Two iPhones Getting Same Texts? Here’s why and how to fix it!

Discovering two of your iPhones are both receiving the exact same text messages can certainly be confusing. You likely only want texts going to one primary device you carry. When multiple iPhones in your possession get duplicate alerts for the same incoming texts, it quickly becomes annoying. Don’t worry though because in most cases, you can resolve duplicate texts being sent to two iPhones using a few simple settings adjustments. Let’s examine why it happens and how to fix it.

Fix 2 iPhones getting same text messages

Why 2 iPhones Get Same Text Messages?

There are two main reasons why two iPhones might be getting the same text messages:

  1. They are using the same Apple ID. When you sign in to iMessage with your Apple ID, your iPhone will start receiving messages sent to that Apple ID, even if they are sent to your phone number. This is because iMessage uses your Apple ID to identify you, not just your phone number.
  2. Text Message Forwarding is enabled. Text Message Forwarding allows you to forward text messages from one iPhone to another. If you have enabled this feature on both iPhones, then they will both receive the same text messages.

How to Fix This Issue?

If you are using the same Apple ID on two iPhones, there’s a tendency that both devices will get the same thing as well, like SMS or text messages. To help in fixing 2 iPhones receiving the same message at the same time, I have mapped out some simple procedures for you to try below. Feel free to read further. 

1st solution: Use different Apple IDs on each iPhone. 

This is the simplest and most effective solution. Since the 2 iPhones receiving the same message at the same time is caused by using the same Apple I.D on multiple devices, you only need to have a separate Apple ID set up in the Messages and FaceTime app to fix this issue.

use separate Apple IDs on iPhone

You can keep the same Apple ID for the iTunes and AppStore and there are advantages to doing so in that you wont need to purchase the same app multiple times to put it on both phones. Here is what you should do:

  • Create a separate Apple I.D at: https://appleid.apple.com/
  • Go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive.
  • Tap on the current Apple I.D being used by both iPhones and Sign out.
  • Tap Sign in again.
  • Enter the new Apple I.D you created.
  • Go to Settings > Facetime.
  • Tap on the current Apple I.D being used by both iPhones and Sign out.
  • Tap “Use your Apple ID for FaceTime”.
  • Enter the new Apple ID you created.

If contacts are also being added to both phones at the same time, then perform the following steps:

  • Go to Settings > iCloud.
  • Scroll to the bottom and Sign out.
  • Tap Sign in and enter your new Apple ID.

2nd solution: Disable Text Message Forwarding on one of the iPhones. 

Disabling text message forwarding can help fix duplicate messages by preventing your iPhone from forwarding the same message to multiple devices. If you have text message forwarding enabled on multiple devices, it’s possible that you’re receiving duplicate messages because each device is forwarding the message to the others.

disable text message forwarding on iphone

To disable text message forwarding on your iPhone, follow these steps:

  1. Go to Settings > Messages.
  2. Tap Text Message Forwarding
  3. Toggle off the switch next to the device(s) you want to stop forwarding text messages to.

If you’re only receiving duplicate messages from a specific contact, you can try deleting and recreating the contact’s conversation thread. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. Tap the conversation thread with the duplicate messages.
  3. Tap the contact’s name at the top of the screen.
  4. Tap Edit.
  5. Tap Delete Conversation.
  6. Tap Delete Conversation again to confirm.

Once you’ve deleted the conversation thread, you can recreate it by sending a new message to the contact.

3rd solution: Configure Messages settings.

In general, configuring Messages settings can help you to better control how your iPhone handles messages.

verify iphone send and receive details

That said, check the phone number for each iPhone by going to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. This will prevent the iPhones from receiving iMessages sent to the Apple ID.

Note that if you are using the same Apple ID for iCloud and other Apple services, you will need to create a new Apple ID for one of the iPhones if you want to stop them from receiving the same messages.

Other Helpful Workarounds to deal with duplicate text messages on 2 iPhones

Duplicate texts on multiple iPhones usually stem from having text message forwarding enabled, using two SIM cards, restoring backup data improperly, or syncing messages across devices.

By disabling text forwarding, removing extra SIMs, turning off iMessage syncing, deregistering devices, and resetting, you can systematically eliminate the root cause.

remove SIM card from iPhone

1. Remove Second SIM Card. If you have a second SIM card in one of your iPhones used just for data, try removing it. The second SIM can sometimes mirror certain messages to both phones if sharing an Apple ID. Eject the SIM card and disable cellular data on that second iPhone to prevent duplicate texts.

2. Turn Off iMessage Syncing. Under Settings > Messages, disable Sync Messages if you have it turned on across devices sharing the same Apple ID account. This duplicates iMessages to all synced devices. Turn this syncing option off so texts only deliver directly to one iPhone at a time to prevent annoying duplicates.

3. De-register Old Devices. Try de-registering old iPhones you may have restored as secondary devices from the same iCloud account. Restored data can bring duplicate SIM configurations.

On each old device, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Recieve and tap your number, then tap Sign Out to de-register the number from iMessage.

4. Erase and Restore Primary iPhone

As a last resort, backup your primary iPhone then erase it and restore from that backup. This wipes any problematic sync settings causing duplicate texts across a shared Apple ID ecosystem. To factory reset your iPhone, you can use either the Settings app or a computer.

erase iphone

Using the Settings app:

  1. Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
  2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
  3. Enter your passcode or Face ID/Touch ID to confirm.
  4. Tap Erase Now.

Using a computer:

  • On a Mac: Open Finder and connect your iPhone to your computer. Click the iPhone icon in the Finder sidebar, then click General. Click Restore iPhone.
  • On a Windows PC: Open iTunes and connect your iPhone to your computer. Click the iPhone icon in the top left of the iTunes window, then click Summary. Click Restore iPhone.

Note: A factory reset will erase all of your data and settings from your iPhone. Be sure to back up your data before performing a factory reset.

With focused troubleshooting like disabling forwarding, removing extra SIMs, turning off syncing, de-registering devices and resetting, you should be able to resolve frustrating duplicate text messages being received on two iPhones.


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