# Fwrd FAQ: iPhone message forwarding > Answers about forwarding SMS and iMessage with Fwrd: Shortcuts setup, supported destinations, no-account privacy, travel, and free and paid plans. Last updated: 2026-10-27 Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/faq Answers about SMS and iMessage forwarding, Shortcuts setup, privacy, and pricing. No Fwrd account required. Your messages go directly from your iPhone to your chosen service. Fwrd is available on the App Store. Install: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fwrd-sms-forwarder/id6759069713 ## How do I forward iMessages to another device without a second phone? Use Fwrd on your existing iPhone with a Shortcuts Message Personal Automation to forward incoming message text to Slack, Discord, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, email, another phone number, or your own webhook. Then read the forwarded text wherever you use that destination: on a computer, a tablet, or another phone. You do not need a second phone or a new phone number, but your iPhone must receive the message and have internet access. ## Does Fwrd require an account? No Fwrd account is required, and you do not need to give Fwrd an email address or phone number to use the app. You use your own accounts with the destination services you choose, and Apple handles paid subscriptions through your Apple Account. ## Which destinations can Fwrd forward to? Fwrd works with Slack, Discord, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, email, another phone number, and your own webhook. Fwrd itself sends to a Slack or Discord channel through a webhook you create, to a Telegram chat through your own bot, to a Microsoft Teams channel through a Teams Workflow, and to an HTTPS endpoint you control. For email, another phone number, and WhatsApp, Fwrd passes the message to the next action in your shortcut: Apple's Send Email or Send Message, or WhatsApp's own Send Message, and that action sends it from your iPhone. ## Can Fwrd forward iPhone texts to my email or to an Android phone? Yes. For email, add Apple's Send Email action after Fwrd's in your shortcut, and the Mail account on your iPhone sends each message. For an Android phone, add Apple's Send Message action with that phone's number, or forward to a service the other phone uses, such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack, or Discord. Apple's built-in Text Message Forwarding cannot do either: it makes your SMS, MMS, and RCS conversations available on a Mac, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account, and it does not support Android, Windows, or email. ## How do I set up automatic message forwarding with Fwrd? Open Fwrd and follow its setup. Choose where your texts go and which texts to forward, then tap Get Shortcut and add Fwrd's ready-made shortcut in Shortcuts. On iOS 27, switch on its automation; on iOS 26, make a Message automation that runs it. Fwrd then runs it once with a sample text, and Shortcuts asks for permission twice: tap Allow, then Always Allow. To build the automation yourself instead, create a Message Personal Automation in Shortcuts, add Fwrd's Forward Message action, pass it the incoming message, and make it run without asking: Run Immediately on iOS 26; on iOS 27, Confirm Before Run off under the trigger's arrow and Allow Running When Locked on under ⓘ, then Privacy. ## Can I choose which messages Fwrd forwards? Yes, in two places. In your Shortcuts Message automation, set Message Contains to a keyword such as code, verification, or delivery: only messages that match the automation's criteria are passed to Fwrd. Then, in Fwrd, every destination can have a filter that keeps only texts with words you choose, texts that look like a verification code, or texts that arrive at certain hours. Try a Text checks a filter on a sample text. For the filters to do the choosing, set the automation's keyword to a single space. For email, another phone, and WhatsApp, the filter works once the send action in your shortcut sits inside an If, which that destination's setup shows you; until then they get every text the automation passes on. Fwrd does not read your message history or messages that your automation does not pass to it. ## What are the SMS forwarding limitations on iOS? An incoming message reaches Fwrd only when it matches the Shortcuts Message automation you created. Apple's Message trigger matches on Sender and Message Contains, so every criterion you set has to match. Because the Sender picker draws on your Contacts, messages from short codes and unknown numbers are usually matched with a Message Contains keyword instead. Fwrd's own filters can then narrow what each destination gets, by words, verification codes, or time of day. For email, another phone, and WhatsApp, that needs the send action in your shortcut inside an If; without it they get every message the automation passes on. Fwrd forwards incoming message text, not replies or your existing message history. ## Does my iPhone need to stay on, and can it forward while locked? Your iPhone must stay powered on, receive the incoming message, and have internet access to forward it. Fwrd forwards while the iPhone is locked, as long as the Shortcuts automation is set to run without asking. After a restart, unlock the iPhone once so Fwrd can access its saved destination credentials. Delivery still depends on iOS allowing the automation to run and the destination service being available. ## Does Fwrd work without cellular service or while traveling? Fwrd can send a received message to a supported destination over Wi-Fi, including while you travel. iMessage uses Wi-Fi or cellular data, but SMS reception still depends on your carrier service and whether your carrier supports SMS over Wi-Fi Calling. Fwrd cannot receive messages for an inactive phone line or bypass carrier restrictions. The receiving iPhone must remain on and connected to the internet. ## Do my messages go through a Fwrd server? No. Fwrd has no server. It handles the message text on your iPhone and sends it directly to the destination you configure, or hands it to Mail, Messages, or WhatsApp on your iPhone to send. The destination service receives the forwarded text under its own privacy and retention policies, and Fwrd keeps a local forwarding log on your iPhone. ## What does the free tier include? Fwrd's free tier includes 15 forwards per calendar month to any destination. One text counts once, however many destinations it goes to, and handing a text to email, another phone, or WhatsApp counts too. A text that every destination's filter skips doesn't count. The allowance is tracked on your iPhone and resets at the start of each calendar month. You can use the free tier without a paid subscription or a Fwrd account. ## Is there a free SMS forwarder for iPhone? Yes. Fwrd is free for up to 15 forwards per calendar month, to any of its destinations, with no daily cap and no account. Fwrd Pro removes the monthly limit if you need more. ## Do I need to keep Fwrd open? No. Apple Shortcuts runs Fwrd's action in the background when a matching text arrives, so the app can stay closed. The iPhone itself has to be on and online, and after a restart you need to unlock it once. ## Does Fwrd work on iPad or Android? No. Fwrd runs on the iPhone that receives the texts, with iOS 26 or later, because it relies on Apple Shortcuts there. It forwards to services you can read anywhere, though, including on an iPad, a computer, or an Android phone. ## Are pictures and attachments forwarded? No. Fwrd forwards only the text of each message, exactly as it arrived. It doesn't send photos, videos, voice messages, or files, and it doesn't add the time. It adds who sent the text only if you turn on Include Who Sent It in Fwrd's Settings. ## Will the sender know I forwarded their text? No. Fwrd sends nothing back to the person who texted you, and nothing changes on their phone. The forwarded copy goes only to the destinations you set up. ## Does forwarding cost anything with my carrier? Usually not. Slack, Discord, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, webhooks, email, and WhatsApp send over Wi-Fi or mobile data. Forwarding to another phone number may go as a regular text from your iPhone, so your plan's normal texting rates can apply. ## Can I send different texts to different places? Yes. Give each destination its own filter in Fwrd: one can keep texts with certain words, another texts that look like a verification code, another only texts that arrive at certain hours. Set your automation's Message Contains to a single space so the filters do the choosing. For email, another phone, and WhatsApp, put the send action in your shortcut inside an If, as that destination's setup shows; without it they get every text your automation passes on. You can also switch destinations on and off in Fwrd. ## How do I delete my forwarding history? Clear the forwarding log in the Fwrd app. It's kept only on your iPhone, holds at most 500 entries, and drops anything older than 30 days. Copies already delivered to a destination, such as a Slack channel or an inbox, have to be deleted there. ## When is Fwrd not the right tool? When you need replies, Android, or a new phone number. Fwrd forwards one way, from an iPhone that stays on, and sends only the message text, plus who sent it if you turn on Include Who Sent It. ## How much does Fwrd Pro cost? Fwrd Pro costs $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year in USD. Pro removes the monthly limit, allows more than one filter condition per destination, and adds a Never Forward list of words to always skip. Carrier and destination-service limits still apply. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled and are managed through your Apple Account. ## Why use Fwrd instead of iCloud Messages sync? Messages in iCloud keeps your message history in sync across Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account. Fwrd forwards selected incoming message text to Slack, Discord, Telegram, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, email, another phone number, or your own webhook, so you can read it wherever you use that destination. Use iCloud Messages for Apple-device conversation sync and Fwrd when you need message text somewhere else. Fwrd does not sync your message history or send replies back through your iPhone. ## Can I forward texts between iPhones with different Apple Accounts? Apple's Text Message Forwarding requires every device to be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account, previously called an Apple ID, so it cannot carry your texts to an iPhone on a different account. Fwrd does not use Apple's device syncing, so that restriction does not apply: the iPhone that receives the message runs your Shortcuts Message automation and sends the text on. Send it to the other iPhone's number with Apple's Send Message action, or to a channel or chat the other person opens under their own account, such as Slack, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, or email. ## More help - [Setup guides](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides.md) - [Privacy](https://www.fwrdsms.com/privacy.md) - [Ask for help](https://www.fwrdsms.com/feedback) - [Apple: Messages in iCloud and Text Message Forwarding](https://support.apple.com/en-us/102545) - [Apple: message network requirements](https://support.apple.com/en-us/118433)