Call forwarding: codes and guide

1. 1Open the Phone app and switch to the keypad you use to dial ordinary numbers.
2. 2Dial a code from the table on this page and replace NUMBER with the number your calls should go to: 1 and ten digits on T-Mobile and AT&T, the ten digits alone on Verizon, no spaces.
3. 3Press call, as you would for an ordinary number. Dial the other codes from the table you want to turn on the same way.
4. 4Wait for the network's answer, then test the forwarding with a call, as described in "How to tell that forwarding works".

On a prepaid plan it depends on the carrier: AT&T's agreement allows forwarded minutes on prepaid lines (up to 750 a month), T-Mobile and Verizon do not say, so dial the code and test it. Mint Mobile publishes the same codes as T-Mobile.

T-Mobile and AT&T (and brands on their networks, such as Mint) use the three codes above. Verizon and the brands on its network - Visible, Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile - use one code instead: *71 followed by the ten digits, with *73 to turn it off. That code has no ring timer and no separate codes for a phone that is off or busy.

On every US network you set forwarding from the phone itself, and the number you forward to has to be a US number: Verizon, AT&T, Xfinity Mobile and Spectrum Mobile all say calls cannot be forwarded to an international number.

Unconditional forwarding (the code **21*NUMBER# on T-Mobile, *72 on Verizon) sends absolutely everything somewhere else at once - your phone doesn't even ring. It suits a vacation or a lost phone, not everyday use.

Conditional forwarding only kicks in when the situation actually happens: you don't answer, your phone is off, or you're already on a call. Your phone still rings first and you answer normally - only what would otherwise be lost gets forwarded. That is exactly what you want when customers call.

On T-Mobile and AT&T the ring time can be set from 5 to 30 seconds, in steps of five (7 seconds is not possible). Verizon has no timer: its network holds its own ring time.

When a live person or an assistant takes over the call, the opposite of voicemail applies: the shorter the ring, the sooner the caller gets an answer. So Lorela recommends 5 or 10 seconds - a call you can't get to is handled before the caller gives up.

On an iPhone you dial the code from the keypad in the Phone app, like an ordinary number. The Call Forwarding switch in Settings > Apps > Phone (iOS 18 and later) sends all calls elsewhere and the phone doesn't ring at all, so use the codes for missed calls.

On Android it is the same: you dial the code from the keypad of the Phone app, and the phone usually shows a message from the network. Only a test call gives you certainty. The forwarding menu is usually in the settings of the Phone app, but the path depends on the manufacturer.

Without an app it is simple: call your number from another phone and don't answer. After the ring time the call should end up where you forward it.

The surest way is the forwarding test in Lorela - it calls your number for real and tells you within a minute whether the call was forwarded.

On T-Mobile and AT&T dial ##004# to clear all conditional forwarding. On Verizon dial *73. Whatever should keep running, set up again afterwards.

This turns off forwarding only. It doesn't cancel your carrier's voicemail service or your Lorela subscription. If a code is refused, use the call forwarding menu in your phone's settings or ask your carrier.