How to Forward a Text Message to Someone Else on Your iPhone

Remember passing along a good letter? Maybe your sister wrote something funny, and you slipped it into another envelope so your brother could enjoy it too. Text messages work the same way. If someone sends you a message worth sharing — a grandchild's news, a doctor's appointment reminder, an address for Sunday dinner — you can pass it along to another person without retyping a single word.

Here's exactly how to do it.

Open the Message You Want to Share

Tap the green Messages app on your iPhone. That's the one with the white speech bubble.

Find the conversation that has the message you want to forward, and tap it to open it. You'll see all the back-and-forth messages listed.

Now find the specific message — the one particular bubble — you want to send along. It might be a whole paragraph, a phone number, or a short note. Just the one bubble, not the whole conversation.

Press and Hold, Then Choose "Forward"

Put your finger on that message bubble and hold it there for about a second. Don't tap and let go — press and hold.

A small menu will pop up above the message with words like Copy, Reply, and a row of little faces. Look below that menu for a line that says More… with three dots. Tap it.

The bubble will now have a little blue checkmark next to it, showing it's selected. In the bottom-right corner of the screen, you'll see a small arrow pointing to the right — that's the forward button. Tap it.

Pick Who Gets the Message

A brand new, empty message will open up. The message you're forwarding is already sitting in the typing area, ready to go. You didn't have to retype a thing.

Up at the top, next to the word To:, tap the empty space and start typing the name of the person you want to send it to. As soon as you see their name pop up below, tap it. If you'd rather, you can tap the little blue + on the right to pick from your contacts list.

You can also add a short note of your own before sending — something like "Look what Emma wrote!" — by tapping just before or after the forwarded text and typing.

When you're ready, tap the green arrow pointing up. Off it goes.

A Few Things Worth Knowing

The person receiving your forwarded message will not automatically know who sent it originally. They'll just see the words. If it matters who said it, add a quick note like "This is from Dr. Miller's office."

If the message has a photo in it, forwarding sends the photo along too. Same with an address or a phone number — everything in that bubble travels together.

And if you change your mind halfway through, just tap the Cancel button in the top-left corner. Nothing gets sent until you tap that green arrow.

Try It Today

Scroll back through your recent messages and find one worth sharing — maybe a nice note from a friend, or an address someone sent you last week. Practice forwarding it to your own phone number, or to a family member who won't mind a test message. Once you've done it once, it'll feel as natural as handing a letter across the kitchen table.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.