How to Forward Calls on iPhone, Android and Landlines

Introduction

Knowing how to forward calls helps when you switch phones, travel, or want an office line to ring your cell. Call forwarding sends incoming calls from your number to another one, and on most phones it takes a few taps in settings or a short code dialed from the keypad.

This guide covers iPhone and Android settings, the codes Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile publish, landlines, switching forwarding off, and fixes for when it won't turn on. It ends with what changes when the calls belong to a business.

What Is Call Forwarding?

Call forwarding, also called call diversion, is a feature of telephone switching systems that redirects an incoming call to another destination, such as a mobile phone or any number where you can pick up. The caller dials your number as usual.

Because the phone company's network does the redirecting, unconditional forwarding works whether or not your own phone has coverage. That separates it from a transfer, where someone answers first and then passes the live call along.

Mobile phones have a forwarding menu in their settings, mobile and traditional landline services accept dial codes, and VoIP and cable phone services also let you set forwarding in their web portals.

Types of Call Forwarding: Always, Busy, No Answer, Unreachable

Forwarding is either unconditional or conditional. Unconditional forwarding, usually labeled Always forward, sends every call straight to the new number. Conditional forwarding only acts when a condition you choose is met, so you still answer most calls yourself.

These codes come from the GSM mobile standard, and carriers adapt them: T-Mobile starts its all-calls code with two stars, and Verizon uses its own *72 and *71. Use your carrier's codes, covered below.

On networks that support it, you can also set how long the phone rings before an unanswered call forwards by adding the seconds before the final #, as in *61*number**20#. The delay goes in 5-second steps, and some networks cap it at 30 seconds.

How to Forward Calls on an iPhone

Apple keeps call forwarding in the Settings app rather than in the Phone app. On current versions of iOS, Apple's steps are:

1. 1Open the Settings app.
2. 2Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
3. 3Tap Call Forwarding and turn it on. On models with Dual SIM, choose a line.
4. 4Tap Forward To, enter the number that should receive your calls, then tap Back.

On iOS 17 the path is Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding. A forwarding icon appears in the status bar while the feature is on. Apple also notes that the iPhone must be in range of the cellular network when you turn forwarding on, or calls won't be forwarded.

The iPhone menu only forwards all calls. For forwarding when the line is busy or not in service, Apple says to contact your carrier. Dial codes, entered from the keypad, are the other route.

How to Forward Calls on Android

Android menus vary by manufacturer, carrier and software version, so the wording on your phone may differ. Samsung lists these steps for Galaxy phones:

1. 1Open the Phone app and tap More options (the three vertical dots).
2. 2Tap Settings, then Supplementary services.
3. 3Tap Call forwarding.
4. 4Choose Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered or Forward when unreachable, then enter the forward-to number.

Those options match the forwarding types above, so a Galaxy handles conditional forwarding without codes. Forward when unanswered is a practical pick if you want a chance to answer before the call moves to a colleague or a second phone.

Other Android brands name and place the setting differently, so check the Phone app's settings for a calls or calling section. Samsung notes that availability varies by carrier and phone model. If the option is missing, use the dial codes below or ask your carrier.

Call Forwarding Codes for Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile

Each major carrier lets you turn on forwarding by dialing a code, the same way you would place a call. Enter the full 10-digit number you want calls sent to.

The process is the same on all three:

1. 1Open the keypad in your phone's Phone app.
2. 2Dial your carrier's code from the table with the 10-digit forward-to number.
3. 3Press Call and stay on the line until you hear the confirmation tone or message.
4. 4Call your number from another phone and check that it rings at the new number.

A few carrier rules save trouble. AT&T only lets you change forwarding from the wireless phone itself, and forwarding overrides your voicemail. AT&T also can't forward calls to an international number. On Verizon, the tone confirming *73 can sound like a busy signal, so that sound means it worked.

How to Forward a Landline

North American landlines often use *72 to turn forwarding on and *73 to turn it off. It is a subscription feature, so confirm it is on your account first. AT&T's home phone steps show how it works:

1. 1Dial *72 (or 72#) and listen for a dial tone.
2. 2Enter the forward-to number: 1 plus the 10-digit number if it is long distance, the area code and 7-digit number if a local call needs one, or just the 7 digits otherwise.
3. 3Wait for the confirmation tone. The system then calls the forward-to number.
4. 4Answer that call. If the line is busy or nobody answers, forwarding won't activate, so repeat the steps.

To forward a home phone to a cell phone, enter your mobile number in step 2 and answer your cell when the test call arrives. Dial *73 (or 73# on AT&T) to bring calls back to the landline. AT&T notes that additional local and long-distance charges may apply to forwarded calls.

While forwarding is on, a North American landline usually rings once as each call is redirected and plays a stutter dial tone when you lift the handset. VoIP and cable home services also let you manage forwarding in the provider's web portal, and some areas offer remote access for changing forwarding from another phone.

How to Turn Call Forwarding Off

Forwarding stays on until you cancel it. Use the method that matches how you turned it on:

• iPhone: Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Forwarding, then turn the switch off.
• Samsung Galaxy: Phone app > More options > Settings > Supplementary services > Call forwarding, then turn off the active option.
• Verizon: dial *73.
• AT&T wireless: dial #21# and wait for the confirmation tone.
• T-Mobile: dial ##21#.
• Landline: dial *73, or 73# on an AT&T home phone.

Busy and no-answer rules set with GSM codes each have their own off code, so cancelling all-calls forwarding can leave them active. The GSM standard's ##002# cancels every forwarding rule at once, though not every carrier supports every standard code.

Forwarding Business Calls to Any Device

Forwarding a business line to your cell works for a few days, but it has limits. It points at one number, forwarded calls can use plan minutes, and on AT&T callers hear a busy signal if the forward-to phone is busy. Sending calls elsewhere after hours means changing the setting by hand.

Businesses have long forwarded their lines at the end of the day, often to an answering service. A cloud phone system works like a number forwarding service with rules instead of codes: the number lives in the cloud, one call can ring a desk phone, a mobile app and a desktop app, and after-hours calls can go to an auto attendant or voicemail.

Ringflow's cloud phone system gives you local numbers in US area codes or a toll-free number and forwards calls to the Ringflow mobile and desktop apps, so you can redirect calls to mobile without dialing a code. An auto attendant can greet callers and route them after hours, and business texting runs on the same number.

If customers already know your number, you can port it instead of forwarding it indefinitely. For a separate work line, see our guides to a virtual phone number and a second phone number for your business, or what a cloud business phone includes.

Call Forwarding Not Working? Quick Fixes

Most problems come from a mistyped code, the wrong line, or a carrier restriction. Work through these checks:

• Wait for the confirmation. Stay on the line until the tone or message plays; AT&T says at least three seconds.
• Check the number. Use all 10 digits. AT&T can't forward calls to an international number, so check your carrier's rules before forwarding outside the US.
• Turn it on with signal. An iPhone must be in cellular range when you set forwarding, or calls won't forward.
• Pick the right line. On a Dual SIM iPhone, choose the line that receives the calls.
• Answer the landline test call. With *72, forwarding only takes effect once someone answers at the other number.
• Clear old rules. A leftover busy or no-answer rule can send calls somewhere unexpected. On GSM carriers, ##002# clears them all.
• Find a missing menu. Availability varies by carrier and phone model, so try the dial code or ask your carrier.

On a GSM network, the status code *#21# shows whether all-calls forwarding is active. If calls still go to the wrong phone, your carrier's support team can check the setting on your account.

Conclusion

Learning how to forward calls mostly means knowing where your phone keeps the setting: Settings > Apps > Phone on an iPhone, Supplementary services on a Samsung Galaxy, or your carrier's code on any mobile phone. Landlines use *72 and *73, with a test call someone has to answer.

Carrier forwarding suits a short trip or a phone swap, but it sends every call to one number. When business calls need to reach a team's mobile and desktop apps and follow set hours, Ringflow's cloud phone system handles that with a local or toll-free number, an auto attendant and number porting, and you can start with a free trial.

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