Call Forwarding vs Call Transfer: How to Do Both on Mobile, Landline and VoIP

Call forwarding is set before the phone rings: your calls go to another number or to voicemail, right away or under a condition. Call transfer happens during the conversation: you answered, then you hand the caller to someone else. On Verizon mobile and AT&T home phone, *72 plus the number forwards all calls and *73 turns it off; networks that use the GSM standard codes take **21* plus the number, then #.

You are probably here for one of these reasons.

Call forwarding vs call transfer: what is the difference?

The difference comes down to one moment: when someone picks up.

Call forwarding acts before. You configure your line once, and the network applies the rule to every incoming call. Nobody has to be there. The caller dials your usual number and usually has no idea the call is ringing somewhere else.

Call transfer acts after. A person answered, listened to the request, and decides to pass the caller to someone else. It is a human action, taken one call at a time.

Everyday language blurs the two. Forwarding is also called call diversion or call redirection; transfer is also called handing off or passing a call. People say “transfer my line to my cell” when they mean forwarding. Keep the timing test, not the word: if nobody answers on your side, it is forwarding.

This page is a how-to. For what makes inbound call handling good in the first place (time to answer, the first sentence, the hold), read our guide to business call handling.

What are the four types of call forwarding?

A forwarding rule always answers the same question: in which case should the call go elsewhere? The mobile network standard defines four, and landlines follow the same logic.

Each has its use.

• Unconditional forwarding is the one for vacations, travel and closures. It is also the easiest to forget, since nothing reminds you it is on.
• Forwarding when busy keeps a one-person business from losing the second caller.
• Forwarding on no answer is the rule that normally sends your missed calls to voicemail. The ring delay can be set, within the 5 to 30 seconds allowed by the mobile standard.
• Forwarding when unreachable is the safety net for dead zones and outages.

The last three are conditional call forwarding. By default, on most mobile plans, all three point to your voicemail. Setting a conditional rule to another number means replacing voicemail with a person, for that specific case.

Two destinations are possible: another number, or voicemail. If you choose voicemail, work on the greeting, because it speaks for you. Our voicemail greeting scripts give ready-to-record wording for an absence, a closure or a vacation.

How do you forward calls on a cell phone?

You have two ways: codes dialed on the keypad, or the settings menu of the phone, which does the same thing with buttons.

The star codes on Verizon

In the United States, forwarding codes differ by carrier. Here is what Verizon’s support page listed on November 11, 2026.

Three details from that page.

• The forward-to number has to be an active, voice-capable line in the US, 10 digits long, area code included even for a local number.
• No international destination. Verizon states that calls cannot be forwarded to an international number.
• Set it before you travel. Forwarding cannot be turned on outside Verizon mobile coverage; a rule set before you start roaming should keep working.

On another carrier, the support page for your plan lists the codes it accepts.

The GSM standard codes

The double-star codes come from 3GPP TS 22.030, the standard that describes how a user talks to a mobile network. It assigns a service code to each kind of forwarding and fixes the syntax: **code*number# registers a rule, ##code# erases it, *#code# checks it. Press call after each command.

Three things to know.

• The standard is written for GSM networks in general, which matters if you travel with a local SIM or manage phones for an international team. Whether a given carrier accepts each code is its own decision: Verizon, for one, documents star codes instead.
• Enter the destination in international format, for example +14155550123. A number typed in national format stays tied to the country where you registered it. Our list of international dialing codes gives the prefix for every country, and our free phone number validator returns the international format of any number.
• The no-answer delay can be set. The standard allows 5 to 30 seconds, passed at the end of the command: **61*number**20# asks for forwarding after 20 seconds of ringing. Not every carrier accepts every value.

On iPhone

Apple describes the setting in its iPhone User Guide, read on November 11, 2026.

1. 01

   Open the Phone settings:

   Settings, then Apps, then Phone.
2. 02

   Turn forwarding on:

   tap Call Forwarding and switch it on. On a Dual SIM model, choose a line first. A Call Forwarding icon shows in the status bar for as long as forwarding is on.
3. 03

   Enter the destination:

   tap Forward To, type the number, then tap Back.

Apple adds three notes. This menu applies to iPhones on a GSM cellular service; on other networks, forwarding is handled by the carrier. The iPhone must be in range of the cellular network when you turn forwarding on, or calls will not be forwarded. And this menu sets forwarding of all calls: conditional forwarding, when the line is busy or out of service, is requested from the carrier or dialed with its codes.

The status bar icon is the best guard against forwarding left on: if you still see it after your vacation, the rule is still running.

On Android

The path depends on the manufacturer. On a Galaxy, Samsung says to open the Phone app, tap More options (the three dots), then Settings, Supplementary services, and Call forwarding. Four choices appear: Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered, Forward when unreachable. You enter the number and tap Enable. Those four choices are exactly the four forwarding types of the standard, under other names.

If the menu is missing, which happens depending on carrier and software version, the carrier codes do exactly the same job: the menu only sends them for you. Note that Google’s Phone app has a Take a Message feature for missed calls; Google’s help page says to turn it off if your carrier’s conditional call forwarding does not work with it.

How do you forward a landline to a cell phone?

On a landline there is no universal code. Each provider has its own. Here is what AT&T lists for its home phone services, read on November 11, 2026.

AT&T also offers Exclusive Call Forwarding on AT&T Phone, which forwards only selected callers; it is activated online and turned off with *83#.

Other landline and cable providers publish their own star-code lists on their support sites. The logic is the same everywhere: one code to turn forwarding on, one to turn it off, sometimes one for each condition.

One case deserves a word: the outage. When the service is down, it is too late to pick up the handset and dial a code. That is what AT&T’s Safe Call Forwarding is for, and it has to be set in advance. Whatever your provider, decide today where calls should go when the line fails.

Call forwarding on VoIP and cloud phone systems: what changes

With internet telephony, forwarding stops being a code. It becomes a rule you write in an interface, and that rule can be far more precise.

These features belong to the phone system and its menu. We do not give a vendor-by-vendor manual here: it differs from one product to the next, and each vendor documents its own. To understand what a phone system does with an incoming call, read our guide to the business phone system and the one on IVR menus. For the technology underneath, our business VoIP guide explains how a call travels, and our comparison of the best VoIP for sales teams reviews the plans.

One point specific to VoIP: a call forwarded to an app depends on the connection of the device that receives it. If forwarding is what keeps you reachable, test the receiving end with our VoIP speed test before you count on it. If the voice breaks up or arrives late, the causes and fixes are in our guide to VoIP call quality problems.

How much does call forwarding cost?

Separate two things: the feature, and the calls it carries.

The feature is usually included. Verizon states there is no monthly fee on most plans, though a fee may apply on certain older plans.

The forwarded leg is a call. When someone calls you and your line forwards to another number, the caller pays for their call to you as usual, and you carry the leg between your line and the destination. That leg follows the rules of your plan.

What the carriers say, read on November 11, 2026.

• Verizon: if you do not have unlimited minutes, you are billed for all forwarded calls according to your plan. Forwarded calls are billed as if you had answered them on your mobile phone, even when they are forwarded to a landline. On plans that include long distance, long distance is not charged on forwarded calls.
• International destinations: Verizon does not forward to international numbers. If you need calls to follow you abroad, a carrier rule will not do it; a number that rings in an app will.
• Landlines: forwarding is often a paid calling feature or part of a bundle. Your provider’s price list is the only reliable source.

Two habits before a long forwarding period: read the call forwarding line in your plan’s terms, and confirm the destination is a domestic number your plan covers.

What are the common call forwarding mistakes?

Forwarding almost always works the first time. The trouble comes later, and it is always the same trouble.

One trap is of a different kind: permanent forwarding to a personal cell phone. It solves a staffing problem by moving the work phone into private life. If that is your situation or your employees’, two reads: a business number on a personal phone, to separate the two without a second handset, and the right to disconnect and the work phone.

Warm transfer vs cold transfer: how do you transfer a call?

Transfer starts where forwarding ends: someone has answered. There are two ways to hand over, and callers feel the difference immediately.

A cold transfer, or blind transfer, means dialing the colleague and hanging up without waiting. It is fast. It works when the recipient expects the call, or toward a group you know will answer. In every other case, the caller may land in voicemail and have to explain everything again if they eventually reach someone.

A warm transfer, or attended transfer, adds one step: you speak to the recipient before connecting the two. It takes about twenty seconds longer.

1. 01

   Qualify before you transfer:

   note the name, the company and the reason in one sentence. That is what you will pass on.
2. 02

   Announce the hold:

   tell the caller what you are doing and how long it takes. A caller who knows why they are waiting stays on the line.
3. 03

   Call the recipient:

   give the name and the reason. If they cannot take the call, you know right away.
4. 04

   Connect the two:

   introduce each to the other, then hang up. The caller repeats nothing.
5. 05

   Plan the exit:

   if the recipient is away, go back to the caller and offer two options: a callback at a set time, or a message passed on.

Here is wording to adapt. It fits in three lines.

To the caller: “I’m going to put you through to Claire Moore, who handles this account. Let me brief her first, it takes about twenty seconds. Can you hold?”

To the colleague: “Claire, I have Mr. Reynolds from Atolis about Tuesday’s quote. He wants to change the delivery date. Can you take it?”

To both: “Mr. Reynolds, you’re with Claire Moore. Claire, I’ll leave you to it. Have a good day.”

Technically, the action depends on the device. On a desk phone or in a calling app, a transfer key or button does the work. On a cell phone, 3GPP TS 22.030 specifies that with two calls, one active and one on hold, entering 4 followed by send connects the two and drops you from the conversation. This service, explicit call transfer, is not offered by every carrier on every plan: where it is missing, your phone will usually offer to merge the calls into a conference, which keeps you on the line.

That leaves the case where the colleague does not answer. Do not leave the caller guessing: go back to them with two precise options.

Back to the caller: “Mr. Reynolds, Claire is in a meeting until 3. I can have her call you back at 3:30, or send her your request in writing right now. Which do you prefer?”

If the caller picks the callback: “Noted for 3:30. I’ll pass Claire the reason for your call, so you won’t have to explain it again.”

Summing up a request in one sentence before you pass it on is a skill: it is the restating technique described step by step in our guide to active listening in sales.

The rule that matters fits in one line: one transfer is tolerated, two are not. If you are not sure who the right person is, take a message rather than transfer at random.

Which setting for which situation?

Situations repeat from one business to the next. Here is the setting that fits each, and the one to avoid.

The last case deserves a pause. Forwarding that you switch on and off several times a week ends up forgotten one way or the other. If the team regularly works remotely, the topic is no longer forwarding, it is the setup: our guide to the phone system for remote teams covers it in full. And if the real question is answering as a group, see how a small business gets several phone lines.

For a long forwarding period, a vacation or a closure, copy this list into a note or a shared calendar.

Before you leave

1. The person receiving the calls knows, and knows what to answer.
2. The type of forwarding is chosen: all calls, or unanswered calls only.
3. The code is dialed and the status is checked.
4. A test call is made from another phone.
5. The voicemail greeting on the receiving line suits a client.
6. The way your plan bills forwarded minutes is read in its terms.
7. The end date is in the calendar, with a reminder.

When you are back

8. Forwarding is turned off: *73 on Verizon mobile, ##21# with the GSM codes, *73# on AT&T home phone.
9. A new test call confirms the line rings on your side.
10. Voicemail still answers missed calls.

How do you check and turn off call forwarding?

Forwarding is checked in a few steps, on the day you turn it on and on the day you turn it off.

1. 01

   Ask the network:

   on carriers that follow the GSM codes, *#21# followed by call shows the status of unconditional forwarding. On an iPhone, open the Call Forwarding setting and read its state.
2. 02

   Call yourself:

   dial your number from another phone. Check where it rings, which number shows at the destination, and what happens if nobody answers.
3. 03

   Date the end:

   create a calendar reminder for the day and time forwarding should stop.
4. 04

   Turn it off cleanly:

   *73 on Verizon mobile, ##21# with the GSM codes, *73# on AT&T home phone. Then make another test call.

What do *#21#, *#62# and ##002# actually do?

These three codes circulate widely, often presented as a way to find out whether a phone is “tapped.” That is not what they are for. In 3GPP TS 22.030 they are call forwarding commands, nothing more.

The right use is simple. If *#21# shows a number you do not recognize, write it down, erase the rule with ##21#, then tell your carrier. Forwarding you did not set yourself is an anomaly to deal with the same day, because your calls, and any verification code read out over the phone, go elsewhere for as long as it is on.

How do you keep your calls when you change numbers?

Changing your number, your carrier or your phone tool always creates a period when two numbers coexist. Call forwarding is the bridge during that time.

1. 01

   Keep the old line open:

   forwarding lives on the line that carries it. Cancel the line and the rule goes with it.
2. 02

   Forward the old number to the new one:

   unconditional forwarding, followed by a test call.
3. 03

   Announce the new number:

   email signature, website, business listing, voicemail greeting. Every forwarded call is also a chance to give it out loud.
4. 04

   Price the period:

   the old line’s subscription and the forwarded minutes add up. Set an end date from day one.
5. 05

   Close when the calls dry up:

   when the old number hardly receives anything, turn forwarding off, then cancel the line.

If you want to keep the same number, the process is not forwarding but number porting: the number moves to the new carrier. Our number porting checklist by country walks through the steps.

Call forwarding codes to copy

The list below gathers every verified code on this page. Replace “number” with the destination number.

Cell phones

1. Verizon, all calls: *72 + 10-digit number. Unanswered calls only: *71 + 10-digit number. Turn off: *73.
2. GSM standard, all calls: **21*number#. Erase: ##21#. Check: *#21#.
3. GSM standard, when busy: **67*number#. Erase: ##67#.
4. GSM standard, no answer: **61*number#, or **61*number**20# for 20 seconds. Erase: ##61#.
5. GSM standard, unreachable: **62*number#. Erase: ##62#. Erase every rule: ##002#.

AT&T home phone (AT&T Phone, AT&T Phone - Advanced)

6. All calls: *72, number, #. Turn off: *73#.
7. Busy: *90, number, #. Turn off: *91#.
8. No answer: *92, number, #. Turn off: *93#.

Sources, all read on November 11, 2026: 3GPP TS 22.030 (version 17.0.0, published by ETSI), Apple’s iPhone User Guide, Samsung’s Calling features on your Galaxy phone, Google’s Take a Message help page, Verizon’s Call Forwarding FAQs and AT&T’s calling features and star codes.

Where does Skipcall fit?

Skipcall is an outbound calling phone system, not a switchboard. So it is worth being clear about what it does here, and what it does not.

In other words, Skipcall covers one part of the topic: the professional or sales rep who wants a single number, reachable at the office and on the road, without giving out a personal number. The mobile and web app page describes how that works, and the Business VoIP page presents the plan.

A word on the number itself: Skipcall will soon let you port your existing numbers. Until then, the bridge described above applies: forwarding your current line to your Skipcall number brings the calls into the app.

What to remember

• Forwarding and transfer do not happen at the same moment. Forwarding is set on the line, before the call. Transfer is done by hand, during the call.
• Four kinds of forwarding. Unconditional, busy, no answer, unreachable. The last three are conditional and usually point to voicemail by default.
• Codes depend on the carrier. *72 and *73 on Verizon mobile and AT&T home phone; **21*number# and ##21# where the GSM standard codes apply.
• A forwarded call is a call you carry. Check how your plan bills forwarded minutes, and remember that Verizon does not forward to international numbers.
• *#21# checks, ##002# erases. They are forwarding commands, not wiretap detectors. Forwarding to a number you do not know gets erased right away.
• Date the end. Forwarding left on is the most common mistake: set the reminder at the same moment you turn it on.
• Transfer warm. Twenty seconds to announce the caller and the reason avoids a voicemail box and a repeated request.
• If you turn forwarding on every week, the real topic is the tool: a number that follows the person, or a phone system with schedule rules.

General information, read on November 11, 2026. Carrier services and prices change: your plan’s support page and terms are the reference.