Guide · Call Forwarding · Setup
How to Forward Your Business Calls and Keep Your Number
Forward business calls from an iPhone, Android, landline or VoIP service to an answering service while keeping your existing number.
TL;DR
- Call forwarding tells your carrier to send calls from your business number on to another number. Customers keep ringing the number they know.
- Switch it on from the business line: with your carrier's code on a mobile (or the Settings switch on an iPhone), by dialing a code on a landline, or in a VoIP dashboard.
- For an answering service, forward all calls. Choose Ring me first if you want a chance to answer in the Juney app.
- Check it by ringing your number from another phone, and switch it off the same way you switched it on.
On this page 12 sections
Forwarding is what lets someone, or something, pick up your business line while you're on a roof or under a sink. This guide covers how forwarding works for a business, the main ways to switch it on, and how to check it and turn it off.
What is call forwarding, and why do businesses use it?
Call forwarding is a feature of your phone plan that sends calls made to your number on to a different number. The caller dials your usual business number, and your carrier passes the call along. Nothing changes on the caller's side: same number on the van, the website and their contacts.
Businesses use it for a handful of practical reasons: to reach a mobile when the office landline is unattended, to hand the phone to a partner or whoever's on call, to cover a holiday, or to send calls to an answering service while the owner is on a job.
Should you forward every call, or only the ones you miss?
Most carriers offer two kinds of forwarding. Unconditional forwarding, often labeled "forward all calls", "always forward" or "immediate call forwarding", sends every call straight to the other number, so your phone doesn't ring as a normal call. Conditional forwarding passes a call on only in certain situations: when your line is busy, when you don't answer after a few rings, or when your phone is off or out of signal.
Verizon's call forwarding help page (checked October 2026) puts it plainly: Immediate Call Forwarding sends every call to the number you set rather than to your phone, while Conditional Call Forwarding sends a call on if your phone is busy or unanswered after 3 to 6 rings.
| Kind | What happens to a call | Typical business use |
|---|---|---|
| All calls (unconditional) | Goes straight to the other number | An answering service, a holiday, a partner taking the phone for the day |
| Busy, no answer or unreachable (conditional) | Is passed on when you're busy, don't answer or can't be reached | Sending the calls you can't take to a second phone or a voicemail service |
With no-answer forwarding, your carrier waits for your phone to ring before it passes the call on. Your voicemail or call screening can pick up during that wait.
Why no-answer forwarding is a poor fit for an answering service
When you forward only unanswered calls, the answering service depends on your carrier's delay and on what happens on your phone during that delay.
- The wait depends on your carrier. An answering service's carrier guide lists Verizon's no-answer wait at about 30 seconds and says it cannot be changed, as of October 2026. T-Mobile's short-code list includes a code to change its forwarding delay.
- Features on your phone may take the call. Verizon tells iPhone owners to turn off Live Voicemail when using conditional forwarding. Google says calls handled by automatic screening will not be forwarded.
- Carrier voicemail can get there first. Rogers says conditional forwarding does not work while voicemail is active.
- Availability varies. Google Fi offers Ring all numbers or Always forward, with no unanswered-only option. An answering service's carrier guide lists Boost Mobile as supporting all-calls forwarding only, as of October 2026.
- Declining a call follows a different rule. A declined call counts as busy, not unanswered. Conditional forwarding can require separate busy, no-answer and unreachable codes; forwarding all calls needs one.
What to do: forward all calls to your answering service. If you want the chance to answer, look for a service with its own ring-first setting. Juney uses all-calls forwarding; do not set up busy or no-answer forwarding for her.
Read more about why conditional call forwarding is a poor fit for answering services.
If you do not want every call answered, a missed-call text-back service follows up after the call instead of trying to answer it.
What all-calls forwarding costs you
All-calls forwarding sends every call to the service, including personal calls to the same number. Add family and regular suppliers to Excluded contacts so Juney does not answer them. With Ring me first, excluded calls ring the app and then go to voicemail; with Straight to Juney, they go to voicemail.
To receive a Ring me first call, stay signed in to the Juney app, allow notifications and keep a data connection. You answer over the internet in the app. If the app cannot be reached, Juney answers without ringing you.
Your carrier may charge for the forwarded call, including the time the app rings: Juney has already picked up that call. Because all calls are forwarded, a per-minute forwarding charge can apply to more calls than with no-answer forwarding. Check your plan before switching it on.
How do you switch call forwarding on?
You switch forwarding on from the line being forwarded, and the method depends on the kind of line: a carrier code dialed from the keypad on a mobile (an iPhone also has a Settings switch), a code dialed on the handset for a landline, or a setting in your VoIP provider's dashboard. Carriers accept forwarding changes only from the line itself, so setting it up from a different phone won't work.
On an iPhone: a code or the Settings switch
On an iPhone, open Phone › Keypad, type or paste your carrier's code and tap call. iPhone blocks links that dial a forwarding code, so Juney gives you the code to copy and paste rather than dialing it for you; a code you paste or type yourself works. Apple's iPhone User Guide also gives a switch: Settings → Apps → Phone → Call Forwarding, turn it on, tap Forward To and enter the number. Some US carriers, such as Verizon, don't show the switch, so use the code there, or ask your carrier. Juney's help center lists each supported carrier's code.
On Android: a carrier code
On the Android phone with your business number, open the Phone app and dial your carrier's forwarding code. In Juney, Open keypad fills in the code for you; tap call and wait for confirmation. If it doesn't work, check the Phone app's Call forwarding → Always forward setting or ask your carrier.
On a landline: dial it on the handset
For a landline, pick up the landline handset and dial the code there, not on your mobile. The usual patterns are *21 + number + # in Australia, *21* + number + # in the UK, and in the US and Canada *72, then the number once you hear the dial tone again. This is also how you divert an office landline to a mobile. If the code doesn't work, your phone company can tell you how, or switch it on for you.
On a VoIP service: the dashboard
Internet phone services such as Aircall, RingCentral and OpenPhone don't use carrier codes. You set the forward in the service's dashboard: forward all calls to the new number and save.
Full steps are in How to Forward Calls on iPhone and How to Forward Calls on Android.
Do you keep your number when you forward calls?
Yes. Forwarding leaves your number, your carrier and your plan where they are; it only adds an instruction to send calls on. That's the difference from porting, which moves your number to a new provider. Forwarding is also easy to undo: switch it off and calls ring your phone again.
With an answering service, you forward to a number it gives you behind the scenes. Your Juney number is a local number in your own country, and your customers keep calling the number they already have.
Will your phone still ring once calls are forwarded?
Your carrier sends the call on before your phone line rings. To get a chance to answer, choose Ring me first in Juney: the Juney app rings you for about 15 seconds before she answers. Juney controls that wait, not your carrier. Beside also offers a ring through its app, as of October 2026.
Answer in the Juney app and you take the call; decline or let it ring out and Juney answers. Choose Straight to Juney when you want her to answer without ringing you. The app needs to be signed in, with notifications and data enabled; if it can't be reached, Juney answers. Calls you answer yourself don't use Juney minutes.
What do callers hear when their call is forwarded?
Callers dial your usual number and talk to whoever answers at the number you forwarded to, whether that's a partner's mobile or an answering service. With Juney, callers hear your greeting, word for word, in the voice you picked. We recommend introducing her as your AI assistant, so callers know who they're speaking with from the start. If your Answering schedule sends calls outside your hours to voicemail, she answers those with your voicemail greeting and the caller leaves a message instead. With Ring me first on, callers hear ringing for about 15 seconds longer before Juney picks up, on calls going to voicemail too.
How do you check call forwarding is working?
Ring your business number from a different phone. If the call reaches the number you forwarded to, forwarding is on. If your own phone rings, or your carrier's voicemail picks up, it isn't. On an iPhone, a Call Forwarding icon also shows in the status bar while it's on.
What to do if it fails: carriers can take a few minutes to apply a change, so wait, then try again. If it still fails, the usual causes are switching it on from a phone that isn't the business line, a wrong digit in the forwarding number, hanging up before the confirmation tone, or a prepaid plan that can't forward.
Juney runs the check for you. After you switch forwarding on, she places a quick, silent test call to your business number and confirms it reached her. The check takes about 30 seconds. You can run it again from Settings → Your line → Forwarding → Test again, up to 3 times a day.
How do you turn call forwarding off?
On a mobile, dial your carrier's off code from the business line. An iPhone can also use the Settings switch where available. On Verizon, paste or type *73 into Phone › Keypad and tap call; other carriers may use a different code, so use the off code Juney shows. For a landline, dial the off code on its handset; for VoIP, remove the forward in your provider's dashboard. Then ring your business number from another phone to make sure it rings you again.
If your carrier switched forwarding on for you, ask them to switch it off. To pause Juney, go to Settings → Your line → Forwarding → Just need a break? in the app, which walks you through switching forwarding off and back on.
Does call forwarding cost anything?
It depends on your carrier and plan, not on the phone. Many plans include forwarding to a local number at no extra cost, some charge for each forwarded call or count the minutes against your allowance, and prepaid plans may not forward to another number at all.
What to do: before you switch it on, ask your carrier, "Does my plan charge for forwarding calls to a local mobile or landline number?" Juney's number is local to your country, so that's the question that matters.
Carrier charges sit alongside the service's own price; Cheap Answering Service: What You'll Actually Pay in 2026 covers both.
Which carriers and countries can you forward from?
Juney works with business numbers in four countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. Her app has steps for the main carriers in each, and for networks that share their codes, such as Telstra with Belong and Boost, Optus with amaysim, and Verizon with Visible. Two exceptions: Tesco Mobile in the UK doesn't support call forwarding, and some prepaid plans can only divert to voicemail.
How do you forward calls to an AI answering service like Juney?
You forward all calls to the number the AI answering service (or AI receptionist) gives you, just like any other forward. The difference is who walks you through it. Juney is built for the trades and set up on your phone, with no computer, and the app shows the steps for your carrier and phone:
- In Juney, tap Switch my line on and choose your carrier, or It's a landline or I use a VoIP service.
- For a mobile line, tap Copy code on iPhone, paste it into Phone › Keypad and tap call. On Android, tap Open keypad, then tap call. For a landline, use its handset; for VoIP, use the provider's dashboard.
- Back in Juney, tap I've done it, and she runs the line check.
Every screen, including what to do if the check fails, is in the help center's Switch your line on. Juney costs $49 a month or $490 a year, with 150 minutes a month and top-ups of 100 minutes for $20, bought in the app, which don't expire, after a 7-day free trial with 50 answering minutes (as of October 2026). The details are on Juney's pricing.
Use a free trial to test forwarding, call quality and the calls it should handle before you commit.
The whole setup, forwarding included, done on a phone: How to Set Up an AI Receptionist Without a Computer.
Before you forward, set up the questions and call handling you want the service to use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to change my number to forward my business calls?
No. Forwarding sends calls from your existing number on to another one, so you keep your number, your carrier and your plan. Customers keep ringing the number they already have.
Can I switch call forwarding on from a different phone?
Usually not. Carriers accept forwarding changes only from the line being forwarded, so do it on the phone or landline handset that has your business number. If you can't, call or message your carrier and ask them to forward all calls to the new number.
What happens to forwarding if I change carrier?
Forwarding belongs to your number and your carrier, so set it up again with the new carrier. In Juney, go to Settings → Your line → Forwarding → Carrier, pick the new one and follow the steps; Juney checks the line again afterwards. Moving the same number and SIM to a new phone keeps forwarding working.
Does logging out of Juney switch forwarding off?
No. Your carrier keeps forwarding calls to Juney, and she keeps answering, until you switch forwarding off yourself. To pause her, use Just need a break? under Settings → Your line → Forwarding.
Should I forward all calls or only missed calls to an answering service?
Forward all calls if you can. With no-answer forwarding, the carrier sets the wait, which an answering-service guide lists as about 30 seconds and fixed on Verizon; Verizon advises turning off Live Voicemail for conditional forwarding. Juney asks for all calls; in the Juney app, choose Ring me first to take them before she answers.
Updated for October 2026: clarified all-calls versus no-answer forwarding, iPhone call screening and Verizon switch-off steps.
Related Resources
Facts in this article are current as of October 2026.
