# Forward iPhone SMS to WhatsApp > Forward iPhone SMS to WhatsApp automatically. Fwrd hands each matching text to WhatsApp’s own Shortcuts action, which sends it from your personal account. Last reviewed: 2026-09-25 Canonical HTML page: https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp ## Short answer Forward iPhone SMS to WhatsApp automatically. Fwrd hands each matching text to WhatsApp’s own Shortcuts action, which sends it from your personal account. Fwrd is available on the App Store. Install: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fwrd-sms-forwarder/id6759069713 Requires an iPhone running iOS 26.2 or later. - Who sends it: WhatsApp’s own Send Message action, from your personal WhatsApp account on the iPhone - Our physical-iPhone test: Not run yet. Send a harmless test text before you rely on it. ## Set up forwarding Fwrd can’t send to WhatsApp itself. Your shortcut runs Fwrd’s action first, then WhatsApp’s own Send Message action, which sends each matching text from your personal WhatsApp account on the iPhone. Build it like this: - What you need: WhatsApp installed and signed in on the iPhone, and the contact that should get the texts - Connect with: WhatsApp recipient, plus WhatsApp’s Send Message action - Destination setup guide: https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/whatsapp 1. **Add WhatsApp in Fwrd.** On the iPhone, open Destinations, tap Add Destination, and choose WhatsApp. Choose the contact 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. 2. **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`) 3. **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`) 4. **Add Send Message after it.** Add WhatsApp’s own 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 When Run and any confirmation option so it sends without waiting for you. Save the automation. (`Message = Fwrd action output`) 5. **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. WhatsApp does the sending, so Fwrd can’t see whether it arrived: this check is the only proof. ## Requirements and fixes - 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. - Turn off Show When Run and any confirmation option in WhatsApp’s Send Message (not Send Message via WhatsApp). If your version of WhatsApp has none, it can’t send without you, including while the iPhone is locked. - We haven’t tested forwarding to WhatsApp on a physical iPhone ourselves yet. Send a harmless test text, unlocked and then locked, before you rely on it. 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 When Run and any confirmation option. If the shortcut doesn’t run at all, check your Message Contains keyword, Fwrd’s Message input, and that the automation runs without asking. WhatsApp 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. ## Free plan and pricing 15 free forwards per calendar month. No paid subscription or Fwrd account required. Pro removes the 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. ## Data and control Fwrd hands the message text back to your shortcut on the iPhone, and WhatsApp’s own Send Message action sends it from your personal WhatsApp account on the iPhone. No Fwrd server, relay, or account is involved. WhatsApp handles the forwarded message under its own terms. Fwrd never requests or records the sender, and because WhatsApp does the sending, the forward doesn’t appear in Fwrd’s Activity log. ## Forwarding iPhone texts to WhatsApp: FAQ ### Can I automatically forward iPhone SMS to WhatsApp? Yes. Fwrd and Apple Shortcuts can forward selected incoming iPhone texts to a WhatsApp chat automatically. Your shortcut runs Fwrd’s action first, then WhatsApp’s own Send Message action, which sends each matching text from your personal WhatsApp account. 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 WhatsApp? Add WhatsApp in Fwrd with the contact 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 WhatsApp’s Send Message below Fwrd, tap Message → Select Variable, and choose the blue output under Fwrd’s action. Set your recipient and turn Show When Run and any confirmation option off. Send a real test text from another phone and check the chat. ### Does Fwrd use the WhatsApp Business API? No. Fwrd uses WhatsApp’s own Send Message action in Shortcuts, which sends from your personal WhatsApp account on the iPhone, as if you sent it yourself. There’s no WhatsApp Business account, Meta API key, or Fwrd bot involved. ### Why forward iPhone texts to WhatsApp? Because WhatsApp is already open on the phones and computers you and your family use, including WhatsApp on the web. It’s handy for getting a home number’s codes while you travel, without roaming, or for passing delivery texts to someone else. ### Are pictures in a text forwarded to WhatsApp? No. Fwrd passes on only the text of each message, exactly as it arrived, so photos and other attachments stay on your iPhone. WhatsApp sends that text from the WhatsApp account on the receiving iPhone. ### Does forwarding to WhatsApp work when my iPhone is locked? It’s designed to, as long as WhatsApp’s action can run without you. Turn off Show When Run and any confirmation option it offers; if your version of WhatsApp has no such option, it can’t send without you, including while the iPhone is locked. We haven’t tested forwarding to WhatsApp 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 WhatsApp? 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. WhatsApp’s own terms and limits still apply. ### Does WhatsApp need to be installed on the iPhone? Yes. The Send Message action comes from the WhatsApp app, so WhatsApp has to be installed and signed in on the iPhone that receives the texts. Open WhatsApp once after installing or updating it so its actions appear in Shortcuts. ### Can I choose which texts get forwarded to WhatsApp? 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 WhatsApp? 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 WhatsApp does the sending, the forward doesn’t appear in Fwrd’s Activity log. Fwrd never requests or records who sent the text. WhatsApp handles the forwarded message under its own terms. ## Primary links - [HTML page](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-to-whatsapp) - [WhatsApp setup guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/guides/whatsapp) - [Broad iPhone SMS forwarding guide](https://www.fwrdsms.com/iphone-sms-forwarding) - [Privacy](https://www.fwrdsms.com/privacy.md)