How to Forward Calls to Another Phone (And Why You Might Not Need To)

Call forwarding lets you redirect incoming calls from one phone to another. If you are a plumber on a job site and need calls to go to your partner in the office, or a sole trader who wants your landline calls to ring on your mobile, call forwarding is the obvious first answer.

This guide covers exactly how to set up call forwarding on iPhone, Android, and landline in the UK — with the correct codes for every major network. But it also covers something no other guide mentions: why call forwarding might not be the best solution for your business, and what to use instead.

How to forward calls on iPhone

Setting up call forwarding on an iPhone takes about 30 seconds. This works on any iPhone running iOS 10 or later on a GSM network (which includes EE, Three, Vodafone, and O2).

iPhone call forwarding using carrier codes

If you want more control — like only forwarding when your line is busy or when you do not answer — use these GSM codes. Open the Phone app and dial them like a normal number:

Replace [number] with the full UK number you want to forward to, including the leading 0.

Example: To forward all unanswered calls to 07700 900123, dial *61*07700900123# and press call.

How to forward calls on Android

Android call forwarding varies slightly between Samsung, Pixel, and other manufacturers, but the general process is the same.

Android call forwarding using carrier codes

The same GSM codes that work on iPhone also work on Android. Open the dialler and enter:

These codes work across all major UK networks. They are free to dial — the charges only apply when a call is actually forwarded.

How to forward calls from a UK landline

If you have a BT, Sky, Virgin, or TalkTalk landline and want calls forwarded to your mobile or another number, you can set it up directly from your handset.

BT landline call diversion

BT offers three types of call diversion. Pick up your BT phone and dial these codes:

You can run codes 61 and 67 at the same time. Activating code 21 overrides both.

Cost: Calls diverted to other BT landlines, BT mobiles, or BT Digital Voice services are free. Calls to non-BT numbers are charged at your standard rate.

Sky, Virgin, and TalkTalk

• Sky: Dial *21*[number]# from your Sky landline. Cancel with #21#.
• Virgin Media: Call diversion is available through the My Virgin Media app or by dialling *21*[number]#.
• TalkTalk: Dial *21*[number]#. TalkTalk charges apply — check your plan for rates.

Which UK networks support call forwarding?

Not every UK mobile network supports call forwarding, and the rules differ between contract types. Here is the current state:

Source: SIM Sherpa network comparison, verified March 2026.

What call forwarding actually costs

Call forwarding is not free — even if you do not pay a setup fee. Here is how charges work on UK mobile networks:

• Forwarded calls count as outgoing calls from your phone. If someone calls you and the call gets forwarded to another number, your network treats that forwarding leg as a call you made. It uses your included minutes.
• If you exceed your allowance, you pay your standard out-of-plan rate — typically 50-65p per minute on most UK networks.
• Forwarding to non-standard numbers (084, 087, 09 prefix) can incur premium rates on top of the access charge.
• Landline forwarding costs depend on your provider. BT-to-BT diversions are free; BT to other networks is charged at your standard rate.

For a small business forwarding 10-20 calls per day, the minutes add up fast. At an average call duration of 3 minutes, that is 30-60 minutes per day — 600-1,200 minutes per month — eaten from your allowance or charged at per-minute rates.

The limitations of call forwarding (and why it breaks for business)

Call forwarding solves a simple problem: getting calls to ring on a different phone. But if you are using it for business, you will run into these limitations quickly.

1. You can only forward to one number

Standard call forwarding redirects calls to a single destination. If you want calls to ring on your phone and your business partner's phone, you are stuck. There is no way to set up simultaneous ring with carrier-level forwarding.

2. Texts do not follow

Call forwarding only affects voice calls. If a customer texts the number you are forwarding from, the text still arrives on the original phone. For businesses that rely on SMS — quotes, appointment confirmations, customer replies — this is a dealbreaker.

3. Your caller ID disappears

When you forward a call and then try to return it, the customer sees your personal number — not the business number they originally called. This breaks the professional impression and confuses customers who saved your business number.

4. You have to remember to turn it on and off

There is no scheduling. You cannot say "forward calls after 6pm" or "forward calls on weekends." You have to manually enable and disable it every time. Forget to turn it off, and your personal phone stops ringing. Forget to turn it on, and your business calls go to voicemail on an unmanned phone.

5. It costs you minutes

Every forwarded call uses your included minutes (or costs you per-minute if you have exceeded your allowance). Over a month, those charges add up — especially if you are forwarding to a different network.

6. It does not work on every network or plan

As the table above shows, Virgin Mobile and Tesco Mobile do not support call forwarding at all. EE, Vodafone, and O2 do not support it on PAYG. If you or your team are on the wrong plan, forwarding simply is not an option.

7. There is no shared visibility

If you forward calls to a colleague, you have no way of knowing which calls they answered, which they missed, and what was said. There is no call log, no recording, no shared inbox. You are flying blind.

The better alternative: a dedicated business number

What if, instead of forwarding calls from one phone to another, you had a single business number that rang on every device automatically?

That is what a business phone number app does. You get a dedicated UK mobile number (07xxx) that sits on your existing personal phone as an app. No second phone, no SIM swap, no forwarding codes.

Here is how it compares:

The fundamental difference: call forwarding moves calls from one phone to another. A business number means calls arrive everywhere at once — on your phone, your partner's phone, and a web dashboard — without touching your personal number.

For a sole trader, it means customers call your business number and you answer on your personal phone without giving out your personal details. For a small team, it means the first person available picks up — like a shared office phone, but on everyone's mobile.

When call forwarding still makes sense

Call forwarding is not always the wrong answer. It works well for:

• Temporary redirects — you are on holiday and want a colleague to cover calls for a week
• Personal use — you got a new phone number and want to catch any calls to the old one
• Landline overflow — your office phone is busy and you want unanswered calls to go to your mobile
• Testing — you want to try routing calls before committing to a permanent solution

If your need is temporary, simple, and does not involve business customers, call forwarding is perfectly fine. But if you are routing business calls regularly, the limitations will catch up with you.

How to set up a business number instead

If call forwarding feels like a workaround for what you actually need, setting up a business number takes less time than configuring carrier forwarding codes.

Your personal number stays completely private. Customers see and call your business number. You answer on your existing phone.

Conclusion

Call forwarding is a useful tool — and this guide has given you everything you need to set it up on iPhone, Android, or a UK landline. The GSM codes work across all major carriers, and the process takes under a minute.

But if you are forwarding calls because you need business calls to ring on a different device, or you want your team to share a number, or you need texts to follow your calls — you are solving the right problem with the wrong tool.

A dedicated business phone number does everything call forwarding does, without the limitations. One number, every device, no codes, no per-minute charges, and your personal number stays private.