If you need to share a text with someone else, both iPhone and Android let you forward a message in a few taps. The exact buttons look a little different, but the basic flow is the same: open the conversation, press and hold the message, choose the forward option, pick the recipient, and send it. On iPhone, Apple’s current Messages guide confirms that you can forward one or more messages from a conversation, while Google documents the same option in Google Messages on Android. Apple’s Messages guide and Google Messages help are the two most useful official references here.
Quick Answer: On iPhone, open the conversation, touch and hold the message, tap More, then tap the Forward arrow, enter the recipient, and send it. On Android in Google Messages, open the chat, tap and hold the message, tap More and then Forward, choose the contact, and tap Send.
What forwarding a text message actually does
Forwarding sends a copy of the selected message into a new conversation. It doesn’t move the message out of the original chat, and it won’t merge the entire conversation into one neat transcript unless you manually select multiple messages first. That distinction matters because a lot of people expect “forward” to work like email thread forwarding, but phone messaging apps usually treat forwarding as a message-by-message action. Apple explicitly says you can select one or more messages before forwarding, and Google’s help page for Google Messages shows the same single-message forwarding flow on Android.
Worth mentioning here: not every message type behaves the same way. Modern phones may use iMessage, RCS, SMS, or MMS depending on the device, recipient, and network path. Apple’s current explanation of message types makes that clear, which helps explain why attachments, read receipts, or media quality may vary after forwarding. Apple’s message types explainer gives a good overview of that difference.
How to forward a text message on iPhone
If you use the built-in Messages app on iPhone, the forwarding option is built right into the message bubble menu. Apple’s current iPhone user guide shows the exact path.
- Open the Messages app: Go to the conversation that contains the text you want to forward.
- Press and hold the message bubble: Touch and hold the specific message until the action menu appears.
- Tap “More”: This switches the message into selection mode.
- Select additional messages if needed: If you want to forward more than one message, tap the other bubbles so they get selected too.
- Tap the Forward arrow: You’ll see the forward icon at the bottom right.
- Enter the recipient: Type a phone number, contact name, or Apple Account address.
- Tap Send: The forwarded message is sent as a new message to that recipient.
How to forward multiple messages on iPhone
This is one area where iPhone is better than many people expect. Once you tap More, you can select more than one message bubble before you hit the forward arrow. That makes it useful when you want to share a short part of a conversation instead of forwarding messages one by one. Apple’s guide specifically notes that you can select one or more messages before forwarding them.
What to do if the forward option doesn’t show up on iPhone
If you don’t see the option right away, make sure you’re pressing and holding the individual message bubble, not the empty area around the chat. Also check that you’re in Apple’s Messages app and not another messaging app. If your Messages setup itself has been acting strangely, it can help to review your current messaging configuration or broader iPhone messaging behavior before assuming the feature is gone. For related troubleshooting on your site, the guides on message blocking issues and iMessage block clues fit naturally alongside this topic.
How to forward a text message on Android
On Android, the most common path today is through Google Messages, which is the default messaging app on many phones. Google’s official help page lays out a simple forwarding flow: open the chat, tap and hold the message, tap More, choose Forward, select the contact, and tap send.
- Open Google Messages: Go into the conversation that contains the text you want to share.
- Tap and hold the message: Long-press the specific message bubble.
- Tap “More” and then “Forward”: On some phones, this appears under the three-dot menu after selection.
- Choose the recipient: Pick an existing contact or enter a new number.
- Tap Send: The message will be forwarded into a new conversation.
What if your Android phone doesn’t look exactly like this?
That usually comes down to the messaging app, not Android itself. Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and other brands may use slightly different menus, icon placement, or wording. In practice, the pattern is still very similar: open the message, long-press it, look for a three-dot menu or a forward arrow, then choose the person you want to send it to. If your phone uses Google Messages, the official Google instructions above are the right reference point. If it uses a manufacturer app, the menu may look different even though the result is the same.
Pro Tip: If you don’t see a forward option immediately on Android, tap the message once more after long-pressing it and check the top-right menu. Some Android skins hide forwarding under the overflow menu instead of showing a direct arrow.
Can you forward photos, links, and media too?
Yes, in many cases you can. Text forwarding isn’t limited to plain SMS text. Depending on the app and message type, you may be able to forward photos, links, or other content from the same conversation view. Apple’s Messages documentation also covers sharing content such as photos, videos, and links from Messages, while Google Messages supports MMS and RCS content alongside standard text conversations. Apple’s sharing guide and Google Messages overview help clarify what modern messaging apps support.
The one place to be careful is with verification codes, banking alerts, and other sensitive messages. You can forward them, but that doesn’t always mean you should. A forwarded one-time password or account alert can expose private information or even help someone sign in to your accounts. That’s especially true if you share devices or routinely forward work-related texts.
How to forward several texts from one conversation
If your goal is to share a short piece of a conversation rather than a single message, iPhone handles this more clearly because Apple explicitly lets you select multiple messages after tapping More. On Android, support for multi-message forwarding can vary depending on the messaging app version and phone brand, so the safest assumption is that individual message forwarding is always supported, while multi-select behavior may differ. Apple’s guide documents multi-select directly; Google’s official instructions focus on the standard message-forward flow in Google Messages.
If you need to preserve a long back-and-forth exactly as it appeared, screenshots are often easier and more reliable than forwarding dozens of individual messages. That’s not as elegant, but it avoids losing the order and context of a long conversation.
How text message forwarding across devices is different
A lot of people search for how to forward a text message when what they really want is message syncing across devices. That’s a different feature. On iPhone, Apple supports Text Message Forwarding so SMS, MMS, and RCS messages received on your iPhone can appear on your other Apple devices when they use the same Apple Account and are enabled in settings. Apple’s setup pages show the current path under Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding. Apple’s forwarding setup and Messages setup guide are the official references for that feature.
On Android, Google’s official cross-device option is usually Messages for web, which lets you access SMS, MMS, and RCS messages from a browser once your phone is linked. That’s not the same as automatically forwarding every text to another phone number, but it does give you a practical way to view and send messages from your computer. Messages for web is the official Google entry point for that setup.
Common reasons forwarding doesn’t work
- You’re pressing the wrong part of the screen: Forwarding usually appears only when you long-press the actual message bubble.
- You’re using a different messaging app: The steps above are for Apple Messages and Google Messages, and other apps may move the option.
- The message type is different: RCS, SMS, MMS, and iMessage don’t always expose exactly the same options or visual cues.
- Your app layout changed after an update: This is common on Android, where the forwarding option may move into the top-right menu.
- You’re trying to forward an entire thread: Messaging apps usually forward selected messages, not the whole conversation as one email-style chain.
Useful related fixes and workarounds
If forwarding is part of a bigger messaging problem, it helps to solve the underlying issue instead of treating forwarding as the only task. For example, if messages aren’t going out correctly, your message blocking fix guide is a good companion resource. If you’re trying to figure out whether an iPhone conversation is behaving abnormally because of delivery issues or contact blocking, the article on iMessage blocking signs adds useful context. And if you’re cleaning up broader iPad or iPhone behavior while working in Messages, your posts on clearing cookies on iPad and fixing iPad split screen are natural internal follow-ups.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to forward a text message on Android and iPhone is one of those small phone skills that becomes useful surprisingly often. On iPhone, the built-in Messages app makes it easy to forward one or more messages through the More menu. On Android, Google Messages offers a similar long-press and forward flow. If you only remember one thing, remember this: open the chat, long-press the message, look for Forward, then choose the recipient. For official step references and device-specific details, Apple’s current Messages documentation and Google’s current Google Messages help remain the best sources.
