How to forward iPhone text messages to another phone

How this destination works

Fwrd’s action, Forward Message to All Destinations, takes the incoming text from your Shortcuts automation and passes it to the next action. The Phone / iMessage action that follows in Apple Shortcuts performs delivery; Fwrd does not send it directly.

Before you begin

• Messages configured on the iPhone
• The number that should get your texts
• Fwrd installed on the iPhone that receives the messages

1. 1

   Choose Another Phone in Fwrd’s setup

   On the iPhone, open Fwrd and tap Set Up Forwarding at the end of the intro. When it asks where your texts should go, choose Another Phone.

2. 2

   Type the number

   Under Send To, type the number that should get your texts, then continue.

3. 3

   Add Fwrd to Phone

   Choose which texts to forward. Tap Get Shortcut. In Shortcuts, tap Add Shortcut, then ◀ Fwrd at the top left. Fwrd to Phone already holds Send Message, which sends to the number you typed in Fwrd.

4. 4

   Switch it on

   On iOS 27, tap Open Shortcut. In Shortcuts, tap Edit, then the small › at the end of the first line, “When I receive a message where” (not the ×), and turn on Automation, as in the picture. On iOS 26, Fwrd calls this step Make it automatic: tap Open Shortcuts, then New Automation or +, then Message. Type one space in Message Contains and tap Done. Choose Run Immediately, tap Next, and tap the shortcut you just added, under My Shortcuts.

   

5. 5

   Allow the first run

   Fwrd runs the shortcut once with a sample text. Shortcuts asks twice the first time: tap Allow, then Always Allow.

6. 6

   You’re all set

   That’s it. New matching texts now go to the other phone on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked. After the iPhone restarts, unlock it once and forwarding carries on.

Build it yourself

Rather build the automation yourself? Follow these steps instead.

Watch the setup

Every tap in Fwrd and Shortcuts on iOS 27, in about a minute and a half. Pause on any step, or choose one below to jump to it.

Watch on YouTube

1. 0:02In Fwrd, tap + and choose Another Phone
2. 0:05Scroll down and enter the number to forward to
3. 0:14Tap the tick to save
4. 0:16Open Shortcuts. Tap Automation, then +
5. 0:20Tap Edit
6. 0:23Tap Automation, then Message
7. 0:26Change Sender to Message, then type a word your texts contain. Or type a space “ ” to forward any text with a space in it
8. 0:35Tap the arrow. Confirm Before Run should be off
9. 0:40Search Forward, then add Forward Message to All Destinations
10. 0:47Tap Message and choose Shortcut Input
11. 0:54Search Send Message and add it below Fwrd
12. 1:01Tap Message and pick Forward Message to All Destinations
13. 1:07Tap Recipients and add the same number
14. 1:16Tap the arrow. Show Compose Sheet should be off
15. 1:23Tap back to save. The automation is on
16. 1:25That’s it

Shown on iOS 27 with Fwrd 1.1. The addresses and numbers are examples.

1. 1

   Add Phone / iMessage in Fwrd

   In Fwrd, tap + at the bottom of the screen and choose Another Phone. Scroll down to Recipient Reference and enter the number that should get your texts. Then tap the tick to save. Fwrd shows the Shortcuts steps as a checklist on the same screen.

   

2. 2

   Create a Message automation

   Open Shortcuts and go to Library → Automation, then tap +. 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. Then tap the arrow beside the trigger and check that Confirm Before Run is off, so it runs without asking. Under ⓘ, then Privacy, check that Allow Running When Locked is on. On iOS 26 the screens differ: the automation guide covers both.

   Message contains ← your word · Confirm Before Run ← Off · Allow Running When Locked ← On

   

3. 3

   Add Fwrd’s action

   Search for Forward and choose Forward Message to All Destinations, so it sits right below the trigger.

   Fwrd · Forward Message to All Destinations

   

4. 4

   Hand Fwrd the incoming text

   Tap Message in Fwrd’s action, tap Select Variable, and choose Shortcut Input. Shortcuts then adds a Receive block at the top; leave it as it is. On iOS 26, set Message to Shortcut Input too.

   Message = Shortcut Input

   

5. 5

   Add Send Message

   Search for Send Message and tap Apple’s Send Message, the one with the green Messages icon. It goes below Fwrd’s action. This action, not Fwrd, sends the message.

   Send Message

   

6. 6

   Pass Fwrd’s output forward

   Tap Message in Send Message. In the bar above the keyboard, pick Forward Message to All Destinations: that’s the output of Fwrd’s action. Select Variable works too, if you choose the blue output under Fwrd’s action.

   Message = Forward Message to All Destinations

   

7. 7

   Set the recipient

   Tap Recipients and add the same number you saved in Fwrd, then tap the tick.

   Recipients ← the number saved in Fwrd

   

8. 8

   Turn off the prompt

   Tap the arrow at the end of Send Message and check that Show Compose Sheet is off. It’s off to begin with on iOS 27. With it on, Messages opens and waits for you to tap send.

   Show Compose Sheet ← Off

   

9. 9

   Save, and you’re all set

   Tap back to save. The automation appears under Automation, switched on. In Fwrd, tick off the destination’s checklist. That’s it: new texts with your word now go to the other phone on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked.

   Automation ← On

   

The Shortcuts screens differ between iOS 26 and iOS 27. The automation guide walks through both.

If a message doesn’t arrive

Messages opens instead of sending

Turn off Show Compose Sheet in the Send Message action.

The other phone gets nothing

Check the number in Send Message. Messages sends it as it would if you typed it: iMessage to Apple devices, and SMS or RCS otherwise.

Another Phone’s status in Fwrd doesn’t change

That’s normal. Messages does the sending, so your forwards show up in Messages, in your conversation with that number, rather than in Fwrd’s Activity.

Problems that apply to every destination, like texts that never trigger the automation, are in the troubleshooting guide.

Common questions

Each answer opens on the Another phone overview page.

• Can I automatically forward texts to another phone?
• How do I forward text messages from my iPhone to another number?
• Can I forward iPhone texts to an Android phone or another iPhone?
• Should I use this to see my texts on my own iPad or Mac?
• Are pictures forwarded to the other phone?
• Does forwarding to another phone work when my iPhone is locked?
• Is it free to forward iPhone texts to another phone?
• Will the other phone see who sent the original text?
• Can I choose which texts get forwarded to another phone?
• Does Fwrd see or store the texts I forward to another phone?

Popular ways to use Fwrd

• Executive assistants who need an executive’s sign-in codes
• Living abroad and keeping your US number
• NRIs receiving Indian bank OTPs abroad
• Keeping your UK number abroad for bank codes
• Helping your parents with bank codes from far away
• Families sharing verification codes
• Forwarding texts to an iPhone on a different Apple ID
• Forwarding iPhone texts to a flip phone
• Forwarding work phone texts to your personal phone

More help

• How to Forward All Texts From One iPhone to Another
• Forward iPhone Texts to Android
• Can You Auto-Forward iMessages From an iPhone?
• Can Two iPhones Share the Same Phone Number?