How To Forward Unanswered Calls on the iPhone

Usually, when you’re not in a position to answer a call, it is automatically forwarded to voicemail. That’s great if that setup works for you but what if you’re at work or in a place where mobiles aren’t allowed? Can you forward calls somewhere else? Yes, you can. This tutorial will show you how to forward unanswered calls on the iPhone.

The process is called Conditional Call Forwarding on the iPhone and is triggered by a setting on your phone. You can have it trigger when a call is unanswered, when the line is busy or when you are unreachable.

Call forwarding is a valuable feature of any service that can make sure you never miss an important call. Whether you’re in business, waiting for notification of something, waiting to hear back about a job, or something else, when voicemail just won’t do, call forwarding is where you turn.

Not all carriers use Apple’s built-in forwarding so many users find it easier to use the star code. This is universal and will work anywhere in the country, on just about any carrier.

How to Set Up Call Forwarding on iPhone

There are multiple ways to set up call forwarding on iOS. The process is really simple and it’s all thanks to native features within the Settings on your iPhone.

To set up call forwarding on your iPhone, do this:

1. Open the Settings on your iPhone.
2. Tap on ‘Phone.’
   
3. Tap on ‘Call Forwarding.’
   
4. Toggle the switch next to Call Forwarding on. Then, tap ‘Forward to.’
5. Type in the phone number where you’d like to receive your phone calls.

Now, when someone calls your phone number it will automatically go to the phone number you’ve set up. If you want to stop forwarding your calls simply toggle the switch off in the Call Forwarding settings.

Network star codes

Most carriers offer their own solution for forwarding phone calls. Using simple star codes you can quickly and easily set up call forwarding. *61, *62, and *67 are common call forwarding star codes.

If you find they don’t work for you, find out what codes your network works with and switch to that. These codes are supposed to be universal but that doesn’t always mean what we think it means.

Forward unanswered calls on the iPhone

Call forwarding on an iPhone is very basic. It’s a simple on-off setting with the ability to configure the number you forward to.

1. Open the phone app on your iPhone.
2. Select the keypad and enter *61* and the phone number you’re forwarding to then hash.
3. Press Dial and wait for the confirmation.

For example, you would enter ‘*61*123555123456#’ to forward calls to 123555123456. The *61* is the network command for call forwarding when unanswered. The phone number is self-explanatory and the hash is to tell the network you completed the number.

To turn off forwarding, enter #61# in your phone app and dial. Wait for the confirmation.

Forward calls on the iPhone when the line is busy

If you want to forward calls only when the line is already busy and don’t want to use call waiting, you can. It uses a very similar process to the above but with a different star code.

1. Open the phone app on your iPhone.
2. Select the keypad and enter *67* and the phone number you’re forwarding to then hash.
3. Press Dial and wait for the confirmation.

As you can see, this time you dial *67* instead of *61*. The rest of the number and the ending hash is exactly the same. *67* is the network code for forwarding when busy and will do exactly that. It will override call waiting and forward incoming calls to the number you enter if you’re already on the phone.

To turn off forwarding when busy, enter #67# in your phone app and dial. Wait for the confirmation and you’re done.

Forward unanswered calls when the iPhone is unreachable

Your final forwarding option is to forward calls to a different number when your iPhone is either turned off or out of cell range. If the network cannot ping your phone for some reason, instead of aborting the call and telling the caller you’re not available, it will forward the call to another number.

1. Open the phone app on your iPhone.
2. Select the keypad and enter *62* and the phone number you’re forwarding to then hash.
3. Press Dial and wait for the confirmation.

Again, the same process as above but this time using *62* instead of the other two codes. This is the network code for forwarding unreachable cell phones.

To turn off forwarding when unreachable just enter #62# in your phone app and dial.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have questions about call forwarding on your iPhone, we’ve included this section to help out.

Will a caller know that I’ve forwarded their call?

Although there may be a slight delay when connecting, most callers will not know that the call was forwarded. Basically, all you’re doing is letting the switchboard know that your calls need to be routed somewhere else.

How do I set up call forwarding on Verizon?

If you’re a Verizon customer you can use the *72 code to initiate call forwarding. Simply type *72 plus the ten-digit phone number where you want your calls to go to.

If you don’t have your phone on you go to your Verizon app and tap on your phone number. From there you will find the option to set up call forwarding.

How do I set up call forwarding on AT&T?

Just like with Verizon, AT&T customers can dial *72 from their device with the ten-digit phone number to forward their calls.

AT&T customers can also call AT&T’s customer service or go to the mobile application to set up call forwarding.

How do I set up call forwarding on T-Mobile?

T-Mobile’s star code is slightly different from the ones mentioned above. To forward your calls on T-Mobile dial **21* then type the phone number where you’d like to route your calls.