What forwarding a text message means
Forwarding a text message means sending someone else's message to a third person without typing it out again. Instead of copying the text by hand, you use your phone's built-in forward feature to pass the entire message — including the original sender's name and the exact words they wrote — to someone new.
The person who receives the forwarded message will see it came from you, not from the original sender. They will know it is a forward because the message usually shows the original sender's name at the top or in brackets, depending on your phone type.
Forwarding is different from screenshotting. A screenshot is a picture of your screen that you send as an image file. A forward is the actual text message passed along as a message, which means the recipient can copy, search, or forward it again themselves.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, open the message thread, press and hold the specific message you want to forward, tap "More", select additional messages if needed, then tap "Forward" and choose a contact.
- On Android, the steps vary by phone brand and messaging app, but usually involve long-pressing a message and selecting "Forward" from the menu that appears.
- The person receiving a forwarded message will see the original sender's name and the date the message was first sent, so they know it is not a new message from you.
- You can forward a single message or multiple messages from the same conversation in one action on most phones.
How to forward on iPhone
Open the Messages app and find the conversation that contains the text you want to forward. Locate the specific message and press and hold it with your finger until a menu appears with several options.
Tap the word "More" at the bottom right of the menu. Your phone will enter a selection mode where you can choose multiple messages if you want to forward more than one at a time. Each message you tap will show a checkmark. When you have selected all the messages you want to forward, tap "Forward" in the bottom right corner.
Your phone will open a new message screen with the selected message or messages already in the text field. Type the name or phone number of the person you want to send it to, then tap "Send". The message will arrive in their inbox as a forward, with the original sender's name visible.
How to forward on Android
The exact steps depend on which phone brand you have and which messaging app you use. Most Android phones come with Google Messages or a Samsung Messages app, and both support forwarding, but the button locations differ slightly.
Open your messaging app and find the conversation with the message you want to forward. Press and hold the message until a menu appears. Look for an option that says "Forward", "Share", or sometimes a right arrow icon. Tap it. If you do not see a forward option, try tapping a three-dot menu icon at the top of the screen instead.
Once you tap forward, your phone will open a new message with the text already filled in. Type the contact name or phone number and send it the same way you would send a regular text. If your phone does not have a dedicated forward button, you can also copy the message text, start a new message, and paste it — though this loses the original sender's name and timestamp.
What the person receiving the forward will see
When someone receives a message you have forwarded, they will see the original sender's name and the date the message was first sent. On iPhone, this usually appears in a gray box at the top of the message. On Android, it may appear as a line of text above the message content, depending on your messaging app.
The recipient will know when ready that the message came from someone else originally, not from you. They will be able to read the full original message, and they can forward it again to someone else if they want to.
When forwarding is useful
Forwarding works well when someone sends you information that another person needs to see — a phone number, an address, a time, or a confirmation code. It is faster than retyping and ensures the information stays exactly the same.
Forwarding is also useful in group situations. If a friend texts you a funny message or important news, you can forward it to others without having to explain or retype it. The original context stays intact.
Be mindful of privacy when forwarding. If someone sends you a personal message, forwarding it to others without asking first can feel like a breach of trust. Think about whether the original sender would want their message shared before you forward it.
Forwarding vs. other ways to share a message
You have several options when you want to share a text message. Forwarding sends the actual message text to a new contact. Screenshotting takes a picture of the message and sends it as an image, which is useful if you want to show exactly how the message looked on your screen, including the time stamp and sender's name as they appear to you.
You can also copy and paste a message into a new text, email, or social media message. This gives you the most control over what you share — you can edit it, add context, or send it through a different app. Copying and pasting is slower than forwarding but more flexible.
Some messaging apps like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger have their own forward buttons that work similarly to text message forwarding but may show additional information like read receipts or delivery status.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the original sender see that I forwarded their message?
No. When you forward a message, the original sender does not get a notification. They will not know you shared their message with someone else unless you tell them or unless they see it from another source.
Can I forward a message from a group chat?
Yes. You can forward any message from a group conversation the same way you would forward from a one-on-one chat. The recipient will see the original sender's name, not the group name, so they will know which person in the group sent the original message.
What happens if I forward a message with a photo or link?
On iPhone, photos and links forward along with the text. On Android, this depends on your messaging app — some apps forward media together, while others may only forward the text portion. If you are unsure, test it with a straightforward message first.
Can I forward a message to multiple people at once?
Most phones require you to forward to one contact at a time. You would need to repeat the forward process for each person. Some third-party messaging apps allow you to select multiple recipients in one forward action, but the standard text messaging apps do not.
Is forwarding the same as sharing?
Not exactly. Forwarding sends the message as a text message to a contact. Sharing usually means sending it through a different method — email, social media, or a messaging app — and may give you more options for how the message appears to the recipient.