What is Call Forwarding and How Does It Work [Full Details]
Stop missing important calls and discover how your phone silently forwards them to other numbers without ringing first. Most people never notice this feature.
Author: Asif Shaik
Stop missing important calls and discover how your phone silently forwards them to other numbers without ringing first. Most people never notice this feature.
Author: Asif Shaik
Firstly, let me ask you something. Have you ever kept your phone in another room, stepped out for a bit, and later saw a bunch of important missed calls?
Yeah, it happens.
Now imagine this. What if every time someone calls your number and you’re not around, your phone could instantly pass that call to a different number, maybe your office phone, your second SIM, or even your friend’s phone, without you doing anything? That’s exactly what call forwarding does.
Call forwarding simply moves the call from your phone to another one. That’s it. And once you turn it on, your phone does it on its own, without asking you every time.
I’ve used it so many times when I knew I’d be out of range or just didn’t want to miss calls from someone important.
In this blog, I’m going to walk you through everything, like how it works, when to use it, what types there are, and how you can set it up on any phone.
You ready? Let’s get into it.
Call forwarding is a phone feature that allows your phone to automatically send incoming calls to another number when you’re unable to answer.
It’s like telling your phone, “If I can’t pick up, just pass the call to this other number for me”, and your phone listens. It handles it quietly, without asking you every time.
Anyone can use this call divert feature. Like, if your area has poor signal, or you just want someone else to answer your calls while you're in a meeting or taking a break, this feature makes it easier. You can choose to forward every single call, or only when you're busy, or just when your phone’s off or out of range.
Now, before we talk about how to actually set it up, it’s important to know that there are different types of call forwarding. And each one works differently based on what you need. So let’s look at those first.
Okay, so now that you get what call forwarding means, let’s talk about the different ways you can use it. There are different types of call forwarding, and each one works differently depending on your situation.
Don’t worry, I’ll explain them in a simple way so you know exactly which one to use and when.
This is the most direct type of call routing. The moment someone calls your number, it instantly gets forwarded to the number you set (no ringing, no checking if you're busy). The call doesn't even try to reach your phone first.
You can use this when:
Once you turn this on, your actual phone won’t ring at all. The caller goes straight to your other number like your first phone doesn’t even exist.
The selective forwarding is a bit more flexible, and honestly, very useful if you want more control.
With selective forwarding, you can choose:
For Example:
But there’s a problem with this type: not every phone has this option by default. Some carriers or third-party apps offer it. So you might need to check with your network provider if this type is supported for you or not.
Ever had someone call you while you're already talking to someone else? Usually, they hear “the line is busy,” right?
With this setting, instead of getting that message, their call will go to another number. Maybe to your second phone or someone else who can help.
So if you’re someone who gets a lot of calls back-to-back, this is really helpful. You won’t miss anything, even if you’re already on the phone.
Let’s say your phone rings, but you’re too busy to answer it; maybe you're in the middle of something or just didn't notice the call. Now instead of letting that person wait or hear a beep and cut off, your phone can forward the call to another number after a few seconds.
You still get the first chance to answer. Your phone rings like usual. But if you don’t respond after, say, 20 seconds (you can set the time), then the call quietly moves on to the backup number.
It’s super useful when:
It’s kind of like saying, “If I can’t get it, make sure someone else does.”
Now think about the times when your phone is off, maybe the battery died, or maybe you're stuck somewhere with no signal.
Usually, if someone called you then, they’d hear that annoying “not reachable” message and just hang up.
But with this setting, even if your phone is completely out of action, your calls can still go to someone else who’s available.
It’s basically a plan B for your phone. If it’s dead, the call still gets somewhere safe.
Sometimes, you want to set rules like:
That’s where advanced forwarding comes in.
This lets you combine different call rules in one setup. It sounds complicated, but once it’s done, you don’t have to touch anything. It all runs in the background based on the time, who’s calling, or whether your line is busy.
Most people won’t need this option every day. But if your phone is busy a lot, or you run a business, this can be helpful when call forwarding is active.
So, now that you know the different types of call forwarding, let’s talk about something a little more interesting: “advanced call forwarding” rules.
Instead of just saying, “Hey, forward all calls to this number,” you can create specific rules like what to do first, then what next, and even how to handle certain situations.
Let me explain the two most common types of rules you’ll come across:
Alright, imagine this.
Someone calls you. Your phone rings, but you don’t pick up. So, your phone says, “No problem, let me try this second number.” If that one doesn’t answer, it tries a third. And so on.
That’s what sequential forwarding means, it follows a list. One by one.
It’s like setting up a line of people. If the first person doesn’t respond, the next one takes over. And if they’re also busy, it moves to the third, and so on.
Here’s how a simple sequence might look:
You’re basically telling your phone, “Try these numbers in this order. Don’t give up too early.”
This is super useful if:
Instead of just following a list, scenario-based rules let your phone react based on what’s going on.
Let me break it down with some everyday examples.
It’s like teaching your phone to understand situations and behave differently depending on what’s happening at that moment.
You decide the situation. You set the rule. And your phone handles the rest.
This is helpful when:
Once it’s set, it runs on its own. You don’t have to think about it.
So now you might be thinking, “Okay, all these types and rules sound good, but how does call forwarding actually work?”
Good question. And honestly, it's pretty simple once you break it down.
When someone calls your number, your mobile network doesn’t just ring your phone right away. It first checks a few things to figure out what to do with the call and whether it needs to forward it somewhere else.
Let me walk you through what actually happens when a call is forwarded.
It all starts when someone calls your number.
Your network gets that signal: “Hey, someone is trying to call you.” But before your phone even rings, your carrier (Airtel, Jio, VI, BSNL, or whatever sim you’re using) quickly checks if you’ve set any forwarding rules.
So basically, your phone doesn’t decide anything. The network checks the rules first every single time someone calls you.
Now, based on what you’ve set up, like forwarding when busy, not answering, unreachable, or your advanced rules, the system goes, “Alright, let me see what to do.”
It looks at the current situation:
And depending on your settings, it decides what to do next.
If there’s no call transfer, your phone rings like normal. But if forwarding is active, it moves to the next step.
This is the final stage.
If the system finds a match like “Forward this call after 20 seconds” or “Send calls to this number when the phone is off,” then it sends the call straight to the other number you set.
The person calling you won’t even know what’s happening in the background. It feels instant to them. But your network just rerouted the call behind the scenes, based on your rules.
And just like that, your call rings on the second number without you having to lift a finger.
So to put it simply:
So, now that you understand how call forwarding works, let’s talk about how you can actually turn it on.
Most smartphones (like Android or iPhone) already have this option built in. Here’s how you can find it:
That’s it, You're done.
Once you enter the number, your iPhone will automatically start forwarding calls based on your setting.
Now, depending on which phone you’re using, whether it’s a Samsung, Vivo, Xiaomi, iPhone, or other, the steps might look a little different.
That’s why I’ve written some, easy-to-follow guides for each of them. Check out the detailed step-by-step blogs here:
To turn off call forwarding, simply follow the same steps above to access the call forwarding settings. Instead of enabling it, you’ll just need to turn off the forwarding option you set earlier. Once you disable it, your calls will go straight to your phone again. It’s that simple!
If you're running a business, missing calls is never a smart option. Whether it’s a customer, a client, or someone important trying to reach you, one missed call can easily turn into a missed opportunity.
That’s exactly where call transfer becomes useful, and in many cases, absolutely necessary.
Let’s talk about when your business actually needs it.
Call forwarding makes sure your business doesn’t go completely silent once your office closes. You can send after-hours calls to another number so customers still get a response even when your team’s gone for the day.
When too many calls come in at once, forwarding helps you handle the extra load by routing calls to free team members. It keeps things smooth, and no one gets stuck waiting.
If your team works from different locations, call routing lets you route calls to wherever they are. It keeps everyone connected without needing to be in the same place.
If your business needs to be reachable all the time, forwarding helps you do that. You can send calls to different people at different times so there’s always someone available to pick up.
You don’t always need a second phone. Just forward work calls to your personal number when you're away or on the move. It keeps you reachable without carrying two devices.
If someone’s on leave, you can forward their calls to someone else on the team. That way, nothing is missed, and things don’t pile up while they’re gone.
Call forwarding sounds helpful, right? But there’s a serious side to it too. If someone else gets control of your forwarding settings, they can do more than just steal your calls. They can mess with your security, grab your OTPs, and even hijack your accounts without you realizing.
Let’s break it down.
When you enable call forwarding, especially using codes like *401# or similar, you're telling your phone to send incoming calls somewhere else. Now if a scammer tricks you into dialing one of these codes, they can quietly redirect all your calls to their own phone. That includes calls that carry OTPs for bank logins, email verifications, or even your social media accounts.
Once that happens, they don’t need your password. They just wait for the OTP to land on their device and log in as you.
You won’t even know something’s wrong until it’s too late.
Here’s what makes this risky:
To stay safe:
If call forwarding fails to work the way you set it, here are a few things to check. These are simple problems that often cause issues, along with ways to fix them.
First, make sure you actually turned it on. Go to your phone settings or try the activation code again. If the number entered is wrong or incomplete, nothing will happen.
This can happen when you restart your phone, change your SIM card, or reset your network settings. You’ll need to set it up again from the start.
Check if the number you forwarded calls to is switched on and has network coverage. Also, confirm it’s not in airplane mode or under Do Not Disturb.
In many cases, forwarded calls are treated like outgoing calls. If your plan doesn’t support this or your balance is too low, forwarding may stop. Review your mobile plan or contact your provider.
I’ve also covered call forwarding for different networks to know more details. Check out the detailed guides If you are Airtel user, Jio user, or Vi (Vodafone Idea) user to understand how your provider handles it.
I hope now you understand what call forwarding really is and how it can help. It’s not something complicated. It’s just a simple way to make sure you don’t miss calls, even if you're busy, away, or using another phone.
I’ve seen how useful it can be, especially when you set it up the right way. You get more control, less stress, and you don’t have to worry about people not being able to reach you.
If you haven’t tried it yet, I’d really suggest giving it a shot. It takes just a minute to set up, but it can make a big difference.
If you're curious about call history, you can explore our detailed guide here
Thanks so much for reading. I really hope this helped you.
