You've probably been there. You are heading into a dead zone, or maybe your battery is sitting at a terrifying 2%, and you are expecting the most important call of your life. It’s stressful. Honestly, knowing how to do call forwarding on android is one of those "boring" tech skills that suddenly feels like a superpower when you actually need it.
Most people think it’s some complex carrier-level sorcery. It isn’t. Your phone can basically act as a personal secretary, redirecting your incoming chatter to another number—whether that’s a colleague, your home landline, or even a Google Voice account—without you lifting a finger once it’s set up.
But here is the thing: Android isn’t a single, uniform beast. A Samsung Galaxy handles menus differently than a Google Pixel or a OnePlus. And then you have the carriers like Verizon and AT&T throwing their own specific "star codes" into the mix. It gets messy.
The Simple Way: Using the Phone App Settings
The easiest way to tackle how to do call forwarding on android is through the built-in dialer. You don't need to download some sketchy third-party app from the Play Store that’s going to ask for permission to read your text messages and track your GPS. Just stay in the system settings.
Open your Phone app. You know, the one with the little handset icon you probably use less than Instagram. Tap those three vertical dots in the top right corner. Go to Settings. From here, things might look a little different depending on your brand of phone.
On a Pixel or "Stock" Android device, you’ll look for Calling accounts. Tap your SIM provider, and then you’ll see Call forwarding. If you are rocking a Samsung, you’ll likely need to tap Supplementary services first.
Once you get there, you’ll usually see four distinct flavors of forwarding:
- Always forward: This sends every single call to another number. Your phone won't even ring.
- When busy: If you’re already on a call and you don’t have call waiting active, this kicks the new caller over to your backup number.
- When unanswered: This is great if you want to give yourself a chance to pick up, but don't want the caller to just hit a dead end.
- When unreachable: This is the "I'm in an elevator or my phone is dead" option.
Select the one you need. Type in the number—make sure to include the area code—and hit Turn on or Enable. That’s it. You’re done.
Why Your Carrier Might Be Blocking You
Sometimes, you’ll follow those steps and get a "Network or SIM card error." It's annoying. It usually means your carrier wants to be the boss of your call settings. This is especially common with prepaid plans or certain "unlimited" tiers where they’ve disabled the user’s ability to change these settings via the phone’s interface.
In these cases, you have to go "old school." We are talking about MMI codes. These are those weird sequences starting with a star (*) or a pound (#) sign.
To set up how to do call forwarding on android using carrier codes, you just open your dialer and type a sequence. For example, on many networks, dialing *21* followed by the phone number and then # will activate unconditional forwarding. To turn it off? Dial ##21#.
Different carriers have different codes. T-Mobile usually plays nice with the standard GSM codes, while Verizon often prefers you use *72 followed by the number. If you are on a MVNO (like Mint Mobile or Cricket), they usually inherit whatever rules their parent network uses.
The Samsung Galaxy Variation
Samsung likes to do things its own way. If you are using a modern S24 or an older A-series, you might find that the "Calling accounts" menu simply doesn't exist. Samsung hides these features under Supplementary Services.
It takes a second to load. Your phone is literally communicating with the cell tower to see what your current status is. Don't panic if it spins for five seconds. Once it loads, the process is the same as the standard Android method. Just keep in mind that if you have a dual-SIM setup, you need to make sure you are selecting the right SIM card for the forwarding. There is nothing worse than forwarding your work line to your mom when you meant to forward your personal line.
What Happens to Your Text Messages?
This is a huge misconception. People think that when they figure out how to do call forwarding on android, their SMS messages will follow.
They won't.
Call forwarding is strictly for voice. Your texts will still arrive on the original device. If your phone is off or out of service, those texts will just sit in the ether until you turn your phone back on. If you need to forward texts, you’re looking at a completely different beast involving apps like Google Voice or specialized "SMS forwarder" software, but even those are hit-or-miss due to Android's recent security tightenings.
Avoiding the "Loop" Nightmare
Be careful. If you forward Phone A to Phone B, and Phone B has its own forwarding set up back to Phone A, you’ve created a digital infinite loop. This will either result in a "system busy" signal for the caller or, in some weird cases, a very confused voicemail system.
Also, watch out for the costs. Even if you have "unlimited minutes," some carriers charge extra for forwarded calls because they essentially count as an outgoing call from your number to the destination. If you’re forwarding to an international number, you’re going to see a very unhappy surprise on your next bill.
Real-World Use Cases (That Aren't Just for Vacations)
We usually think of call forwarding for when we're "out of the office." But there are some clever ways to use this.
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- The "Focus Mode" Hack: If you are trying to get deep work done, forward your calls to a Google Voice number that is set to go straight to voicemail. You can read the transcripts later without ever hearing a ringtone.
- The Dead Battery Save: If you know your phone is about to die and you're waiting for a delivery, quickly forward to a friend's phone who is with you.
- Travel: If you are traveling abroad and using a local SIM card for data, you can forward your domestic number to a VoIP service so you don't miss calls from home, provided you set it up before you leave your home network.
Troubleshooting Common Errors
If you can't get it to work, check these three things. First, make sure you don't have Airplane Mode on. Seems obvious, but you'd be surprised. Second, check if you have a Conditional Call Forwarding conflict. Sometimes if you have a third-party voicemail service like YouMail or Visual Voicemail set up, they take over these settings.
Third, check your signal. You actually need a "handshake" with the tower to enable these settings. You can't turn on call forwarding while you're already in the middle of a dead zone. You have to do it while you still have at least a bar or two of service.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
If you want to master how to do call forwarding on android, don't wait until an emergency. Do this now:
- Test the menu: Go into your Phone app settings and see if you can even find the "Call forwarding" or "Supplementary services" section. If it's greyed out, your carrier is the problem.
- Learn your carrier's "Kill Code": Most Android users can stop all forwarding by dialing ##002#. It's a universal "reset" code for most GSM networks. Save it as a contact if you use forwarding often.
- Verify the destination: When you set up forwarding, call your own number from a different phone. Ensure it actually rings where you want it to.
- Check your plan: Log into your carrier's portal (Verizon, AT&T, etc.) and search for "Call Forwarding" to see if there are per-minute fees associated with your specific plan.
Getting this right means you never have to be "tethered" to a device that is out of juice or out of range. It's a small bit of configuration that saves a lot of professional and personal headaches.