How to Set up Voice Call Forwarding When Unreachable?

You might be in an important meeting, traveling abroad, or in an area with poor network coverage when an important call comes in. Without knowing about the call, you could miss it entirely by the time you become aware of it.

In such situations, voice forwarding can help. Your calls are automatically redirected to another number or voicemail, ensuring you never miss an important call from a family member, client, or urgent matter.

Let's explore how to set up voice call forwarding when unreachable.

Set up Call Forwarding When Unreachable on Your Phone (iOS & Android)

Unlike immediate call forwarding, call forwarding when unreachable is a conditional call forwarding. It can't be managed directly through your phone's settings. Instead, it needs to be activated and configured using specific codes provided by your carrier or through the carrier's service settings.

Below, we'll provide some dialing codes for call forwarding when unreachable (one of conditional call forwarding), used by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

1Verizon

To enable No Answer/Busy Transfer call forwarding:

1. Dial *71, then enter the 10-digit phone number you want to forward calls to (for example, *71-999-555-1234).

2. Wait for a series of beeps and then the call will automatically hang up. This indicates that the setup was successful.

3. Next, use another phone to call your number and verify that it forwards correctly.

2AT&T

To enable conditional call forwarding:

1. On your phone's keypad, dial *004* (but call it just yet).

2. Enter the 10-digit number where you want your calls to be forwarded.

3. After entering the forwarding number, dial *11#.

4. Press the call button and wait for the confirmation message from AT&T.

5. Next, use another phone to call your AT&T number and verify that it forwards correctly.

To disable conditional call forwarding:

1. Dial #004# and press the call button.

2. Wait for the success notification indicating that call forwarding has been turned off.

3T-Mobile

To enable conditional call forwarding:

1. On your keypad, dial **004* (don't hit the call button yet).

2. Enter the 10-digit number you’d like calls forwarded to.

3. Then dial *11#.

4. Hit the call button and wait for T-Mobile's success message.

To disable it:

1. Dial ##004# and press the call button.

2. Wait for the success message indicating that the call forwarding has been deactivated.

3. Call your T-Mobile phone to check if it now rings properly.

Set up Call Forwarding for Business Use

VoIP services can set up conditional call forwarding too. We've put together the steps for popular platforms like Google Voice, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom to help you manage your work more smoothly.

Google Voice

Google Voice doesn't have its own settings for conditional call forwarding, but because it integrates with carriers, any unanswered or busy calls will go to your Google Voice voicemail once you've set it up using the dialing method:

• Try using the dialing method we mentioned earlier. If it doesn't work, contact your carrier's customer service for assistance.
• Ask your carrier if they provide an MMI code for this feature, and dial it on your phone's keypad to activate it.

Zoom

Zoom offers flexible call handling, allowing you to forward calls based on different conditions like business hours, closed hours, or when you're busy.

Here, we provide the steps to forward calls to another Zoom number or an external number in closed hours. You can check their tutorial for more settings.

1. Log in your Zoom portal, click 'Phone' in the left-hand navigation and tap 'Settings.'

2. Scroll down to the 'Call Handling' section.

3. In the 'Closed Hours' section, select 'Edit next to Call Handling.'

4. Choose 'External number' and enter your external phone number.

5. Check the box 'I acknowledge that calls forwarded to the PSTN will be billed based on usage.'

6. Uncheck 'Require to press 1 before connecting the call.'

7. Enable the items for your call handling after closed hours, and click Save.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams allows forwarding to voicemail, another contact, a call group, or delegates, but it doesn't support true conditional forwarding based on conditions like caller ID or time of day.

1. In Teams, go to Settings > Calls.

2. Under Call handling and forwarding, you can choose to forward calls or set up responses for different scenarios:

• Voicemail.
• A specific number or contact.
• A call group (a group of users who can receive calls on your behalf).
• Delegates (users who can handle calls on your behalf).
• Simultaneous Ring: Set up calls to ring on your Teams app and another number/contact at the same time.

3. Select the option you want to complete the conditional call forwarding.

Skype

Skype allows you to forward calls to voicemail, another Skype account, or a landline/mobile number after a certain amount of time.

1. Open Skype and go to 'Manage Features.'

2. Select 'Call Forwarding.'

3. In the 'Manage Features' section, select 'Call Forwarding.'

4. Enable 'Call Forwarding' and choose your forwarding options:

• Voicemail: Forward calls to your Skype voicemail.
• Skype Account: Forward calls to another Skype account (enter the Skype username).
• Landline/Mobile Number: Forward calls to a landline or mobile number (enter the phone number and select the country/region).

4. After selecting the forwarding options, click 'Confirm' to save the settings.

Extra Tip: Alternatives to Call Forwarding When a Phone Is Unreachable

If you are trying to call someone for an urgent matter and they have not activated any call forwarding option then there are some affecting alternatives you can do instead;

• You can try sending a text message because it might be possible the receiver is in a meeting and can't receive calls but can view text and if there is an urgent matter they can excuse themselves from the meeting and call you back.
• If the person you are contacting has multiple phone numbers or emails, then try contacting them through those numbers or emails.
• It could be possible that the mobile network might be down where the person currently is so try contacting them on messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Messenger as they work on the Wi-Fi.
• You can also send them dm on their social accounts like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
• Try contacting mutual contacts like a friend, family member, or colleague.

Key Takeaway

Setting up voice call forwarding when unreachable is a simple and effective way to ensure you never miss an important call.

Whether you want to set it up through your carrier or use a VoIP service for work, we've provided methods for both, covering major carriers and popular business VoIP services.

And even if call forwarding is not an option, you can still go for alternatives like texting, emailing, or contacting mutuals to reach the person.


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