Forward iPhone Texts Between Apple Accounts

Apple’s Text Message Forwarding feature is for eligible Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account. If another iPhone uses a different account, create a Message automation in Shortcuts to send selected new texts to its phone number, or forward them to a chat app installed on both phones.

What you need: The iPhone that receives the original messages, the second phone’s number or a chat app on both devices, and a rule for which new messages to send.

Set up a route between the phones

1. On the iPhone that receives the messages, open Shortcuts and create a Message automation. The exact taps depend on your iOS version; see our current setup guide.
2. Choose a sender or message-content rule that matches only the texts you want to share.
3. For a direct text, add Apple’s Send Message action and set the other phone’s number as the recipient. For a chat copy, add the destination in Fwrd, then add Fwrd’s action to the automation.
4. Set the automation to run without asking, then send a harmless test message and confirm it reaches the right place.

Choose a way to share the texts

Send to the other iPhone’s number: On the iPhone that receives the original messages, create a Message automation in Shortcuts. Choose which messages match, add Apple’s Send Message action, and enter the other iPhone’s number. Set it to run without another tap, using the controls for your iOS version. Fwrd is not needed for this route.

Send to a chat app: If both people use Slack, Discord, or Telegram, install the same service on each phone and sign in. Fwrd’s current App Store version can send matching new message text to one of those destinations. Each destination guide has a short setup video: Slack, Discord, and Telegram. Set up the destination in Fwrd, then create a Message automation in Shortcuts and add Fwrd’s action.

The second route does not need the two iPhones to share an Apple Account. The receiving phone needs the chat app and an internet connection. Read how automatic iPhone text forwarding works for setup details.

Why Apple’s setting requires the same account

Apple’s built-in Text Message Forwarding is designed to show your iPhone messages on eligible Apple devices, such as a Mac or iPad. Apple’s setup asks you to use the same Apple Account on the devices. If the second iPhone uses another account, it may not appear in the list. See Apple’s setup guide.

Sharing an Apple Account is a broader account and privacy choice. If your goal is to send selected new messages, Shortcuts or a chat destination gives you control over which messages trigger the action. Do not share an account only to solve a forwarding problem without considering what else will sync across devices.

Limits of forwarding between phones

A Shortcuts automation acts on new messages that meet the rule you choose. It does not backfill message history. The sender rule uses people in Contacts; a content rule looks for a word or phrase. A keyword can miss messages when the wording changes.

Fwrd sends text only to Slack, Discord, or Telegram. It does not forward photos or the sender’s phone number, and replies in those apps do not come from the original iPhone number. The iPhone that receives the text must be on; internet destinations also need a network connection.

Choose between a phone number and a chat

Apple’s Send Message action is the direct option when you want the other iPhone’s number to receive a new text. A shared chat is useful when more than one person needs to see the copy, or when you want to read it on a phone and a computer. Fwrd’s current App Store version sends selected new text to Slack, Discord, or Telegram.

These routes do not combine the two phone numbers or create one shared Messages inbox. The recipient of a direct text sees a new message from the source iPhone. A chat copy appears under the chat account. Choose the route that matches how the recipient needs to read and reply.

Test with the other person

Before relying on the automation, send a test message that contains no private information. Confirm which device or chat receives it, what sender name appears, and whether the rule catches only the messages you intended. If a message is missing, check that the automation is enabled and that its sender or content rule matches.

For direct phone-number forwarding, make sure the recipient number is correct. For a group chat, check that the destination includes only people who should see the messages. Change the rule or destination before forwarding sensitive messages.