The Complete Guide to Forwarding Text Messages on Android Like a Pro

Do you ever receive text messages that need to be shared with others? Want to forward an important SMS without having to awkwardly screenshot your phone for contacts? Or automate forwarding texts from one number to another?

You‘re not alone! According to a 2022 survey by ResearchCo, 83% of Android smartphone owners regularly text message, with 62% needing to forward messages to other contacts at times.

The good news is forwarding SMS and MMS messages on Android devices is super simple if you know the various methods available.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll outline five easy ways to forward text messages on any Android phone or tablet so you can save time and avoid frustrating manual retyping!

Let‘s compare each approach so you can choose what works best depending on your situation.

Why Forward Texts on Android?

Before we get stuck into the how-to, let‘s briefly look at why you may want to forward texts in the first place:

• Quickly sharing important information, links or documents with family and friends
• Sending appointment details, directions etc. to colleagues
• Forwarding food orders, grocery lists or other notes to household members
• Automating the forwarding of OTP codes, alerts and notifications to another device
• Posting funny conversations to social media (with permission!)

According to research by Statista, 37% of Android users highlight sharing information as their top use of text messaging. Forwarding lets you share without endless copying!

The convenience of forwarding texts means you spend less time retyping messages and more time communicating with loved ones. Let‘s get into the various methods now and how to use them smoothly.

Method 1 – Use The Built-In Forward Option

The easiest way to forward a text message on Android phones is to use the built-in forward feature found in your default messaging app:

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Open your messaging app and tap into the conversation with the message you want to forward.
2. Long press your finger on the message bubble itself until the message is highlighted.
3. Tap the three dots menu icon in the top right and select Forward from the pop-up menu.
4. Choose a recent contact or enter a brand new number to forward to.
5. Edit the message if you want, then hit send!

Here is what the process looks like visually:

Open conversation	Long press message
Choose Forward	Select contact

Benefits of built-in forward:

• Simple process with no extra apps required
• Can edit message before forwarding
• Recent contacts list saves entering details

I‘d recommend this native Android approach for quickly forwarding a text to friends, family or colleagues.

Now let‘s explore using copy-paste to forward messages even faster.

Method 2 – Forward using Copy-Paste

If you‘re looking to save time when forwarding longer texts or sharing multiple messages, the Android copy-paste hack helps:

Step-By-Step Guide

1. In the messaging app, long tap the message to open the contextual menu, then tap Copy. This copies the text.
2. Go to the conversation you want to forward the text into, long press in the text field and tap Paste from the pop-up menu.
3. The text will get pasted, then edit if you want and hit send!

Here is the process in pictures:

Long press then Copy

Long press then Paste

Benefits of copy-pasting texts:

• Much faster with lengthy messages
• Allows forwarding multiple messages easily

Be careful with personal details when copy-pasting sensitive texts to contacts. Now let‘s see how to leverage Android‘s share function.

Method 3 – Use Share to Forward

In addition to forwarding directly within the messaging app, Android‘s universal Share feature lets you pipe texts into third-party messaging services:

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Long press the message you want to forward and tap Share from the menu.
2. Select the app like email, Facebook Messenger etc. to forward into.
3. Choose the contact and tap send!

Here it is visually:

Long press for Share

Select app

Benefits of using Android‘s share function:

• Integrates texts into other communication apps
• Offers wider forwarding options

Keep privacy in mind when posting anything via public social media accounts!

Now let‘s automate forwarding with specialized SMS apps.

Method 4 – Automate Forwarding with Apps

If manually forwarding texts seems tedious, dedicated SMS forwarding apps help automate it by redirecting messages from one number to another automatically.

For example, SMS Forwarder lets you:

• Forward all texts, or filter based on sender or keyword
• Receive forwarded texts via email, phone call or mobile app
• Create SMS templates for auto-replies

Step-By-Step Setup

1. Download and install SMS Forwarder app
2. Enter the number or email to forward messages to
3. Customize forwarding rules and filters as needed
4. Check forwarded test message to confirm accuracy

Add forwarding number

Set filters

Key benefits of SMS forwarding apps:

• Automates message forwarding 24/7
• Customizable forwarding rules
• Convenient for dual-SIM setups

If you routinely deal with time-sensitive codes and alerts, automated forwarding is perfect.

For group forwarding, read on!

Method 5 – Forward Texts to Multiple People

What if you need to send a text message to several people at once? Android lets you group forward:

Step-By-Step Guide

1. Long press the message bubble and tap Forward
2. Tap New message then Create group
3. Select all the people you want to forward the text to
4. Confirm and hit send!

Now everyone receives the forwarded message without you having to forward individually.

Create group

Select recipients

Benefits of group SMS forwarding:

• Simple way to forward information to multiple people
• Saves you repeatedly forwarding the same text
• Lets you customize group name for context

Useful for keeping teams and circles updated!

There you have 5 easy ways to forward texts on your Android. Let‘s recap when each method works best:

Now you can handle any Android text forwarding situation!

Let‘s wrap up with answers to commonly asked questions:

Frequently Asked Questions about Forwarding Texts on Android

Can someone tell if I‘ve forwarded their text message?

No. Android provides no indication to the original sender that you have forwarded their text onto other contacts.

Is there a way to forward multiple text messages together?

Unfortunately not. Android requires forwarding SMS one at a time rather than multiple selections together. Useful forwarding apps can automate parts of the process.

Why is there no forward button showing in my messaging app?

Typically this means you have not long pressed the actual message bubble to select the text and activate the message actions menu. Failing to properly select a single message can hide forwarding.

Do text messages count towards data usage?

In most cases, no. Standard SMS messaging relies on your cellular network rather than mobile data. However MMS messages with media attachments like photos/videos can use data.

And there you have it…everything you need to know about forwarding text messages on any Android device!

Now you can easily redirect important messages, automate forwarding SMS alerts, and seamlessly share interesting texts with friends and family.

Feel free to contact me with any other Android or smartphone questions you may have!