Receiving SMS on a phone is yesterday's approach for those working with dozens of virtual numbers or building automated verification processes. SMS forwarding to email or Telegram solves several tasks at once: centralized monitoring of all incoming codes, notifications without constantly switching between devices, integration into business processes through APIs. Let's break down all methods—from simple to programmatic.
Why you need SMS forwarding
Multi-accounting and OTP
When working with 10+ virtual numbers, it's physically impossible to constantly check each one. Forwarding to a single Telegram chat or email creates one inbox for all incoming SMS. OTP codes arrive where you already are.
Team and delegation
An ad manager registers accounts, an SMM specialist manages them, a developer automates—and each needs access to SMS without sharing a physical SIM. Email forwarding or a Telegram bot solves the problem instantly.
Archive and audit
Email chains automatically create documented history of all verifications. In disputed situations—account lockout, access recovery—you have a complete SMS log with dates and content.
Method 1: Forwarding through virtual number provider
The easiest option is to choose a provider with built-in SMS forwarding. At turbon.rent incoming SMS to rented numbers appear in your personal cabinet and can be configured via webhook or API for automatic forwarding.
Setting up webhook for Telegram forwarding
Typical algorithm:
- In number settings, specify webhook endpoint URL of your application
- When SMS arrives, provider sends POST request with message body, sender number, and recipient
- Your script or service parses data and sends message to Telegram via Bot API
Method 2: Telegram bot for SMS aggregation
Ready solution for teams without development—Telegram bot connected to SMS provider. Such bots display incoming SMS in chat.
Advantages of Telegram approach
- Push notifications—no need to refresh page
- Mobile access from anywhere in world
- Group chats—multiple people see SMS simultaneously
- Forward specific messages to needed employee
- History saved in Telegram cloud
DIY Telegram bot on Python: minimal code
For developers—integration logic at 30 lines of code:
- Flask/FastAPI endpoint receives webhook from SMS provider
- Parses JSON:
{"number": "+1234567890", "text": "Your code: 123456", "from": "Google"} - Calls Telegram Bot API:
sendMessageto needed chat_id - Optional: parses code with regex and sends only digits
Method 3: Email forwarding
Email works for cases where archive and integration with corporate tools matter (Gmail, Outlook, Thunderbird).
| Scenario | Telegram | |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery speed | 5–30 sec delay | Instant |
| Archive | Excellent (folders, tags) | Limited by chat history |
| Team work | Through forwarding/copy | Group chat |
| Automation | Filters + Google Sheets | Bot API + scripts |
| Mobile access | Good | Excellent |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Low |
Email via SMTP gateway from provider
Some SMS providers support email notifications out of the box: in number settings specify recipient email, each incoming SMS arrives as letter. Email subject—sender number, body—SMS text.
Method 4: Integration through Make (Integromat) or Zapier
For non-technical users—no-code automation platforms. Scheme:
- Trigger: webhook from SMS provider or polling API
- Filter: select only needed numbers or text patterns
- Action: send to Telegram, Gmail, Slack, Notion, Google Sheets
Make (formerly Integromat) lets you set up such scenario in 20 minutes without code. Free tier—1000 operations/month, enough for modest SMS volume.
Scenario for arbitrage team
Team of 5 people works with 50 accounts in Facebook Ads. Each account verified on separate virtual number. When Facebook blocks account, it requests SMS for recovery.
Scheme without forwarding (before)
Manager had to enter each provider interface, find needed number, wait for SMS. 50 accounts × 3 minutes = 2.5 hours work during mass recovery.
Scheme with Telegram forwarding (after)
All SMS from Facebook arrive in one Telegram bot. Text automatically parsed, code extracted and sent to needed thread per account. Recovery of 50 accounts—20–30 minutes instead of 2.5 hours.
SMS forwarding security
OTP codes are critically important data. Several security rules:
- Private Telegram channel, not public—so codes aren't visible to strangers
- Two-factor authentication on email account where SMS are forwarded
- HTTPS for webhook endpoints—HTTP hooks intercepted on network
- Webhook request authorization—check Secret header from provider to exclude substitution
- Don't store codes longer than necessary—automatically delete SMS from archive after 7–30 days
Ready solutions vs DIY
For most users best path—virtual number provider with built-in API and webhook. This eliminates need to deploy infrastructure yourself and maintain server. Got API key, configured webhook in 2 clicks—everything works.
Set up centralized SMS inbox through turbon.rent and move virtual number management to level where no incoming message gets lost.