How to Set Up Call Forwarding (iPhone & Android)

Call forwarding sends an incoming call to a different number instead of ringing the phone you are holding. It is one of the oldest and most useful features your carrier offers, and it solves a lot of everyday problems — routing your cell to a desk phone, sending missed calls to a colleague, or making sure nothing falls through the cracks while your phone is off.

The catch is that "call forwarding" is really two different things, and mixing them up leads to forwarding every call when you only meant to forward the ones you miss. This guide explains the difference plainly, walks through setup on iPhone and Android, and covers what to forward your calls to — voicemail, another number, or an AI assistant that answers for you.

What Call Forwarding Is

Call forwarding is a feature built into your phone line by your carrier. When it is on, a call coming to your number is redirected to another number you choose, instead of (or in addition to) ringing your own handset. The person calling you dials your normal number and never sees where the call actually lands.

Because it lives at the carrier level, forwarding works even when your phone is off, dead, or out of coverage — the network does the redirecting before the call ever reaches your device. That is also why the exact way you turn it on differs by carrier and country: each network exposes it a little differently, some through your phone's settings and some through dialed codes.

The single most important decision is which calls get forwarded: all of them, or only the ones you miss. That is the difference between unconditional and conditional forwarding, and it is worth getting right before you turn anything on.

Unconditional vs Conditional — and Why Conditional Is Usually What You Want

Unconditional forwarding (sometimes called "always forward") sends every incoming call straight to the other number. Your own phone never rings at all. This is useful in narrow cases — for example, you are switching phones for a day and want every call to land on the new one — but it is a blunt instrument: turn it on and you stop getting calls on your device entirely until you turn it off.

Conditional forwarding only redirects a call in specific situations, and lets every other call ring your phone normally. The usual conditions are:

• ✓ When you are busy — you are already on another call.
• ✓ When there is no answer — the call rings for a few seconds and you do not pick up.
• ✓ When you are unreachable — your phone is off, dead, or out of coverage.

For almost everyone, conditional forwarding is the right choice. You stay fully reachable on your own phone, and only the calls you would otherwise have missed get redirected somewhere useful — to voicemail, to another person, or to an assistant that can actually handle them. That is exactly the behavior you want if the goal is "never miss a call" rather than "stop ringing my phone."

How to Set It Up on iPhone

iPhone exposes unconditional forwarding in its settings. To turn it on:

• ✓ Open Settings, then tap Phone.
• ✓ Tap Call Forwarding, switch it on, and enter the number you want every call sent to.

That screen controls all-calls forwarding only. The conditional options — forward on busy, on no answer, on unreachable — are not surfaced in iPhone settings on most carriers. To set those, you either dial your carrier's star-codes by hand or use an app that configures them for you. On GSM networks the conditional codes follow a general pattern (for example, a *61* code for no-answer, *62* for unreachable, and *67* for busy, each followed by the destination number and #), but the exact codes — and whether they are supported at all — vary by carrier and country, so confirm them with your provider before relying on any specific one.

If you do not see a Call Forwarding entry under Settings → Phone, your line is likely on a network that manages forwarding itself; in that case your carrier's app or support page is the place to set it.

How to Set It Up on Android

Android generally gives you finer control, often letting you set each condition separately. The path varies a little by phone maker, but it is usually:

• ✓ Open the Phone app and tap the three-dot menu (or your profile icon).
• ✓ Go to Settings, then Calls or Supplementary services.
• ✓ Tap Call forwarding and choose what you need: Always forward (unconditional) or one of the conditional options — Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered, and Forward when unreachable.

Because Android separates the conditions, you can turn on only the conditional ones and leave all-calls forwarding off — the setup most people actually want. If the menu names look slightly different on your device, look for any entry labeled "Call forwarding"; it is the same feature underneath. As on iPhone, the underlying behavior depends on your carrier, so if an option does not stick, your carrier may handle forwarding on its end.

What to Forward Your Calls To — Voicemail, Another Number, or an AI Assistant

Once you have decided which calls to forward, the next question is where they should go. There are three common destinations, each suited to a different need.

• ✓ Voicemail. The default. Fine when a recorded message is enough, but it is passive — the caller has to leave a message, and you have to listen back later. Many callers, and most spam, simply hang up.
• ✓ Another number. Forward to a work line, a partner, or a colleague when a real person should pick up. The downside is that it just moves the interruption to someone else, and there is no record of what was said.
• ✓ An AI phone assistant. A newer option: the call is answered by an assistant that talks to the caller, finds out who they are and why they are calling, screens out spam, and writes down what happened. You get the message in text without anyone having to pick up live.

For the calls you miss — precisely the ones conditional forwarding is for — an assistant that answers and reports back is usually the most useful destination, because it turns a missed call into a readable summary instead of a voicemail you may never check.

How OsmO Uses Conditional Forwarding

OsmO is a consumer AI phone assistant for iPhone and Android that uses conditional call forwarding to answer the calls you do not pick up. During setup it configures your line so that when a call goes unanswered, comes from an unknown number, or reaches you while you are busy, that call is forwarded to OsmO — while calls you do answer ring your phone exactly as before. You are never forwarding everything; only the calls you would otherwise have missed.

When OsmO takes one of those calls, it answers in a natural voice, finds out who is calling and why, and screens out spam and robocalls before they reach you. For every call it handles, it texts you a transcript and a short summary, so you can see who called and what they wanted without picking up. It also works in the other direction, making outbound calls for you — booking appointments, chasing follow-ups — and reporting the result.

Because it rides on your carrier's standard conditional forwarding, OsmO runs on your existing number — no new number, no second SIM, and no new hardware. Setup takes about a minute: the app walks you through enabling forwarding for your specific carrier, so you do not have to look up star-codes yourself. OsmO is free to download, OsmO Pro is $4.99 a month with a free trial, and it is available in the United States and Canada. If you have been meaning to set up forwarding so you stop missing calls, pointing the missed ones at an assistant that actually answers is the most useful place to send them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between unconditional and conditional call forwarding?

Unconditional forwarding sends every incoming call straight to another number, so your phone never rings. Conditional forwarding only redirects a call in specific situations — when you are busy, do not answer after a few rings, or are unreachable — and lets all other calls ring your phone normally. Conditional is what most people want, because you stay reachable and only the calls you miss get handled elsewhere.

How do I set up call forwarding on my iPhone?

For unconditional forwarding, open Settings, tap Phone, tap Call Forwarding, turn it on, and enter the number to forward to. This screen only controls all-calls forwarding. Conditional forwarding (busy, no answer, unreachable) is not exposed in iPhone settings and is set through carrier star-codes, which differ by carrier, or automatically by an app. If you do not see Call Forwarding, your line may be on a network where the carrier handles it instead.

How do I set up call forwarding on Android?

Open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, go to Settings, then Calls or Supplementary services, then Call forwarding. Android usually lets you set each condition separately — Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered, and Forward when unreachable — so you can turn on only the conditional ones. The exact menu names vary by phone maker and carrier, so look for a Call forwarding entry.

What are the star-codes for conditional call forwarding?

GSM phones use a family of star-codes for conditional forwarding — commonly a *61* code for no-answer, *62* for unreachable, and *67* for busy, followed by the destination number and #. These are a general pattern, not a guarantee: the exact codes, and whether they work at all, depend on your carrier and country. Always confirm the current codes with your carrier, or use an app that configures forwarding for you so you do not have to dial codes by hand.

What should I forward my calls to?

It depends on what you want. Forward to voicemail if a recorded message is enough, or to another number, such as a work line or a family member, if a person should pick up. A third option is an AI phone assistant like OsmO, which answers your unanswered and unknown calls in a natural voice, screens spam, takes a message, and texts you a transcript — all on your existing number, with no new SIM.