How to Set Up Call Forwarding on Android

On an Android phone, call forwarding lives inside the phone app's own settings, not in the main Android settings menu. Open the phone app, open its menu, then look for calling accounts or supplementary services, and call forwarding sits under the SIM you want to change.

Call forwarding means calls dialled to your number ring somewhere else instead. It is set on the Android phone that receives the calls, using the number of the phone you want them sent to.

Where is call forwarding on an Android phone?

The path differs by manufacturer, which is why one set of instructions never matches every phone. The usual routes are these:

• On a Pixel and most stock Android phones: phone app, three-dot menu, Settings, Calling accounts, pick the SIM, Call forwarding.
• On a Samsung phone: phone app, three-dot menu, Settings, Supplementary services, Call forwarding.
• On other Android phones: phone app, Settings, then a menu named Call settings, Advanced, or More.

If your phone holds two SIMs, you will be asked which line to change before anything else appears. Forwarding applies to one line only, and setting it on the wrong SIM is the most common reason nothing seems to happen.

What should you prepare first?

1. The destination number, written in full with its area code, exactly as you would dial it.
2. A signal on the Android phone. Forwarding settings are stored by the carrier, not on the handset, so the phone must be able to reach the network while you save them.
3. A second phone to test with, or someone who can call you.
4. Your account sign-in for the carrier, in case the phone menu is blocked and the change has to be made in your account instead.

Do not forward to a number that forwards somewhere else again. Chained forwarding usually collapses into voicemail.

How do you turn on call forwarding on Android?

1. Open the phone app and go to its settings using the three-dot menu.
2. Open Calling accounts or Supplementary services, then choose the SIM if you are asked.
3. Tap Call forwarding. Wait for the screen to finish loading, because the phone is fetching the current state from the network.
4. Choose the type you want, starting with Always forward if you want every call sent on.
5. Type the destination number in full, then tap Turn on or Enable.
6. Wait for the confirmation message from the network. A screen that closes with no confirmation has not saved.
7. Call your own number from another phone and check that the other phone rings.

What is the difference between always, busy, unanswered and unreachable?

Android usually offers four options, and they are separate settings that can be on at the same time:

• Always forward sends every call on, and your Android phone never rings.
• Forward when busy applies only while you are on another call.
• Forward when unanswered applies after the phone rings for a set time and nobody picks up.
• Forward when unreachable applies when the phone is off or has no signal.

The last three together are called conditional forwarding. Voicemail is normally set up as conditional forwarding to the carrier's own voicemail number, which is why turning these on can quietly replace your voicemail.

Why is the call forwarding menu missing?

A missing or greyed-out menu is nearly always the carrier's doing, not a broken phone. Common causes:

• The plan does not include forwarding, or it has to be enabled on the account first.
• The line is a prepaid or data-only plan, where forwarding is often not offered.
• The phone is registered on Wi-Fi calling only and cannot reach the network service at that moment.
• A work profile or device management policy hides parts of the phone app's settings.

Check your options in your carrier account first, opening it from your carrier's own site at the company’s official website. If forwarding is available there, set it in the account and skip the phone menu entirely.

How do you set forwarding with a keypad code?

Every Android dialler accepts short network codes that do the same job as the menu. They begin with a star or hash symbol, take the destination number in the middle, and end with the hash key. Your carrier publishes its own codes, and they are not the same everywhere, so use the ones your carrier lists rather than a code copied from a forum.

Dial the code like a phone number and press call. The network answers with a short message on screen. If it replies with an error or nothing at all, the code is wrong for your carrier or the service is not active on your line.

Why do forwarded calls go to voicemail instead?

Three causes explain most of it. The destination phone is off or out of signal, so the call falls through to whatever that line does with missed calls. The destination number itself forwards to voicemail. Or only conditional forwarding is on, and the unanswered timer is shorter than the time it takes for the other phone to ring.

Test by calling the destination number directly. If it rings normally on its own, the problem is in the forwarding rule; if it goes to voicemail on its own, the problem is that phone.

How do you turn call forwarding off on Android?

1. Go back to the same call forwarding screen in the phone app.
2. Open each type in turn, not just the one you remember setting, and tap Turn off or Disable.
3. Wait for the network confirmation on each one.
4. Leave the screen, reopen it, and check that each type now shows as off.
5. Call your own number and confirm the Android phone rings again.

If the setting keeps showing as on, restart the phone, or remove and reinsert the SIM, then try again while the phone has a strong signal.

What if forwarding still will not stick?

Try the change on a mobile signal rather than Wi-Fi, since some networks refuse these commands over Wi-Fi calling. Then try the keypad code instead of the menu, or the carrier account instead of the phone. If all three fail, the block is on the account, and only the carrier can lift it. Have your account details and the destination number ready when you contact them.