How to forward your phone number on every major US carrier

Call forwarding allows you to forward incoming calls on your phone to another number. It’s handy when you are on vacation or want to redirect incoming calls to another number when your number is out of reach. The best part about call forwarding is that it is available on the latest and greatest Android phones. Call forwarding can even be helpful when you accidentally forget your phone at home and are at work. No matter which network you are on, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, or Google Fi, follow the guide below to get started with call forwarding.

If you expect important calls, you don’t have to worry about missing them. Use call forwarding to reroute them to your partner, assistant, or your office phone.

How to activate call forwarding on Verizon

Depending on your carrier, you can use the carrier website, app, or a USSD shortcode to enable call forwarding. The process below works without an active internet connection on your phone.

Using your phone

1. Open the dialer app on your phone.
2. Dial *72, followed by the 10-digit mobile number to which you’d like to reroute your calls.
3. Dial the number.
4. You’ll hear a successful message from Verizon if call forwarding is activated.

You can verify whether call forwarding is working by dialing your number from a different phone. It should reroute the call to the number you have selected for forwarding.

Using the My Verizon app

1. Open the My Verizon app on your phone.
2. Navigate to the Account tab.
3. Enter your account details or verify your identity if prompted.

   

   

4. Scroll down to the Preferences section.
5. Select Manage call forwarding from the Preferences section
6. Proceed to enter the 10-digit phone number to which you want to forward the calls.
7. Tap Add number to confirm your input.

   

The changes take about 10 minutes to reflect, after which call forwarding is activated on your Verizon number.

Cancel call forwarding on Verizon

1. Open your phone’s dialer app.
2. Dial *73 and press the call button.
3. This deactivates call forwarding on your Verizon number.

If you don’t have access to your phone, you can reach out to Verizon’s helpline to disable call forwarding.

How to activate call forwarding on AT&T and T-Mobile

Call fowarding on AT&T and T-Mobile

The USSD code to enable call forwarding on AT&T and T-Mobile is the same.

1. Open the dialer app on your phone.
2. Enter *21* followed by the phone number to which you want to forward the calls.
3. Enter a # after that. For example: *21*1234567890#
4. Press the call button.
5. Wait until you hear the confirmation tone before disconnecting the call. This will confirm that call forwarding is active on your AT&T or T-Mobile number.

Deactivate call forwarding on AT&T and T-Mobile

1. Enter #21# on your phone’s dialer app.
2. Press the call button.
3. Wait until you hear a tone that confirms call forwarding has been deactivated on your number.

How to activate call forwarding on Google Fi

You must use the app or website to set up call forwarding on Google Fi. There isn’t a USSD code you can dial to activate the service.

1. Open the Google Fi app on your phone or go to the Fi website.
2. In the Account tab, scroll down and select Call forwarding.
3. Enter the 10-digit number you want to forward the calls to.
4. Enter a description for the number if you wish.

   

   

5. Verify the number so that calls can be forwarded to it.
6. Depending on your preference, select Verify by text or Verify by call.
7. Enter the 6-digit code that you receive on the forwarded number.
8. Tap Verify to confirm.

   

   

All your calls will be forwarded to the specified number after this.

Disable call forwarding on Google Fi

Unlike other network operators, you cannot disable call forwarding on Google Fi using a quick code. You need to use the Google Fi app or website.

1. Open the Google Fi app, scroll down in the Accounts tab, and select Call forwarding.
2. Toggle the switch beside the number you want to disable call forwarding to.

   

   

3. To remove the number, tap it and select Remove.
4. Confirm your selection by tapping Remove from the dialog box that pops up.

The above method to forward calls works regardless of the smartphone you use. Still, check your carrier plan to ensure your operator does not charge for call forwarding.

How to activate call forwarding on US Cellular

The USSD shortcode for call forwarding on the US Cellular network is the same as the Verizon network.

1. Open the dialer app on your phone.
2. Dial *72
3. Enter 1 followed by the 10-digit mobile number to which you want to forward the calls.
4. Dial the number.
5. You’ll hear a confirmation tone if call forwarding is successfully activated.

Set up conditional call forwarding

Apart from forwarding all calls, you can set up call forwarding to only forward calls when your number is busy. You can use conditional call forwarding to forward calls to your second number when your primary number is unreachable.

1. Open the dialer app on your phone.
2. Dial *90.
3. Dial 1, followed by the 10-digit mobile number for call forwarding.
4. Call the number and wait until you hear a confirmation message.

Disable call forwarding on US Cellular

Disabling call forwarding on US Cellular network is as easy as running a USSD shortcode.

1. Open the Phone app on your Android device.
2. Enter *720.
3. Press the call button. Wait until you hear the confirmation tone. This confirms that you deactivated call forwarding on your US Cellular number.

How to set up call forwarding from your Android phone

You don’t always need to go through your carrier’s app or shortcode to forward calls. Your Android phone’s built-in dialer app provides the same functionality, and you can set it to only forward calls when your number is unreachable, busy, or a call goes unanswered.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap the 3-dot menu button in the upper-right corner.
3. Select Settings.
4. If your phone uses the Google Dialer app, tap Call settings.
5. On Samsung phones, tap the Supplementary services option.

   

   

6. Select Call forwarding from the list.
7. Tap Voice calls if asked what kind of calls you want to forward.
8. Depending on your preference, select whether you want to forward all incoming calls, forward calls only when your number is busy or unreachable, or forward when the call goes unanswered.

   

   

9. Enter the number to which you want to forward the call to.

   

You can repeat the same steps to deactivate call forwarding from your Android phone.

Leaving your phone at home

Call forwarding may be the feature you’re looking for if you’re caught without a phone or need some peace and quiet. Call forwarding is not a solution for fighting spam calls. If you want to reduce the number of unwanted calls, there are several ways you can block spam calls on Android to make your life easier.