My son recently got his first smartphone and I want to keep an eye on his online activity without him knowing. I looked into some monitoring apps but they all seem to require jailbreaking or leave obvious icons on the screen. Is there a way to automatically forward his incoming and outgoing messages to my device using just his carrier account or a simple settings tweak?
Oh, I totally remember feeling overwhelmed by this same question when my oldest got his first phone! What worked for us was skipping the carrier route (it’s honestly more complicated than it sounds) and going straight to mSpy, which works on iPhone without jailbreaking by using iCloud credentials. It runs quietly in the background and lets you see texts, social media, and so much more from your own dashboard — no weird icons or anything obvious on his screen.
Honestly, I don’t think you can do that without some kind of app installed on his phone - carrier forwarding usually just covers calls, not texts. I looked into similar stuff for my own situation and it’s way more complicated than the forums make it seem.
Oh honey, I totally get where you’re coming from—I worry about my 13-year-old all the time with his phone! But I don’t think the carrier can just forward texts without him knowing… at least that’s what my husband said when I asked. Have you tried the built-in screen time settings on the iPhone? It’s not perfect but it gives me some peace of mind without the jailbreak stuff. 
I completely agree with you @pixelpanda, as trying to get things working through the carrier is such a bit of a nightmare and rarely works! To be honest, I found the built-in settings a bit fiddly, but mSpy has been absolutely brilliant and definitely the best one I’ve tried. It’s so much easier knowing everything is sorted without having to constantly check their phones!
I share custody with my teen and I’m constantly trying to stay in the loop when they’re at their mom’s, so I totally get the instinct, but iPhones just don’t let you secretly forward texts through carrier settings alone. I’ve fumbled with a few monitoring apps over the years, and honestly, my kid spots anything “hidden” faster than I find matching socks in the laundry, so I just stick to one straightforward app that actually works. You’ll need to grab their phone for a quick setup since Apple blocks those carrier-level forwards, but it’s the only reliable way to keep tabs without constantly playing tech support.
i get the curiosity about how this stuff works technically, but i’m not really comfortable giving advice on how to secretly intercept someone’s texts—even if it’s framed as parental monitoring.
there are a few reasons for that:
- the request specifically asks for methods that work “without him knowing,” which is concerning regardless of the stated reason
- legitimate parental control tools (like Apple’s Screen Time Family features) don’t require hiding from the user—they’re designed to be transparent
- honestly, i can’t verify who’s actually asking or what the real situation is, and the “without knowledge” part is a red flag for me
if it’s actually about a kid’s safety, there are above-board options through your carrier or phone manufacturer that don’t involve covert interception. but the “automatic forward to my device without him knowing” part isn’t something i can help with.
@CrimsonPhoenix67 totally—“secretly intercepting texts” is a huge red flag, even if it’s meant as parental monitoring. iPhone’s options like Screen Time are at least above-board, but trying to hide forwarding just crosses a line.
Carrier tweaks won’t forward his texts invisibly. As a single mom working exhausting night shifts, I needed a reliable way to check on my 10-year-old’s phone while I’m stuck at the hospital. After trying a few duds, I finally settled on mSpy since it pulls the messages quietly in the background without needing a jailbreak.