Verizon Call Forwarding: How to Set It Up and Turn It Off

Short answer: on a Verizon line, *72 plus the destination number forwards every call, *71 plus the destination number forwards only the calls you don't answer, and *73 on its own turns forwarding off. Dial them from the Phone app keypad on the Verizon line itself — Verizon forwarding is a network service set by code, not a toggle in your phone's settings.

That is the whole mechanism. What makes Verizon forwarding confusing is everything around it: there is no toggle to look at afterwards, the phone's own Call Forwarding screen often shows nothing, and Verizon answers a successful code with a tone rather than a message you can read back. Each section below is a separate job with its own steps, so you can go straight to the one you came for.

Verizon call forwarding codes

Three codes cover it. Dial them from the Phone app keypad on the Verizon line itself — not from another phone, and not with the number saved as a contact.

Code	What it does	When you want it
*72<number>	Forwards every incoming call to the destination. The Verizon handset may not ring at all.	Moving your line to another phone for a day
*71<number>	Forwards only the calls you don't answer. The handset rings first, and everything you pick up stays on it.	Sending missed calls somewhere useful instead of voicemail
*73	Cancels forwarding. No destination number after it.	Turning it off again

These are the codes Verizon publishes on its own call-forwarding FAQ page, and the same ones OsmO's setup flow dials on a Verizon line. Which options a specific line and plan carry is Verizon's to answer — check their FAQ page or ask on 611 before relying on it. A star code copied from a forum for a different carrier will usually just return an error on Verizon.

How to forward calls on Verizon

Dial *72 and the destination number to forward every call, or *71 and the destination number to forward only the calls you don't answer. Press call and wait for Verizon's tone.

1. Open the Phone app on the Verizon line you want forwarded and go to the keypad. The code has to go out from that line.
2. Type *72 to forward every incoming call, or *71 to forward only the calls you don't answer.
3. Type the 10-digit destination number straight after the code with nothing in between — no spaces, no +1, no # at the end.
4. Press the green call button and wait. Verizon may answer with a confirmation tone or a short message rather than anything on screen.
5. Call your Verizon number from another phone to check where it lands. With *71, let it ring out without answering — that is the only case it redirects.

Test the full route rather than the ring: for *71, let your phone ring unanswered until the destination receives the call. A handset that rings does not tell you whether forwarding is on or off.

How to turn off call forwarding on Verizon

Dial *73 on the Verizon phone whose calls are being redirected and press call. Nothing goes after the code, and the same *73 cancels both *72 and *71, so you don't need to remember which one was set.

1. Open the Phone app keypad on the Verizon handset itself. It has to be that phone — dialling *73 from a friend's phone cancels nothing on yours.
2. Type *73 on its own. No destination number after it, no #.
3. Press the green call button and let the tone play before you hang up. Verizon says cancellation can produce a confirmation tone or a message that sounds like a busy signal.
4. Call your Verizon number from a different phone and let it ring unanswered. Confirm the former destination no longer receives it — ringing alone doesn't prove it, because *71 lets your phone ring first too.

Check your usual voicemail still picks up unanswered calls, if you have it switched on. Spectrum Mobile lines cancel with the same *73, dialled the same way. If it's still redirecting, work down the list below.

How to forward Verizon calls to another number

The destination goes straight onto the end of the code with no separator: *725551234567. Plain 10-digit national format — no country code, no spaces, no hash.

1. Pick the kind you want: *72 sends every call to the other number, *71 sends only the calls you don't answer.
2. On the keypad of the Verizon line, type the code and the 10-digit destination as one unbroken string.
3. Leave out the +1, the spaces and the trailing #. Those are the most common reason a Verizon forwarding code is rejected.
4. Press call, wait for the tone, then ring your Verizon number from another phone and confirm the destination receives it.

• Right: *725551234567 — code, then 10 digits.
• Wrong: *72 555 123 4567, *72+15551234567, *725551234567#.

The +1 and the trailing hash belong to the **004*<number># style that AT&T, T-Mobile and most carriers outside the US use. Verizon is not on that family of codes.

Check that the destination can actually receive calls from your line before you rely on it, and remember that a forwarded call still has to be answered at the other end.

On Spectrum Mobile: Spectrum Mobile runs on Verizon's network and uses the same codes. OsmO treats a Spectrum line exactly like a Verizon one, and *71 was verified working on a real Spectrum SIM in July 2026.

Why is my Verizon line still forwarding after *73?

Almost always one of the first three below. Work down the list in order.

• You dialled from the wrong phone. The cancel has to go out from the line being forwarded — the same line the *72 or *71 was dialled from.
• You hung up too early. Ending the call before the tone can leave the request unfinished. Dial it again and wait it out.
• The calls were going to voicemail, not to a number. That is voicemail doing its ordinary job, and *73 will not change it. Voicemail is a separate Verizon setting from call forwarding.
• You typed a number after the code. *73 stands alone. Digits after it are not a cancel instruction and will usually just return an error.
• No signal. The code is a request to Verizon's network, so a dead spot or Airplane Mode means it never arrives.
• The handset's own screen still says forwarding is on. On a Verizon line that screen and the network setting are not always looking at the same thing. Trust the test call, not the toggle — and see why there's no forwarding menu below.
• A managed business line. Lines administered by an employer can have forwarding set centrally, where a star code on the handset will not override it. That is a question for whoever runs the account.
• Still redirecting after two clean attempts? Call Verizon on 611 from the phone, or 1-800-922-0204. A different star code is not the fix.

How to turn off Verizon call forwarding without the phone

*73 has to be dialled from the forwarded line, so if that handset is lost, broken, dead or already packed away, there is no code you can dial from somewhere else to cancel it. Ask Verizon to clear it instead: 611 from any Verizon line, or 1-800-922-0204, with the account details to hand.

What changes once forwarding is off

• Calls ring your handset again, and anything you don't answer goes to your Verizon voicemail as it did before.
• The destination number stops receiving your calls immediately — worth a heads-up if you had pointed the line at a colleague or a second phone.
• Texts are unaffected. They were never being forwarded; call forwarding is a voice service only.
• Any per-call charge for the forwarded leg stops along with the forwarding. Whether your plan billed for it in the first place is a question for Verizon on 611.
• Using OsmO? *73 is also how you stop sending unanswered calls to it. Your Verizon number and your voicemail are untouched — the calls simply stop being handed over. Re-dial *71 plus your assistant's number when you want it back.

Why there's no forwarding menu on a Verizon line

Most US carriers run GSM-style supplementary services, where the handset's own Call Forwarding screen talks to the network and shows you the current state. Verizon uses star codes instead. Two practical consequences:

• The handset toggle may show nothing. A Call Forwarding screen that reads "off" does not mean a *71 you dialled last week isn't still running. The two are not always looking at the same setting.
• The GSM status codes don't help. *#21# and *#67#, which report the current forwarding state on carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, don't return a readable answer on a Verizon line. OsmO's own Android forwarding check skips Verizon lines for exactly this reason.

Which brings it back to the same place: on Verizon, a test call is the status check.

When Verizon call forwarding isn't working

• Check the number format first. 10 digits, no +1, no spaces, no #. This is the fix more often than anything else on this list.
• You need signal. The code is a request to Verizon's network. Dialling it in a dead spot or in Airplane Mode does nothing.
• You dialled from the wrong phone. The code has to go out from the Verizon line being forwarded.
• You tested the wrong way. With *71, answering the test call proves nothing — let it ring out.
• Both kinds may be set. If you have dialled *71 and *72 at different times, cancel with *73 and set only the one you want, then re-test.
• A managed business line. Lines administered by an employer can have features switched off centrally.
• Still stuck? Verizon customer care is 611 from the Verizon phone, or 1-800-922-0204.

Forward missed calls somewhere better than voicemail

Most people setting up *71 are after the same thing: the calls they miss should end up somewhere more useful than a voicemail box they will never listen to.

That is what OsmO uses forwarding for. You keep your Verizon number and point your unanswered calls at OsmO, and the calls you don't pick up reach an AI phone assistant instead of voicemail. It answers in a natural voice, asks who is calling and what they want, and texts you what was said. Spam and robocalls hang up on it rather than on you.

The Verizon-specific part: the OsmO app knows a Verizon line takes *71 rather than the GSM code, builds the dial string with your assistant's number already in it, and hands it to the keypad — so there is no code to copy out and no format to get wrong. It won't catch every spam call, and it's a separate app rather than a Verizon setting. Setting up an iPhone or an Android phone as well? See call forwarding on iPhone, the dedicated call forwarding for Android guide, or the combined iPhone and Android forwarding guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Verizon call forwarding code?

*72 plus the destination number forwards every call, *71 plus the destination number forwards only the calls you don't answer, and *73 cancels forwarding. Dial them from the Phone app keypad on the Verizon line.

How do I set up call forwarding on Verizon?

Open the keypad, dial *72 or *71 immediately followed by the 10-digit destination number, and press call. Wait for the confirmation tone, then ring your Verizon number from another phone to check where it lands.

How do I forward my Verizon calls to another number?

Type the code straight into the number with nothing between them — *725551234567. Plain 10-digit format, no country code and no hash.

How do I turn off call forwarding on Verizon?

Dial *73 on its own from the forwarded phone and press call, wait for the tone, then make a test call. Let it go unanswered and check that the former destination no longer receives it. The same code cancels both *72 and *71.

How do I turn off Verizon call forwarding without the phone?

You can't — *73 has to be dialled from the line being forwarded. If that handset is lost or dead, ask Verizon to clear it on 611 from another Verizon line or 1-800-922-0204.

Does turning off Verizon call forwarding affect voicemail or texts?

No. Once forwarding is cancelled, calls ring the handset again and anything unanswered goes to Verizon voicemail as before. Text messages are unaffected either way, because call forwarding is a voice service only.

What's the difference between *71 and *72 on Verizon?

*72 redirects everything, so your phone may never ring. *71 lets the phone ring first and only redirects what you don't answer — the same conditional forwarding covered in what “Conditional Call Forwarding Active” means. *73 cancels either.

Why doesn't my phone's Call Forwarding setting show anything?

Verizon forwarding is set on the network by a star code rather than by the handset, so a phone's own forwarding screen may be empty or may not reflect what a code set. Dial the code from the keypad and confirm with a test call instead.

Does Verizon call forwarding forward text messages too?

No — it's a voice service. Texts keep arriving on the handset as usual.

Does Verizon call forwarding cost extra?

That depends on the plan. Some include it and some bill the forwarded leg of the call. Check the current terms with Verizon on 611 or 1-800-922-0204 before leaving forwarding switched on.

Official sources

Checked August 2026. Carrier codes and plan features change.

• Verizon: Call forwarding FAQs
• Verizon: Contact us

Related: AT&T call forwarding · Call forwarding on iPhone · Call forwarding on iPhone & Android · What is an AI phone assistant? · How AI call screening works · Stop spam calls on iPhone