# Phone Link Not Showing iPhone Messages? What to Do > Why Phone Link misses iPhone messages, the gaps no setting closes, like group texts, and how Fwrd gets new texts onto any PC without Bluetooth pairing. Last updated: 2026-10-23 Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/phone-link-iphone-messages-not-working Published: 2026-10-17 Phone Link usually misses iPhone messages because it only shows what arrives while the iPhone and PC are paired and connected over Bluetooth, and it doesn’t support some messages at all: group messages, and texts you send from the iPhone itself. Bluetooth range, iPhone permissions and PC power settings add more gaps. To get new texts on any PC reliably, forward them from the iPhone with Fwrd to a chat app or inbox that opens on the PC, with no pairing. **What you need:** your iPhone on iOS 26 or later, Fwrd, and a chat app or inbox you can open on the PC, such as Slack, Teams, Discord, Telegram or email. ## Why isn’t Phone Link showing my iPhone messages? Usually a missing iPhone permission or a dropped Bluetooth link, sometimes a message Phone Link doesn’t support. Microsoft’s [messages troubleshooting page](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/phonelink/troubleshooting-for-messages-in-the-phone-link) and [notifications troubleshooting page](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/phonelink/troubleshooting-notifications-in-the-phone-link) (both read on 2026-10-17) list these causes: | What you see | Why | |---|---| | No new messages at all | Show Notifications or Share System Notifications is off on the iPhone | | Messages stop, then start again later | The iPhone is out of Bluetooth range, or Bluetooth is off | | Texts you sent from the iPhone are missing | Phone Link only shows messages sent and received in Phone Link | | WhatsApp or other app messages are missing | You use a third-party app as your main messaging app | | Group texts show up in one-to-one chats | Phone Link can’t tell they went to a group | | No notifications on the PC | The PC’s battery is low, Battery saver is on, or Focus assist is on | ## What can’t Phone Link show at all? Some missing messages aren’t a fault, Microsoft says: - **Group messages aren’t supported.** You can’t send them, and Phone Link may show group texts in one-to-one conversations instead. - **Only messages from while you’re paired and connected.** Texts sent from the iPhone itself won’t show. Older conversations stay on the iPhone, since Phone Link only shows what arrives while connected. - **Work and school accounts aren’t supported.** Because these gaps depend on Bluetooth range and pairing, a text that arrives while the iPhone is away from the PC never appears. Forwarding doesn’t have that gap, because it sends each text over the internet. ## How to get iPhone texts on any PC with Fwrd A Shortcuts automation hands each matching text to Fwrd, and it arrives over the internet, so range doesn’t matter and the chat app keeps the history. It’s one way: replies come from your chat account, not your number. [Getting iPhone texts on a Windows PC](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/get-iphone-texts-on-windows-pc) compares the options. 1. **Add a destination in [Fwrd](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-phone-link&mt=8).** Open Fwrd, tap +, and choose Slack, Discord, Telegram or Microsoft Teams. Paste the webhook URL, or the bot token and chat ID for Telegram. Tap Send Test Message, then save with the tick. 2. **Create a Message automation.** On iOS 27, open Shortcuts, tap Library, then Automation, then +. If you see Describe a shortcut, tap Edit. Tap Automation, then Message. On iOS 26, open the Automation tab, tap +, and choose Message. 3. **Choose which texts to forward.** Choose Message Contains (on iOS 27, change Sender to Message) and type a word your texts share, such as code. A single space forwards any text with a space in it. 4. **Let it run without asking.** On iOS 27, tap the arrow beside the trigger and check that Confirm Before Run is off. Under ⓘ, then Privacy, check that Allow Running When Locked is on. On iOS 26, choose Run Immediately, then tap Next and Create New Shortcut. 5. **Add Fwrd’s action.** Search for Forward (iOS 26: tap Add Action first) and add Forward Message to All Destinations. Set its Message to Shortcut Input (on iOS 26, Shortcut Input, then Message). Tap back to save (Done on iOS 26). 6. **That’s it.** New texts with your word now show up on the PC on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked. Fwrd forwards to eight places: Email, another phone or iMessage, WhatsApp, Discord, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Telegram and your own webhook. It posts to the last five itself. For email, add Apple’s Send Email action below Fwrd’s, as the [email page](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-email) shows; Apple’s action does the sending. Slack’s setup is on the [Slack page](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-slack). ## What else does Fwrd give you on the PC? Fwrd adds the sender, filters and more places to send each text. - **Who sent it.** Turn on Include Who Sent It in Fwrd’s Settings and choose Sender on Fwrd’s action, and each forward starts with a From: line. - **Only the texts you want.** Each destination can filter by words, by texts that look like a verification code, or by time of day. A text a filter skips doesn’t use a forward. - **Several places at once.** The same text can go to a Teams channel on the PC and your inbox, counted as one forward. - **No account.** Texts are processed on the iPhone and go straight to the places you pick, with no Fwrd server in between. Fwrd is free for 15 forwards a month. Fwrd Pro removes the limit for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US. ## What forwarding can’t do - **Text only, and one way.** It sends words, not pictures, and doesn’t cover group chats. A reply in the chat app doesn’t reach the person who texted you. - **New texts only.** Texts that arrived before the automation was on aren’t sent. - **The iPhone has to stay on and online.** After a restart, someone has to unlock it once before forwarding starts again. - **It needs a rule.** A single space misses texts with no spaces, like a one-word reply. ## Questions about Phone Link and iPhone messages ### Why does Phone Link only show some of my iPhone messages? Because Phone Link only shows messages sent and received while the iPhone and PC are paired and connected. Microsoft says texts sent from the iPhone itself won’t show, and group messages aren’t supported. ### Can Phone Link show iPhone group messages? Not as group chats. Microsoft says group messages aren’t currently supported. When Phone Link can’t tell a text went to a group, it shows it in the one-to-one conversation, and replies go to that person only. ### Can I see my old iPhone messages in Phone Link? No. Microsoft says only messages sent and received while the devices are paired and connected can be seen, so older conversations stay on the iPhone. [Reading iPhone texts online](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/read-iphone-texts-online) covers where else your texts can be read. ### How do I get iPhone texts on a PC without Bluetooth? Forward them. A Shortcuts automation and Fwrd send new texts to a chat app or inbox, such as Slack, Teams or email, that opens on any PC. Fwrd is free for 15 forwards a month. ## Keep reading - [Get iPhone texts on a Windows PC](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/get-iphone-texts-on-windows-pc) - [Can you read your iPhone texts online?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/read-iphone-texts-online)