How to Automatically Forward Text Messages to Another Phone

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Receive incoming texts on another phone with this handy guide

Co-authored by Cory Stillman Reviewed by Luigi Oppido

Last Updated: August 7, 2024 Fact Checked

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Forward from iPhone to iPhone

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Forward from Android

Would you like to automatically forward text messages to another phone from your iPhone or Android? It might be a good idea if you own both a personal and a work phone, for example. Unfortunately, automatically forwarding SMS messages from an iOS to a non-iOS device is not possible. However, Apple makes it easy to forward both SMS and iMessages from your iPhone to other iOS devices. Android users can also automatically forward messages with ease. This wikiHow guide will teach you how to automatically forward all incoming text messages from your Android or iPhone to another device.

Things You Should Know

Forward iMessages or SMS/MMS texts from one iPhone to another by signing into the same Apple ID across all devices.
Navigate to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding and select all devices you want to receive forwarded texts.
Install the SMS Forwarder app on Android to set up the automatic forwarding of messages to a phone number or email address.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Forward from iPhone to iPhone

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1
Sign in with the same Apple ID across all devices. To automatically forward all iMessage and SMS texts to other iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, Mac, etc.), you must be signed in with the same Apple ID on each device.^{[1]
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- To confirm which Apple ID you are signed in with, navigate to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive and look for the listed Apple ID.
- All devices must meet Apple's Continuity requirements to receive SMS/MMS messages.
  - iPhones, iPads, or iPods receiving texts must be running iOS 8 or later.^{[2]
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2
Enable Text Message Forwarding on your iPhone. Navigate to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding on the iPhone from which you want to forward texts.
- If you do not see "Text Message Forwarding" as an option, turn off iMessage and turn it back on.
  - If this does not resolve the issue, you may not be signed into your Apple ID on any other devices. Double-check that you are signed in with the same Apple ID across all the iPhones you want to receive texts.
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The "Text Message Forwarding" landing page will display a list of all devices connected to the same Apple ID. Toggle the slider to the right (it should turn green) for any devices you want to receive forwarded texts.
4
Enter the verification code from each device on your iPhone. Unless your other phones are using multi-factor authentication, they will display a verification code that needs to be entered on your iPhone. Verify each device to start forwarding your texts!
- You can send and receive SMS/MMS messages from any of the forwarded devices, as long as your original iPhone is powered on and connected to Wi-Fi or a mobile network.
- iPhones cannot automatically forward text messages to non-iOS devices, but you can do it manually.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Forward from Android

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1
Download the SMS Forwarder app from the Google Play Store. There are several SMS forwarding apps available in the Play Store, but we recommend this one here.
- This wikiHow guide can help you manually forward texts on your Android.
It is the circular orange button located at the bottom of your screen.
3
Enter the phone number to which you want to forward text messages. You can also enter an email address.
- You can enter several numbers/emails, using commas to separate each entry.
4
Set your forwarding conditions. If you want to automatically forward all incoming texts, you can skip this step. Otherwise, you can enter keywords/terms that you want the app to filter for when forwarding messages.
- You can also limit forwarded messages to just texts that include one-time passwords or PIN numbers.
5
Complete the setup. Adjust any further settings as you wish, and finalize your setup. Your Android should now automatically forward incoming messages to the phone numbers you provided.
- Consider asking a friend or coworker to send you a text as a test of your new SMS Forwarder setup.