iPhone guide
iPhone SMS forwarding: 3 ways to forward text messages
Learn three ways to forward iPhone text messages: manually, across Apple devices, or with a Shortcuts automation. Fwrd for iPhone is coming soon.
“SMS forwarding” can mean forwarding one message to another person, making messages available on your other Apple devices, or using a user-created Shortcuts automation to run an action when a qualifying message arrives.
By Fwrd · Last reviewed
Compare iPhone SMS forwarding methods
Start with the destination. That determines whether you need a manual share, Apple’s device feature, or a Personal Automation.
Swipe horizontally to compare every column.
| Method | Best for | Destination | Automatic? | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward in Messages | Sharing one or more selected messages | Another Messages recipient | No | You select and send the messages each time. |
| Apple Text Message Forwarding | Continuing conversations on your Apple devices | Mac, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro | Yes, after setup | It is for eligible Apple devices using the same Apple Account. |
| Message automation in Shortcuts | Running an action when a qualifying message arrives | Whatever the chosen action supports | User-created | You create and manage the Personal Automation yourself. |
Method 1
Forward selected messages manually
Apple’s built-in Forward control is the simplest option when you need to share one or more specific message bubbles with another Messages recipient. Touch and hold a message, choose More, select the messages, then use the Forward control. You choose and send the messages each time, so this is not an ongoing automation.
Read Apple’s manual forwarding guide ↗Use this when
- • You need to share a small number of messages.
- • You want to choose the recipient each time.
- • You do not need future messages handled automatically.
Method 2
Use Apple Text Message Forwarding for Apple devices
Apple Text Message Forwarding makes SMS, MMS, and RCS messages sent and received on an iPhone available on an eligible Mac, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro. Apple says the devices use the same Apple Account. Messages in iCloud can also keep message history current across those devices.
This method is for continuing conversations on supported Apple devices. It does not route messages into Slack, Discord, or Telegram.
Read Apple’s Text Message Forwarding guide ↗Apple lists
- • Mac
- • iPad
- • Apple Vision Pro
Method 3
Use a Message Personal Automation for third-party actions
What Shortcuts decides
Apple documents Sender and Message Contains criteria for the Message trigger. When more than one criterion is present, all of them must match. The user owns and manages this Personal Automation in Shortcuts.
What the chosen action decides
Once the trigger matches, Shortcuts passes content into the action selected by the user. That action determines what happens next and which destinations it supports.
Coming soon for iPhone
Where Fwrd fits
Fwrd’s current iPhone app source exposes a Forward Message action that accepts Message and Sender values from Shortcuts. The current source implements Slack, Discord, and Telegram, and each invocation is sent to every active destination.
Fwrd does not create or inspect the user’s Personal Automation, and it does not apply a second set of sender, keyword, or pattern rules. The Shortcuts Message trigger determines which messages invoke the action. This is a source-level description of the current build, not a claim of App Store availability or tested behavior in every device state.
The current build also keeps a local forwarding log on the iPhone containing the message text, sender, destination, time, and delivery result. Each configured destination service receives and processes the messages sent to it.
How to stop a Message automation
Open Shortcuts, choose Automation, select the Message automation, turn off Enable This Automation, and tap Done. This stops that user-created trigger from running. Changing a destination inside an app is separate from disabling the Shortcuts automation.
Apple’s automation enable and disable guide ↗iPhone SMS forwarding FAQ
Can an iPhone automatically forward SMS messages?
Yes, but the method depends on the destination. Apple Text Message Forwarding makes messages available on eligible Apple devices. A user-created Message automation in Shortcuts can run a chosen action when its criteria match.
Is Apple Text Message Forwarding the same as a Shortcuts automation?
No. Apple's Text Message Forwarding is for continuing SMS, MMS, and RCS conversations on eligible Apple devices. A Shortcuts Message automation is a user-created trigger that runs actions when its Sender and Message Contains criteria match.
Does Fwrd create the Personal Automation?
No. Fwrd exposes a Forward Message action, but the user creates, enables, edits, and disables the Personal Automation in Apple's Shortcuts app.
Which destinations are implemented in Fwrd's current source?
The current iPhone app source implements Slack, Discord, and Telegram. Fwrd is coming soon and is not presented here as a currently available App Store download.
Does Fwrd choose a destination based on the sender or message?
Not in the current source. Apple's Message automation decides which messages trigger the action. Each Fwrd invocation is sent to every active destination configured in the app.
Primary sources
The Apple behavior described above is based on current Apple Support and Shortcuts documentation. Fwrd capability statements are limited to the current app source.