# Send a Message to a Group Chat From Shortcuts

> Post to a group chat from iPhone Shortcuts: what Apple’s and WhatsApp’s Send Message actions document, and how to reach Telegram, Discord or Slack.

Last updated: 2026-10-23
Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/shortcuts-send-message-to-group-chat
Published: 2026-10-19

The simplest way to send a message to a group chat from Shortcuts is a group with its own address: a Telegram group, through a bot and the group’s chat ID, or a Discord, Slack or Microsoft Teams channel, through its webhook. Fwrd’s Shortcuts action posts matching new texts there straight from the iPhone. The Apple and WhatsApp pages we checked don’t say whether their Send Message actions can post into an existing group, so this post doesn’t claim they can.

**What you need:** an iPhone on iOS 26 or later with [Fwrd](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-group-chat&mt=8), and a group chat where you can add a bot or create a webhook.

## Can Apple’s Send Message post to a group chat?

Apple’s [Shortcuts User Guide](https://support.apple.com/guide/shortcuts/welcome/ios) (checked October 19, 2026) doesn’t describe the Send Message action’s recipients, so we can’t say whether it reaches an existing group.

Apple’s [naming article](https://support.apple.com/en-us/104977) (checked October 19, 2026) says you can name a group iMessage when everyone uses an Apple device. It also says you can’t name SMS or MMS group messages. That article doesn’t cover shortcuts.

## Can WhatsApp’s Shortcuts action send to a group?

WhatsApp’s help pages don’t say whether its action can target a group, so this post doesn’t promise it. In Fwrd’s [WhatsApp guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/whatsapp), WhatsApp’s Send Message action is set up with one contact or number under Recipients.

## Which group chats can Shortcuts post to?

Any group that gives you a bot or a webhook, because each one points at a single group.

| Group chat | How it’s reached | Sent by |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram group | A bot in the group, and the group’s chat ID | Fwrd |
| Discord channel | A webhook on that channel | Fwrd |
| Slack channel | An incoming webhook on that channel | Fwrd |
| Microsoft Teams channel | A channel Workflow from the webhook alerts template | Fwrd |

Telegram suits a family, or a few people on their phones: the bot posts in the group once it’s a member. [Fwrd’s Telegram page](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-telegram) answers the common questions.

## How to send texts to a group chat with Shortcuts

1. **Set up the group.** For Telegram, create a bot with BotFather, add it to the group, and send /start@your_bot there. Then read the group’s chat ID: it’s negative, and a supergroup’s starts with -100, and the minus sign is part of it. For Discord, Slack or Teams, make a webhook for the channel. The [Telegram](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/telegram), [Discord](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/discord), [Slack](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/slack) and [Microsoft Teams](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/microsoft-teams) guides show every step on video.

2. **Add it in [Fwrd](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6759069713?pt=128544281&ct=blog-group-chat&mt=8).** Open Fwrd, tap +, choose Telegram, Discord, Slack or Microsoft Teams, and paste the webhook URL or the bot token and chat ID. Tap Send Test Message, then save with the tick.

3. **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, change Sender to Message, and type a word your texts contain, such as code. On iOS 26, open the Automation tab, tap +, choose Message, fill in Message Contains, then tap Next.

   ![The trigger reading “When I receive a message where Message contains Code”](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/sc-keyword-7536b90e.jpg)

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, add Fwrd’s Forward Message to All Destinations, and set its Message field to Shortcut Input (on iOS 26, Shortcut Input, then Message). Tap back to save (Done on iOS 26).

   ![Fwrd’s action under the trigger, reading “Forward Shortcut Input to all destinations”](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/sc-shortcut-input-0dbdbb93.jpg)

6. **That’s it.** New texts that contain your word now go to the group on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked.

To reach two groups, add both in Fwrd: the action sends to every active destination, as [forwarding to several apps](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-iphone-texts-to-multiple-apps) shows. For freezer or sump pump alerts, see [sharing alarm texts with a group chat](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-alarm-sensor-texts-to-group-chat).

## What does Fwrd do for the group?

For incoming texts, Fwrd handles the posting. [Sending a webhook from Shortcuts](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/apple-shortcuts-webhook) shows what the request looks like, and [forwarding SMS to Telegram](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-iphone-sms-to-telegram) covers the bot side. Here is what Fwrd adds:

- **No account.** Texts are processed on the iPhone and go straight to your group, with no Fwrd server in between.
- **Filters.** Each destination can keep only texts with words you choose, ones that look like a verification code, or ones that arrive at certain hours.
- **One text, many groups.** One action reaches every group you’ve added, and a text counts once however many places it goes.
- **Retries and a history.** If a send fails for a temporary reason, Fwrd tries again, up to twice, and shows whether each forward was delivered.

## What it can’t do

- **It only forwards new texts.** Anything that arrived before you set it up stays in Messages.
- **It needs a rule.** Shortcuts acts on texts that contain a word you pick, or that come from people in your Contacts.
- **The phone has to stay on and online.** After a restart, unlock it once before forwarding starts again.
- **Text only, one way.** Pictures don’t forward, and replies in the group don’t go back as texts.
- **Everyone in the group sees it.** Think twice before sending sign-in codes to a large group.

## Questions about group chats in Shortcuts

### Can I forward texts to a WhatsApp group?

WhatsApp’s Send Message action is documented for one contact or number, so this post doesn’t promise groups. A Telegram group, or a Discord or Slack channel, has its own address that Fwrd posts to straight from the iPhone.

### Can Shortcuts send to a named iMessage group?

Apple’s pages we checked don’t say whether a shortcut can post to a group you already have. Only group iMessages can have a name, and SMS or MMS groups can’t.

### Will the group see who sent each text?

Only if you turn it on. Switch on Include Who Sent It in Fwrd’s Settings, then choose Sender on Fwrd’s action in Shortcuts, and each post starts with a From: line showing the sender’s number, or their name if they’re in your Contacts. By default Fwrd sends the text exactly as it arrived.

### Does it cost anything?

Fwrd is free for 15 forwards a month, and a text counts once however many groups it reaches. Fwrd Pro removes the limit for $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year in the US.

## Keep reading

- [Share alarm texts with a group chat](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-alarm-sensor-texts-to-group-chat)
- [Forward iPhone texts to several apps at once](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/forward-iphone-texts-to-multiple-apps)