How to forward calls on Android

Sometimes you might be expecting an important phone call, or maybe you’re on vacation and don’t really want to be disturbed, but at the same time you don’t want to make it seem like you’re ignoring your calls.

This is where call forwarding can come in handy where you can set it up so that calls you receive can be forwarded to your smartphone or to a landline, depending on your preference. Like we said, there are several scenarios that could make this a pretty useful feature to have.

Call forwarding used to be a feature available on landlines, but it is available on smartphones and if you’re interested in setting up call forwarding on your Android smartphone, then here’s what you need to do to set it up.

Set up call forwarding on Android

1. Launch the Phone app on your smartphone
2. Tap the three dot menu icon
3. Tap on Settings
4. Tap on Calls
5. Tap on Call forwarding
6. You can now choose from a list of options which includes:
   • Always forward – This means that all calls you receive will always go to the secondary number you specified
   • When busy – If you’re on another call, the call will instead be forwarded to the secondary number
   • Call forwarding when unanswered – If you receive a call but you don’t answer it, it will be forwarded to the secondary number
   • When unreached – Calls will go to the specified secondary number if your phone is unreachable, such as when you’re in an area with no service, like on an airplane or if your phone is off
7. Once you’ve picked an option, you’ll now have to enter the secondary phone number that the calls will be forwarded to
8. Tap on Enable

Alternatively, if for whatever reason the option to enable call forwarding through the Phone app’s Settings is unavailable, you can also try using dial codes which is an older way of setting it up.

1. Open the Phone app
2. Enter the code that corresponds to the call forwarding option:
   • *21* – Always forward
   • *67* – When busy
   • *61* – When unanswered
   • *62* – When unreachable
3. After the code, enter the secondary number and end it with the # symbol, so for example – *21*1234567890#
4. Press the Call button to confirm your selection and you’re good to go