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

Quick reference

Replace NUMBER with the full 10-digit US number you’re forwarding to, including the area code. Press Call after each code and wait for the confirmation tone or message.

Conditional vs. unconditional forwarding

There are two kinds of call forwarding, and choosing the wrong one is the most common mistake:

• Unconditional (“forward all calls”) sends every call straight to the other number. Your phone never rings.
• Conditional lets your phone ring first and forwards the call only when a condition is met. Carriers using GSM-style codes, like T-Mobile, split this into three conditions: no answer, busy and unreachable. Verizon combines no answer and busy into one setting it calls No Answer/Busy Transfer.

Conditional forwarding is what most people want: you still answer the calls you can, and the rest go somewhere useful instead of to voicemail.

Verizon conditional call forwarding

1. Turn on: dial *71 followed by the 10-digit number, for example *71 908 123 4567, and press Call.
2. Turn off: dial *73 and press Call. You may hear a tone that sounds like a busy signal; that’s the confirmation.
3. Forward every call instead: dial *72 plus the 10-digit number. *73 turns that off too.

Points worth knowing, from Verizon’s own help pages:

• The number must be 10 digits; the area code is always required.
• There’s no monthly fee on most plans, but forwarded calls use your minutes and are billed if your plan isn’t unlimited.
• Only calls are forwarded, not text messages, and you can’t forward to an international number.

Source: Verizon Call Forwarding FAQs.

T-Mobile conditional call forwarding

T-Mobile uses separate codes for each condition. Note the 1 before the 10-digit number and the # at the end.

To clear everything and start again, dial ##004#, which resets call forwarding to the default. For a business line you’ll usually want all three conditional codes set to the same number, so no missed call slips through.

Source: T-Mobile self-service & short codes.

AT&T conditional call forwarding

AT&T’s wireless help pages set up forwarding through the phone’s settings rather than dial codes:

• Android: Phone app → menu → Settings → Calls → Call forwarding. Most Android phones show separate options for when busy, when unanswered and when unreachable.
• iPhone: the built-in Call Forwarding setting forwards all calls. For conditional forwarding on an iPhone, contact AT&T.

You’ll find GSM-style codes such as **61* quoted for AT&T across the web. AT&T doesn’t list them on its wireless support pages, so confirm with AT&T before relying on them for a business line.

Source: AT&T device support: Call Forwarding.

iPhone: why conditional forwarding silently fails

If you dialed the right code, heard the confirmation, and unanswered calls still go to your iPhone’s voicemail, the likely culprit is Live Voicemail. When it’s on, the iPhone picks up unanswered calls itself to transcribe the message, so the network never sees an unanswered call to forward. Live Voicemail is on by default in iOS 17 and later.

Apple’s own fix: if conditional call forwarding set up with your carrier isn’t working, open Settings → Phone → Live Voicemail and turn it off. Calls that arrive while the iPhone is off or out of range already go to the carrier, so “unreachable” forwarding isn’t affected.

Source: Apple Support: Set up Voicemail on iPhone.

Android

Most Android phones let you set each condition from the Phone app: open the Phone app, then Settings, then look for Calls, Supplementary services or Call forwarding. The exact menu names vary by manufacturer. Dial codes work too, and they set the same network-side setting, so you can use either. If you use a call-screening feature that answers calls on the phone, try turning it off if no-answer forwarding doesn’t work.

Landlines and VoIP phone systems

Landline and VoIP codes differ from mobile codes and vary by provider and region, so don’t reuse the codes above on a desk phone. Most VoIP services (including business phone systems) set forwarding in a web portal or app rather than with star codes, and many let you choose how many rings before a call forwards. Our Google Voice and VoIP forwarding guide covers Google Voice, RingCentral and Grasshopper.

How to test conditional forwarding

Never assume it works — test each condition from a different phone:

1. No answer: call your number and let it ring out. It should reach the forwarding number, not your voicemail.
2. Busy: stay on one call and have someone call you.
3. Unreachable: turn on airplane mode, then call your number.
4. Normal calls still ring you: answer a test call to make sure you didn’t set unconditional forwarding by mistake.

Troubleshooting

Using conditional forwarding for a business line

Conditional forwarding is how a business sends the calls it can’t answer to an answering service, a colleague or an AI receptionist without changing its phone number. The number on your vans, website and invoices stays the same; you still answer when you can, and missed calls go somewhere that can help the caller instead of to voicemail.

That’s the typical setup for Voxenara customers who want to keep their own number. The specifics depend on your phone provider, and we confirm them during setup. See how it works for HVAC companies, plumbers, electricians and roofers, or read how setup works.

Frequently asked questions