @BotFather, and it keeps your texts between your iPhone and Telegram instead of passing them through a bot someone else runs.

### Can it forward to a Telegram group?

Yes. Add your bot to the group, send /start@your_bot there, and use the group’s chat ID, which starts with a minus sign.

### Does it work when the iPhone is locked?

Yes, once the automation is set to run without asking. The exception is right after a restart, until you unlock the phone once.

## Keep reading

- [How to forward iPhone SMS to Telegram automatically](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-iphone-sms-to-telegram)
- [Is an SMS forwarder app safe?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/is-sms-forwarder-app-safe)