"Forward texts" can mean two different things. Most people want to pass one message, or a few, to someone else: a customer's address to the installer, a photo of a damaged order to a supplier. Others want every text that arrives on one phone to show up somewhere else, automatically. The first is built into every phone. The second is harder, and on a business number it's often the wrong fix.
This guide covers both, with steps from Apple's and Google's own help pages (checked October 19, 2026).
Forward one text on iPhone
These steps match Apple's Forward and share messages on iPhone for iOS 27:
- Open the Messages app.
- Open the conversation, then touch and hold the message bubble you want to forward.
- Tap More. The message is selected; tap the circles next to any others you want to include.
- Tap the forward arrow, enter the recipient and tap Send.
Apple's tip: if you want the other person to see the bubbles and timestamps exactly as they look in the conversation, send a screenshot instead. Forwarded text arrives as a new message from you, without the original sender's name or time.
Forward one text on Android
For Google Messages, the default texting app on Pixel and most Android phones, Google's help page Send and read text and voice messages gives these steps:
- Open Google Messages and open the chat.
- Tap and hold the message.
- Tap More (the three dots), then Forward.
- Choose the contact and tap Send.
Samsung Messages and other texting apps use the same idea (press and hold, then Forward or Share), but menu names differ. Samsung says on its support pages that Samsung Messages is being replaced by Google Messages on Android 12 and newer.
Forward a whole conversation
Neither app forwards a full thread in one tap. Your choices:
- Select several messages: On iPhone, after tapping More, tap each message you want, then forward them together.
- Screenshots: Fastest for a short thread, and it keeps who said what and when. Crop out anything the other person shouldn't see.
- Copy and paste: Long-press, copy, and paste into an email or note when you need to keep the text as a record.
Forward photos, videos and links
Pictures and videos forward the same way as text: press and hold, then Forward (Android) or More and the forward arrow (iPhone). A few things behave differently:
- Size limits: Picture messages (MMS) between carriers are often compressed, and long videos may not send at all. For full quality, save the photo to your phone and send it by email, AirDrop or a shared drive.
- Green and blue bubbles: A photo sent as iMessage keeps its quality between iPhones. Forwarded to an Android phone, it goes as SMS, MMS or RCS, depending on the phones and carriers.
- Links: Forwarding a link from a stranger passes along whatever is behind it. Don't forward links in messages that ask for a code, a payment or a password.
- Group threads: Forwarded messages start a new conversation. Nobody in the original group sees that you forwarded them.
Send every text to your other devices automatically
iPhone: Text Message Forwarding
Your iPhone can pass regular SMS and MMS texts (the green bubbles) to your own iPad and Mac. Apple's article Forward SMS/MMS text messages from your iPhone to your iPad, iPod touch or Mac (checked October 19, 2026) gives the path:
- Make sure each device is signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account.
- On the iPhone, open Settings, tap Apps, then Messages, then Text Message Forwarding.
- Turn on each device that should send and receive texts from this iPhone.
- If a device isn't using two-factor authentication, enter the code it shows on your iPhone.
If you use Messages in iCloud, Apple says you don't need to set this up separately. The iPhone has to be on and connected for forwarding to work.
Samsung: Call & text on other devices
Galaxy phones can share texts with your Galaxy tablet. Samsung's page Make calls and send messages from your Galaxy tablet has the steps: same Samsung account on both, turn on Call & text on other devices, and in Google Messages turn on Allow Bixby and text on Galaxy devices (profile icon, Messages settings, Advanced, Text on Galaxy devices). Samsung notes it doesn't currently work with Verizon and AT&T phones.
Google Voice: texts to email
If your business number is a Google Voice number, Google's help page Set up your phone to make and receive Google Voice calls shows how to forward texts to Gmail: open voice.google.com, click Settings, then Messages, and turn on Forward messages to email.
Forward texts to another person's phone automatically
This is the version most business owners mean ("send the shop's texts to my manager's phone"), and neither iPhone nor Android does it out of the box. The options people use:
- SMS forwarding apps (Android): Apps that read every incoming text and resend it to another number or email. They need permission to read all your messages, including bank and login codes, and some carriers charge for each resent text. Read the app's privacy policy before you install one.
- Google Voice to email: Texts go to an inbox, which you can share. Replies still come from the Voice app.
- A business texting service: The number lives in a shared inbox that the whole team opens on their own phones and computers. Nothing is forwarded, because there's one copy everyone sees.
Why forwarding a business number's texts gets messy
Forwarding works for a personal phone. On a number customers text, it causes problems that only show up later:
- Two people reply: Both phones get the text; both answer. The customer gets two different answers.
- Replies come from the wrong number: If your manager replies from their own phone, the customer now has their personal cell, and the conversation leaves the business number for good.
- No history: When someone leaves the job, the texts leave with their phone.
- Opt-outs get lost: If a customer texts STOP to a forwarded copy, the business number may never record it. Marketing and reminder texts need consent and working opt-outs; see SMS opt-in examples.
- Codes and private data spread: Every forwarded copy of a delivery code, address or account detail is another place it can leak.
Our guide to why to stop texting customers from a personal phone goes deeper on these risks.
A checklist before you forward a customer text
- Does the other person need the whole message, or just the order number and the ask?
- Remove card digits, codes and anything the customer wouldn't expect to be shared.
- Tell the customer if someone else will contact them, and from which number.
- Write down that you passed it on, where the rest of the team can see it.
What Chargezen does instead
Chargezen doesn't forward texts. Texts to your business number land in one conversation per customer in the team inbox, which teammates open in the browser or the Finn app. There's nothing to forward, because everyone works from the same thread:
- Concierge replies first: Concierge answers texts on your number with the customer's orders and subscriptions in front of it, and handles what it can. See SMS.
- A person steps in when needed: When a customer needs a person, Concierge alerts your team in the Finn app and the browser, and emails or texts the teammates you pick.
- Replies come from the business number: Teammates reply from the inbox, so customers never get a personal cell number.
- Calls in the same thread: Calls to the same number land in that conversation too. See the phone channel.
Texting customers from a business number needs registration first: 10DLC for a local number or toll-free verification. We offer US (+1) numbers only, new or brought over from your current provider. Concierge Starter is $20 a month with 20,000 credits. Pro is $199 a month with 199,000 credits, or $1,990 a year. Phone and text charges are billed as used. See pricing.
Glossary: unified inbox, A2P messaging and 10DLC. Read next: how to forward a voicemail, how to share one business number with your team and why to stop texting customers from a personal phone.
Frequently asked questions
Can I automatically forward texts from my iPhone to another phone?
Not to someone else's phone. Text Message Forwarding sends your iPhone's texts to your own iPad and Mac signed in to the same Apple Account. For another person, you'd need a business texting service that both of you can open.
Does the person I forward a text to see who sent it?
No. A forwarded text arrives as a new message from you. Send a screenshot if they need to see the sender and time.
Can I forward a text to an email address?
On iPhone and in Google Messages you can type an email address as the recipient, and it usually arrives through your carrier's email gateway. Results vary by carrier, so test it first. Google Voice can forward all texts to Gmail from its settings.
Is it safe to use an SMS forwarding app?
They need access to every message on the phone, including bank codes and two-step login codes. Use one only from a developer you trust, and never on a phone that receives other people's codes.
