Text message forwarding from one phone to another.

June 23, 2017 9:26 AM

I have been issued a new I-Phone at my job. I already have a personal (android) mobile phone which I do not wish to give up. I need to know how to ensure texts sent to my personal phone number are visible on my work phone, so I will not need to carry both.

I'm pretty sure call forwarding will be easily handled, but I want to start using my work phone as my primary but be sure I get my personal texts when they come in. This is in the US and both phones are on Sprint.

posted by BigLankyBastard to Technology (7 answers total)

If someone else doesn't have an answer that allows you to add the personal number to the work phone getting a google number and using that for personal texts should allow you to configure the google number setting to send the text message to the work phone.

This would require you personal text senders to change the number they are sending to which is not ideal, but it is a workaround solution if nothing else is presented.
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 9:31 AM on June 23, 2017

Be careful with this. You may find that your texts, emails, and whatever else you have forwarded become accessible to your employer, since they own the device. In short, your privacy and the privacy of those who communicate with you will be abridged.

And although you're not setting up your own server, this desire to consolidate devices is what led Hillary Clinton down an unforeseen and difficult path . . .
posted by citygirl at 9:39 AM on June 23, 2017 [20 favorites]

Best answer: There's an app called MySMS on both Android and iPhone, and a sibling called MySMS mirror. This knowledge-base article suggests it is possible, on preview, to at least do unidirectional forwarding. Maybe bidirectional. I haven't used it personally – so YMMV on its efficacy – but you might try to see how it operates. nth-ing a level of caution about liability and personal privacy.
posted by a good beginning at 9:51 AM on June 23, 2017

You could port your Android phone number to Google Voice, then use the Google Voice app on your iOS device to be alerted, read, and reply to SMS/MMS messages from inside the app. You also get a little more flexibility about call forwarding and other features as opposed to a blanket forward from your Android phone.

Replies will look like they are coming from your Android phone and not your Apple phone.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:04 AM on June 23, 2017 [5 favorites]

You could sign up for PushBullet on your Android and then access your texts via the web browser on the iPhone.
posted by blackzinfandel at 10:57 AM on June 23, 2017

I know people who have gone with the Google Voice option to achieve this functionality (where they port their number over to Google Voice and then I believe the texts can be delivered to both phones).

I want to add though: This is a terrible idea, please don't do this. Keep your work digital life separate from your personal.
posted by aaanastasia at 12:12 PM on June 23, 2017 [5 favorites]

I am in the *exact* same boat and I agree with aanastasia. I'm buying a holster case so the phone is on me while I'm at work, and I will just carry both during the day (when I'm not in meetings or something else important).
posted by getawaysticks at 3:34 PM on June 23, 2017 [1 favorite]