iPhone SMS to another phone
Forward iPhone texts to another phone
Forward iPhone texts to another phone automatically, Android included. Fwrd hands each matching text to Apple’s Send Message action, which sends it on.
iPhone · iOS 26.2 or later. Your receiving iPhone stays on and online. No Fwrd account or new phone number needed.
The route
Set up once. Send a real test text.
Fwrd can’t send to another phone itself. Your shortcut runs Fwrd’s action first, then Apple’s Send Message action, which sends each matching text from the Messages app on your iPhone. Build it like this:
Add Another phone in Fwrd
On the iPhone, open Destinations, tap Add Destination, and choose Another Phone. Choose the number that should get your texts, then save. Fwrd lists the shortcut steps as a checklist, so you can tick them off as you build it.
Create a Message automation
On the receiving iPhone, open Shortcuts. On iOS 27, go to Library → Automation and tap +. If you see Describe a shortcut, tap Edit. Tap Automation, then Message, and change Sender to Message. Type a word your texts contain, such as code or verification: matching on the message catches short codes and senders outside your Contacts, which Sender can’t. Then tap the arrow beside the trigger and check that Confirm Before Run is off. On iOS 26, tap Automation, then +, then Message, and choose Run Immediately with Notify When Run off.
Message contains ← your word · Confirm Before Run ← Off
Add Fwrd’s action first
Add Fwrd’s Forward Message to All Destinations right after the trigger. Set its Message to Shortcut Input → Message on iOS 26, or Shortcut Input on iOS 27.
iOS 26: Shortcut Input → Message · iOS 27: Shortcut Input
Add Send Message after it
Add Apple’s Send Message action directly after Fwrd’s. Tap Message → Select Variable and choose the blue output under Fwrd’s action. Choose your recipient, and turn off Show Compose Sheet (Show When Run on iOS 26) so it sends without waiting for you. Save the automation.
Message = Fwrd action output
Check a real incoming SMS
Send a harmless SMS with your keyword from a different phone and check it reaches the recipient. Repeat with the receiving iPhone locked. Messages does the sending, so Fwrd can’t see whether it arrived: this check is the only proof.
Before you rely on forwarding
- You create and control the Message automation in Shortcuts.
- The iPhone must receive the SMS, stay powered on, and have internet access. Unlock it once after a restart.
- Check that Show Compose Sheet is off in Send Message (Show When Run on iOS 26). With it on, Messages opens and waits for you to tap send.
- We haven’t tested forwarding to another phone on a physical iPhone ourselves yet. Send a harmless test text, unlocked and then locked, before you rely on it.
If your text does not arrive
Check that Send Message comes right after Fwrd’s action, that its Message uses the blue output under Fwrd’s action, and that you’ve turned off Show Compose Sheet (Show When Run on iOS 26). If the shortcut doesn’t run at all, check your Message Contains keyword, Fwrd’s Message input, and that the automation runs without asking.
Messages does the sending, so Fwrd can’t see whether it arrived: the destination shows Not Tested in Fwrd, and the send doesn’t appear in Fwrd’s Activity log. Check with the recipient. If you restarted the phone, unlock it once, then try a new test text.
See every Another phone fix in the guideData and control
Fwrd hands the message text back to your shortcut on the iPhone, and Apple’s Send Message action sends it from the Messages app on your iPhone. No Fwrd server, relay, or account is involved. Apple and your carrier handle the forwarded text under their own terms. Fwrd never requests or records the sender, and because Messages does the sending, the forward doesn’t appear in Fwrd’s Activity log.
Start with 15 free forwards each month
No paid subscription required. The allowance resets each calendar month. Pro removes Fwrd’s monthly limit.
US prices: $3.99/month or $29.99/year. The annual plan includes a 7-day free trial for eligible customers, then renews at $29.99/year until canceled.
See all pricingForwarding iPhone texts to another phone: FAQ
Can I automatically forward texts to another phone?
Yes. Fwrd and Apple Shortcuts can forward selected incoming texts to another phone number automatically. Your shortcut runs Fwrd’s action first, then Apple’s Send Message action, which sends each matching text from the Messages app on your iPhone. Fwrd doesn’t send it itself and can’t see whether it arrived, so send a harmless test text before you rely on it.
How do I forward text messages from my iPhone to another number?
Add Another Phone in Fwrd with the number that should get your texts, then build the shortcut. In Apple Shortcuts, create a Message automation with a Message Contains keyword. On iOS 26, choose Run Immediately and turn Notify When Run off; on iOS 27, set it to run without asking. Add Fwrd’s Forward Message to All Destinations after the trigger. Set its Message to Shortcut Input → Message on iOS 26, or Shortcut Input on iOS 27. Add Apple’s Send Message below Fwrd, tap Message → Select Variable, and choose the blue output under Fwrd’s action. Set the other number as the recipient and check that Show Compose Sheet is off (Show When Run on iOS 26). Send a real test text from another phone and check it arrives.
Can I forward iPhone texts to an Android phone or another iPhone?
Yes. Apple’s Send Message action sends each matching text from the Messages app on your iPhone: as an iMessage to an Apple device, and as SMS or RCS to Android and other phones. The other phone doesn’t need Fwrd or the same Apple Account. Your carrier’s usual texting rates may apply.
Should I use this to see my texts on my own iPad or Mac?
No, use Apple’s Text Message Forwarding for that. It shows your iPhone’s texts on a Mac or iPad signed in to the same Apple Account, for free. Forward to another phone when it’s someone else’s phone, an Android phone, or an iPhone on a different Apple Account.
Are pictures forwarded to the other phone?
No. Fwrd passes on only the text of each message, exactly as it arrived, so photos and other attachments stay on your iPhone. The forwarded text is sent from your own number, without the original sender’s number.
Does forwarding to another phone work when my iPhone is locked?
It’s designed to, as long as Show Compose Sheet (Show When Run on iOS 26) is off in Apple’s Send Message action, so Messages sends without waiting for you. We haven’t tested forwarding to another phone on a locked iPhone ourselves yet, so lock the phone and send a harmless test text before you rely on it. The iPhone has to stay on and online, and after a restart you need to unlock it once before forwarding works again.
Is it free to forward iPhone texts to another phone?
It’s free for up to 15 forwards per calendar month, with no Fwrd account and no subscription. Fwrd Pro removes that limit for $3.99/month or $29.99/year, and the annual plan includes a 7-day free trial for eligible customers. Eligible waitlist members can get their first year for $19.99, renewing at $29.99/year. Your carrier’s usual texting rates may apply to what Messages sends.
Will the other phone see who sent the original text?
No. Fwrd passes on only the original message text, never the sender, so the forward arrives from your own number or Apple Account, not the original sender’s. If the original text doesn’t name who it’s from, the forward won’t either.
Can I choose which texts get forwarded to another phone?
Yes. Only texts that match your Shortcuts Message automation reach Fwrd, so set Message Contains to a word that appears in the texts you want, such as code, verification, or delivery. Match on Message Contains rather than Sender, because the Sender picker only offers your Contacts and misses short codes. Each matching text goes to every active destination you’ve set up in Fwrd.
Does Fwrd see or store the texts I forward to another phone?
Fwrd handles the text only on your iPhone, to hand it to the next action in your shortcut: no Fwrd server, relay, or account is involved. Because Messages does the sending, the forward doesn’t appear in Fwrd’s Activity log. Fwrd never requests or records who sent the text. Apple and your carrier handle the forwarded text under their own terms.