iPhone SMS to a webhook
Forward iPhone SMS to a webhook
Forward iPhone SMS to your own HTTPS webhook automatically. Fwrd posts JSON holding only the message text, for your server or an automation tool.
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.
First, connect Webhook in Fwrd using the setup guide. Tap Send Test Message, confirm it arrives, then save the destination and leave it active. Next, set up the incoming-message trigger on your iPhone:
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 Forward Message action
Search for Forward and add Fwrd’s Forward Message to All Destinations below the trigger. Tap Message in it, tap Select Variable, and choose Shortcut Input; Shortcuts adds a Receive block at the top, which is fine. On iOS 26, choose Shortcut Input, then Message. Tap back to save.
Message = Shortcut Input (iOS 26: Shortcut Input → Message)
Check a real incoming SMS
Send a harmless SMS from a different phone to this iPhone. Include the keyword you chose. Confirm the same text arrives at your destination. Repeat while the receiving iPhone is locked. After a restart, unlock it once before using forwarding.
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.
- Each matching message goes to every active destination in Fwrd. Turn off destinations that should not receive it.
- We haven’t tested forwarding to a webhook 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
If Send Test Message fails, check your destination credentials and permissions. If the test works but an SMS does not, check your Message Contains keyword, the Message input, and Run Immediately in Shortcuts.
Check Fwrd’s local log for a failed attempt and confirm you have forwards left on the free plan. If you restarted the phone, unlock it once. Try a new test text after you correct the setup.
See every Webhook fix in the guideData and control
Your message goes directly from your iPhone to a webhook, without passing through Fwrd servers. Fwrd sends only the original message text, with no sender, timestamp, or title. What happens to it after that is up to whoever runs the endpoint. Fwrd keeps a local forwarding log containing message text, destination, time, and delivery result. It never records the sender. Keep tokens and webhook URLs private.
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 a webhook: FAQ
Can I forward iPhone SMS to a webhook automatically?
Yes. Fwrd sends selected incoming iPhone texts to an HTTPS endpoint you control, as a JSON POST, automatically. You set up a Message automation in Apple Shortcuts once, and after that each matching text is sent from your iPhone to your URL. We haven’t tested webhooks on a physical iPhone ourselves yet, so send a harmless test text before you rely on it.
How do I send iPhone text messages to my own webhook?
Point Fwrd at an HTTPS endpoint that accepts a JSON POST: add Webhook in Fwrd, paste the URL, and tap Send Test Message. Then, 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. Finish by sending a real test text from another phone, first with the iPhone unlocked and then locked.
What does Fwrd send to my webhook?
A POST with Content-Type: application/json and a body of exactly {"content": "<the original message text>"}. There’s no sender, timestamp, or title. Every attempt for the same message carries the same Idempotency-Key header, so you can drop retries you’ve already seen. Any 2xx response counts as delivered, redirects are refused, and a request times out after 15 seconds.
Can I send texts to more than one webhook?
Yes. Add each endpoint in Fwrd as its own Webhook destination, and every text that matches your automation is posted to all of them. Fwrd can’t send different texts to different endpoints, so filter in your own code if you need to.
Can I use an http:// address for my webhook?
No. Fwrd only accepts HTTPS addresses, so the message is encrypted on its way to your endpoint. For local testing, put your endpoint behind a tunnel or host that gives it an HTTPS address.
Does forwarding to a webhook work when my iPhone is locked?
It’s designed to: Fwrd sends the request from your iPhone in the background, without opening the app. We haven’t tested forwarding to a webhook 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 a webhook?
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 hosting or automation service may apply its own limits or costs.
Can I use a Zapier, Make, or n8n webhook?
It’s designed to: any HTTPS endpoint that accepts a JSON POST and answers with a 2xx status should work, including a catch-hook or webhook-trigger URL from Zapier, Make, or n8n. We haven’t tested those services ourselves, so send a harmless test and check the content field arrives. Fwrd adds no authentication headers; if your endpoint needs a secret, put it in the URL, and Fwrd stores the whole URL in the iPhone’s Keychain.
Can I choose which texts get forwarded to a webhook?
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 a webhook?
Fwrd handles the text only on your iPhone: it never passes through a Fwrd server, and there’s no Fwrd account. Fwrd sends only the original message text and keeps a local log on the iPhone with the message text, destination, time, and result. It never requests or records who sent the text. What happens to it after that is up to whoever runs the endpoint.