Call Forwarding on iPhone: Where It Is and How to Set It

Call forwarding on an iPhone lives in the Settings app, under Phone, in an item named Call Forwarding. Open Settings, tap Phone, tap Call Forwarding, turn the switch on, and type the number that should receive your calls. That is the whole setup on a phone whose carrier supports the built-in menu.

If that item is not there, the carrier is handling forwarding a different way, and the section below on the missing menu covers what to do instead.

Where is call forwarding on an iPhone?

Call forwarding on an iPhone is not in the Phone app, which is where most people look first. It is in Settings, the grey gear icon, under the Phone entry. The Phone entry sits in the long alphabetical block of Apple's own apps, below the settings for the device itself.

Call forwarding means the network sends incoming calls to another number instead of ringing your iPhone. The forwarding happens at the carrier, not on the handset, which is why it keeps working even when the iPhone is switched off or has no signal.

How to turn on call forwarding on iPhone, step by step

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap Phone.
3. Tap Call Forwarding. On a phone with two lines, tap the line you want to forward first.
4. Turn the Call Forwarding switch on.
5. Tap Forward To and type the destination number in full, including the area code.
6. Tap back to the previous screen so the number saves. There is no separate Save button, and leaving the screen the wrong way is the most common reason the setting does not stick.
7. Check that the forwarding icon appears in the status bar at the top of the screen, then call your iPhone from another phone to confirm the other line rings.

How to turn call forwarding off on iPhone

1. Open Settings, tap Phone, tap Call Forwarding.
2. On a dual-line iPhone, select the line that is being forwarded.
3. Turn the switch off.
4. Wait a few seconds without leaving the screen. The switch talks to the carrier, and flipping it and immediately closing Settings can cancel the request.
5. Call your own number from another phone to confirm the iPhone itself rings again.

What to do if Call Forwarding is missing from the iPhone Phone settings

The Call Forwarding item on an iPhone is supplied by the carrier, not by the phone. If it is absent, the phone is fine and something else is true:

• Your carrier does not expose forwarding through the iOS menu and uses short dial codes instead. Ask your carrier which code to dial; do not copy a code from a forum, because codes differ between networks.
• The line is a data-only or secondary line with no voice service, so there is nothing to forward.
• The carrier settings on the phone are out of date. In Settings, under General, then About, an available carrier update usually prompts within a few seconds of opening the screen.
• The iPhone is connected to Wi-Fi with no cellular signal at all. Some carriers hide the menu until the phone registers on the mobile network.

Call forwarding on an iPhone with two SIM lines

On an iPhone with two lines, physical or eSIM, forwarding is set per line and never applies to both at once. The Call Forwarding screen shows a line picker at the top. Forwarding your work line does nothing to your personal line, and people regularly forward the wrong one and conclude the feature is broken.

Check which line you actually selected before you troubleshoot anything else. The line name shown on the forwarding screen is the same label you gave the line when it was set up.

What is conditional call forwarding, and how is it different?

Conditional call forwarding sends a call onward only in certain situations: when the line is busy, when nobody answers, or when the phone is unreachable. Unconditional forwarding, which is what the iOS switch controls, sends every call onward immediately and your iPhone never rings.

• Unconditional forwarding: the iPhone stays silent, every call goes to the other number.
• Conditional forwarding: the iPhone rings first, and the call moves on only if the condition is met.
• Voicemail is itself a form of conditional forwarding, which is why turning unconditional forwarding on usually means voicemail stops collecting messages.

Conditional forwarding is generally not in the iOS menu at all. It is set with carrier codes, so ask the carrier rather than hunting for a switch that is not there.

Why the call forwarding switch turns itself back off

A Call Forwarding switch on an iPhone that flips back off by itself did not save at the carrier. Common causes, in the order worth checking:

• The destination number was typed without an area code, or with extra characters, and the network rejected it.
• The phone had no cellular signal at the moment the switch was flipped. The request needs the network, not Wi-Fi.
• The account does not have the forwarding feature enabled, which is a carrier setting on some prepaid plans.
• The forwarding target is another line that is itself forwarding somewhere. Networks refuse forwarding chains.

Does call forwarding on an iPhone forward text messages?

No. Call forwarding on an iPhone moves voice calls only. Text messages keep going to the original number, and so do the verification codes sent by banks and online accounts. If you forward your calls and hand the phone to someone else, plan separately for how you will receive those codes.

What to check before you call your carrier about iPhone call forwarding

1. Confirm the destination number rings normally when you dial it directly.
2. Confirm you selected the correct line on a dual-line iPhone.
3. Restart the iPhone and set the switch again while the phone shows cellular bars.
4. Note the exact wording of any error message. "Setting could not be saved" and "not supported" send the carrier's agent down different paths.
5. Have the iPhone in your hand during the call. The agent will ask you to open the screen and read what is on it.

If the carrier says forwarding is active but your iPhone still rings, ask which type they enabled. Conditional forwarding behaves exactly like that, and it is not a fault.