AT&T keeps call forwarding on the phone. You can only change it from your wireless phone, not from your online account, and AT&T's help sends you to a step-by-step tutorial for your device. So this page starts with the settings screens and puts the dial codes after them.
Turning on AT&T call forwarding on an iPhone
- Open Settings and tap Apps.
- Tap Phone, then Call Forwarding.
- Turn on the Call Forwarding switch.
- Tap Forward To and enter the number you want calls sent to.
That's AT&T's own iPhone tutorial, and it matches Apple's. Apple adds a few details: you need cellular signal while you set it, a forwarding icon shows in the status bar while it's on, and a Dual SIM iPhone asks which line first. The switch forwards every call. For forwarding only when the line is busy or not in service, Apple says to contact your carrier. To send calls somewhere else later, tap Forward To again and enter the new number.
Set it yourself, in Settings or with the code below. Apple blocks links in texts, emails, webpages and apps that ask to turn call forwarding on, because they're a scammer's trick.
On a Samsung Galaxy or another Android phone
On a Galaxy, open the Phone app, tap More options (the three dots), then Settings › Supplementary services › Call forwarding. You get four choices: Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered and Forward when unreachable. Enter the number and tap Enable. Where your phone offers it, this screen is also the plainest way to set the busy and no-answer kinds on an AT&T line. Samsung says availability varies by carrier and phone model.
On a Pixel or another Android phone, dial the code below from the Phone app's keypad.
The AT&T codes
AT&T's troubleshooting page gives the off code, #21#, for its mobile phones. For turning forwarding on with a code, the table shows the one our setup page gives AT&T customers.
| What it does | Dial |
|---|---|
| Forward every call to another number (the code on our setup page). | **21*NUMBER# |
| Turn call forwarding off: press #21#, then the Call key (AT&T's instruction). | #21# |
NUMBER is the 10-digit number you're forwarding to. AT&T won't forward calls to an international number.
What AT&T says happens while forwarding is on
- You can still make calls from your phone as usual.
- Forwarding overrides your AT&T voicemail, so the calls it sends away don't land there.
- If the number you forward to is busy, your callers hear a busy signal.
- Forwarded calls are billed for the length of the call and can pick up long distance or roaming charges, for example when you forward to a number outside your home calling area. Some AT&T plans don't count forwarding minutes against the plan.
Turning AT&T call forwarding off
From the phone, press #21# and then Call. If you used the iPhone switch, go back to Settings › Apps › Phone › Call Forwarding and turn the switch off. On a Galaxy, go back to the same Call forwarding screen.
Cricket and FirstNet
Our setup page gives Cricket and FirstNet customers the same forward-all code as AT&T, **21*NUMBER#. For the no-answer, busy and unreachable kinds on other carriers, see conditional call forwarding by carrier.
Troubleshooting AT&T forwarding
- Calls aren't coming in at all. AT&T's own checklist for a phone that won't receive calls includes turning call forwarding off with
#21#. Once calls arrive again, set forwarding up once more with the right number. - Callers get a busy signal. AT&T says that's what they hear when the number you forward to is busy.
- You want to change it from a laptop. AT&T doesn't allow that; changes happen on the wireless phone.
- No Call forwarding screen on your Android. Samsung says it varies by carrier and model. Use the code from the keypad.
Forwarding your AT&T line to VettedCalls
For AT&T, setup Step 4 has you dial **21*NUMBER# from the phone's regular dialer, using your VettedCalls number for NUMBER, and wait for the short confirmation tone. That forwards every call to us, so your cell shouldn't ring on its own anymore. The calls that pass screening ring you in the Cloud Softphone app, with the caller's number on the screen. Setup lists ##21# to turn it off later; AT&T's troubleshooting page uses #21# and the Call key. Go through setup.