# How to forward iPhone text messages to WhatsApp > Forward iPhone texts to a WhatsApp chat: Fwrd processes each message, then WhatsApp’s own Shortcuts action sends it from your personal account, automatically. Last updated: 2026-10-28 Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/whatsapp Send the texts you choose to a WhatsApp contact. WhatsApp’s own Shortcuts action sends them. Fwrd is available on the App Store. Install: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fwrd-sms-forwarder/id6759069713 Requires an iPhone running iOS 26.0 or later. ## 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 WhatsApp action that follows in Apple Shortcuts performs delivery; Fwrd does not send it directly. ## Before you begin - WhatsApp installed and configured on the iPhone - The contact that should get your texts - Fwrd installed on the iPhone that receives the messages Configuration used by this guide: Saved WhatsApp recipient ## Set up the destination 1. **Choose WhatsApp 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 WhatsApp. 2. **Type the number.** Under Send To, type the WhatsApp number that should get your texts, then continue. 3. **Add Fwrd to WhatsApp.** Choose which texts to forward. Tap Get Shortcut. In Shortcuts, tap Add Shortcut, then ◀ Fwrd at the top left. Fwrd to WhatsApp already holds WhatsApp’s Send Message, which sends to the contact or number you typed in Fwrd. 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. ![Trigger step opened with its arrow: Automation switched on and Confirm Before Run switched off](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/sc-confirm-off-af785d18.jpg) 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. **You’re all set.** That’s it. New matching texts now go to that WhatsApp chat 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. ### Setup video Forward texts to WhatsApp: https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/video/whatsapp-4ef0c22a.mp4 (88 seconds, captions: https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/video/whatsapp-f2f1c91e.vtt). Shown on iOS 27 with Fwrd 1.1. The addresses and numbers are examples. 1. **Add WhatsApp in Fwrd.** In Fwrd, tap + at the bottom of the screen and choose WhatsApp. Scroll down to Recipient Reference and enter the number or contact that should get your texts on WhatsApp. Then tap the tick to save. Fwrd shows the Shortcuts steps as a checklist on the same screen. ![Fwrd’s WhatsApp destination screen with +1 555 010 0142 under Recipient Reference](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/whatsapp-fwrd-fb489a1f.jpg) 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` ![Trigger step opened with its arrow: Automation switched on and Confirm Before Run switched off](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/sc-confirm-off-af785d18.jpg) 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` ![Action search for Forward with Fwrd’s Forward Message to All Destinations marked](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/sc-add-fwrd-e66225c2.jpg) 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` ![Fwrd’s action reading “Forward Shortcut Input to all destinations”, with a Receive block added at the top](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/sc-shortcut-input-0dbdbb93.jpg) 5. **Add WhatsApp’s Send Message.** Search for WhatsApp, tap the WhatsApp app in the results, then choose Send Message. Don’t pick Send Message via WhatsApp, the older action the search lists on its own. It goes below Fwrd’s action. This action, not Fwrd, sends the message. `WhatsApp’s Send Message` ![Shortcuts action search opened on the WhatsApp app, listing Call, Send Message, Send Message via WhatsApp and more, with Send Message marked](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/whatsapp-add-action-4d3cba77.jpg) 6. **Pass Fwrd’s output forward.** Tap Message in WhatsApp’s 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` ![WhatsApp’s Send Message with Forward Message to All Destinations offered above the keyboard, marked](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/whatsapp-fwrd-output-2a5f9ad0.jpg) 7. **Set the recipient.** Tap Recipients and find the same contact or number you saved in Fwrd. If the contact has more than one WhatsApp number, tap › next to it and pick one number. Otherwise Shortcuts stops every time to ask which one, and a locked iPhone can’t answer. Then tap the tick. `Recipients ← the contact or number saved in Fwrd` ![WhatsApp’s Send Message reading “Send Forward Message to All Destinations to +1 (555) 010-0142”](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/whatsapp-recipient-526d8981.jpg) 8. **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 that WhatsApp chat on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked. `Automation ← On` ![Automation list showing “When I Get a Message Containing ‘Code’” switched on](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/steps/whatsapp-saved-e73331b8.jpg) The Shortcuts screens differ between iOS 26 and iOS 27. The automation guide walks through both: https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/automation ## If a message doesn’t arrive ### Shortcuts asks “Which one?” about the recipient The contact has more than one WhatsApp number. Add the recipient again, tap › next to the contact, and pick one number. Until you do, nothing is sent while the iPhone is locked. ### I can’t find Show When Run WhatsApp’s Send Message doesn’t have one, or any other confirmation switch. It sends without asking, so there’s nothing to turn off. ### WhatsApp opens with the message but doesn’t send it Check that you added Send Message, not Send Message via WhatsApp. To add the right one, search for WhatsApp, tap the WhatsApp app, then choose Send Message. ### WhatsApp’s action isn’t in Shortcuts Open WhatsApp once after installing or updating it, so its actions appear in Shortcuts. Then search for WhatsApp and tap the WhatsApp app: Send Message is listed there, not in the search results. Searching for Send Message gets you Apple’s Messages action instead. ### Shortcuts says there was a problem communicating with the app Open WhatsApp and update it, then run the automation again. WhatsApp updates have broken its Shortcuts action for a while before. If WhatsApp’s Screen Lock (Face ID) is on, try it with that off. ### WhatsApp’s status in Fwrd doesn’t change That’s normal. WhatsApp does the sending, from your own account, so your forwards show up in that WhatsApp chat rather than in Fwrd’s Activity. Problems that apply to every destination, like texts that never trigger the automation, are in the troubleshooting guide: https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/troubleshooting ## Common questions - [Can I automatically forward iPhone SMS to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-automatic) - [How do I forward text messages from my iPhone to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-setup) - [Does Fwrd use the WhatsApp Business API?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-business-api) - [Why forward iPhone texts to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-why-whatsapp) - [Are pictures in a text forwarded to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-pictures) - [Does forwarding to WhatsApp work when my iPhone is locked?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-locked) - [Is it free to forward iPhone texts to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-cost) - [Does WhatsApp need to be installed on the iPhone?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-whatsapp-installed) - [Can I choose which texts get forwarded to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-choose-texts) - [Does Fwrd see or store the texts I forward to WhatsApp?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp#faq-privacy) ## Popular ways to use Fwrd - [Living abroad and keeping your US number](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/keep-us-phone-number-living-abroad) - [NRIs receiving Indian bank OTPs abroad](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/receive-indian-bank-otp-abroad) - [Keeping your UK number abroad for bank codes](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/keep-uk-number-abroad-bank-codes) - [Helping your parents with bank codes from far away](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/help-parents-with-bank-codes) - [Families sharing verification codes](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/share-verification-codes-with-family) ## More help - [Can WhatsApp or Telegram Receive Text Messages?](https://www.fwrdsms.com/blog/can-whatsapp-receive-sms) ## Good to know Keep the iPhone that gets the texts on and online. After it restarts, unlock it once and forwarding carries on. WhatsApp does the sending, so your forwards show up in WhatsApp rather than in Fwrd’s Activity. ## Free plan and pricing 15 free forwards per calendar month. No paid subscription or Fwrd account required. Pro removes the monthly limit, allows more than one filter condition per destination, and adds a Never Forward list of words to always skip. US prices: $4.99/month or $29.99/year. ## Related - [Forward iPhone SMS to WhatsApp: overview and FAQ](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp.md) - [All setup guides](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides.md) - [Shortcuts automation guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/automation.md) - [Troubleshooting](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/troubleshooting.md)