Webhooks turn your iPhone into a powerful automation source. Every incoming SMS can trigger a Zapier workflow, update a Google Sheet, log to a database, or call your own API. This guide covers how to connect Fwrdly to any HTTP endpoint.

What You’ll Need

iPhone running iOS 16 or later
Fwrdly installed
A webhook URL from your automation tool or your own server

How SMS Webhooks Work

When you configure a webhook in Fwrdly, the app sends an HTTP POST request to your URL every time an SMS is received. The payload contains:

{
  "from": "+14155550123",
  "from_name": "John Smith",
  "body": "Your verification code is 847291",
  "received_at": "2026-03-01T14:23:45Z"
}

Your server or automation tool receives this and can do anything with it.

Setting Up a Webhook Destination

Open Fwrdly
Tap “Add destination”
Select Webhook / API
Paste your webhook URL
Optionally add a custom HTTP header (e.g. Authorization: Bearer your-secret-token)
Tap Save

Connecting to Zapier

In Zapier, create a new Zap
Choose “Webhooks by Zapier” as the trigger → “Catch Hook”
Copy the webhook URL Zapier provides
Paste it into Fwrdly as a Webhook destination
Send a test SMS — Zapier will detect the payload and let you map fields
Add your desired actions (Gmail, Google Sheets, Slack, Notion, etc.)

Example Zapier flows:

SMS → Google Sheets (log every message with timestamp)
SMS with “urgent” → Gmail (send email to your team)
SMS from bank → Notion database (track financial alerts)

Connecting to Make (formerly Integromat)

Create a new scenario in Make
Add a Webhooks module → “Custom webhook”
Click “Add” to create and copy the webhook URL
Paste into Fwrdly → send a test SMS to train the data structure
Connect to any of Make’s 1,000+ app integrations

Connecting to n8n

Add a Webhook node in n8n
Set Method to POST and copy the production URL
Paste into Fwrdly
Use n8n’s workflow editor to process the SMS data

Connecting to Your Own API

For custom integrations, your endpoint just needs to accept POST requests with Content-Type: application/json. A minimal Node.js example:

app.post('/sms-webhook', express.json(), (req, res) => {
  const { from, from_name, body, received_at } = req.body;
  console.log(`SMS from ${from_name} (${from}): ${body}`);
  // your logic here
  res.sendStatus(200);
});

Secure your endpoint with a secret token in the Authorization header — configure this in Fwrdly’s webhook settings.

Webhook Payload Reference

Field	Type	Description
`from`	string	Sender’s phone number in E.164 format
`from_name`	string	Sender’s name from contacts (if available)
`body`	string	Full SMS message text
`received_at`	string	ISO 8601 timestamp when the SMS was received

Popular Webhook Automation Ideas

SMS to Google Sheets tracker: Log every incoming text to a spreadsheet for reporting and analysis.

OTP extractor: Parse verification codes from SMS and auto-fill them in your browser via a companion extension.

CRM integration: Add the sender to your CRM (HubSpot, Salesforce) when they text your business number for the first time.

Slack or Discord notification: Send a formatted message to a team channel when a specific keyword is detected.

Database logging: Archive every SMS to PostgreSQL or Airtable for compliance and auditing.

Frequently Asked Questions

What HTTP methods does Fwrdly use? Fwrdly sends HTTP POST requests with a JSON body and Content-Type: application/json header.

Can I add custom headers? Yes. Fwrdly supports custom request headers, which is useful for Bearer token authentication.

What happens if my server is down? Fwrdly retries failed webhook deliveries with exponential backoff up to 3 times.

Is the webhook payload signed? HMAC payload signing is available in Fwrdly Pro for verifying that requests genuinely come from Fwrdly.

Can I send SMS to multiple webhooks? Yes. Add multiple Webhook destinations in Fwrdly — each SMS will POST to all of them.

iPhone SMS Webhook: Forward Texts to Zapier, Make & Any API