You turn off call forwarding where you turned it on: the Call Forwarding switch in your phone's settings, or your carrier's off code dialed from the keypad. *73 does it on Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, Visible and Spectrum Mobile, ##21# clears forward-all on T-Mobile, and AT&T's help page says to press #21# and then Call.
If you'd rather set forwarding up, start with how to forward calls.
The off code for each carrier
Dial the code from the Phone app's keypad, press Call, and let any confirmation tone or beeps finish before you hang up.
| Carrier | Turn it off | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Verizon Verizon steps | *73 |
It turns off forwarding whether you set it with *72 or *71. Verizon says to listen for the beeps, after which the call ends by itself, and to contact Customer Service if the code doesn't work. |
| Xfinity Mobile Xfinity Mobile steps | *73 |
Dial it on the Xfinity Mobile device, press Call, wait for the confirmation tone, then end the call. |
| Visible Verizon page, which covers Visible | *73 |
Visible's help page lists it as the way to disable call forwarding. |
| Spectrum Mobile Spectrum Mobile steps | *73, or your Spectrum account |
In the account: Your Services, Mobile, your line, Call Forwarding, enter the one-time passcode, choose OFF and save. Spectrum says only the account holder can make changes. |
| T-Mobile T-Mobile steps | ##21# |
That clears forward-all. The other kinds have their own: ##61# for no answer, ##62# for unreachable and ##67# for busy. T-Mobile's troubleshooting page pairs ##21# with ##004#, which resets the busy, unreachable and no-reply kinds. |
| AT&T AT&T steps | #21#, then Call |
AT&T's troubleshooting page says to press #21# and then the Call, Send, Talk or Receiver key. On an iPhone you can also turn the Call Forwarding switch off. |
| Google Fi T-Mobile page, which covers Google Fi | No code. In the Fi app, choose Don't forward | Google says Fi forwarding is set in the Google Fi app or on fi.google.com, not in your phone's settings: Home tab, Phone settings, Call forwarding. |
| Boost Mobile, US Cellular and Consumer Cellular Boost Mobile, US Cellular, Consumer Cellular | ##21# |
That's the off code our setup page lists for these carriers. |
Cricket and FirstNet are covered on the AT&T page, and Metro by T-Mobile and Mint Mobile on the T-Mobile page.
Turn off call forwarding on an iPhone
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, then Call Forwarding.
- Turn the Call Forwarding switch off.
Apple's guide only covers turning it on; AT&T's tutorial for the iPhone Air says to toggle that same switch to OFF. On a Dual SIM iPhone, Apple's steps have you choose a line first, so pick the one you forwarded.
That switch covers the forward-everything kind. Apple leaves busy and not-in-service forwarding to the carrier, so if you set one of those with a code, clear it with your carrier's off code from the table. No switch in your Settings? Apple writes it for service on a GSM network and says to contact your carrier on a CDMA network. Our call forwarding on iPhone guide covers a missing switch.
Turn off call forwarding on Android
Samsung Galaxy. Go back to the screen you used to turn it on: Phone app, More options (the three dots), Settings, Supplementary services, Call forwarding. Samsung's US help stops at turning forwarding on. For Australian-model Galaxy phones, Samsung's off step is to tap the Call Forwarding option and pick Disable, and Samsung notes that menus vary by carrier and phone model, so a US phone may word it differently. If you can't find the off choice, dial your carrier's off code from the table.
Pixel. Google's Phone app help doesn't print forwarding steps. AT&T's tutorials for the Pixel 9a and 8a reach the Call forwarding screen from the Phone app's menu icon (called Sidebar on the 8a), then Settings, Calling accounts and your SIM, but they only cover turning forwarding on. To turn it off on a Pixel, dial your carrier's off code from the table above.
Google Fi. Open the Fi app, go to the Home tab, then Phone settings and Call forwarding, and choose Don't forward.
Any Android phone. If your phone has no Call forwarding screen, dial your carrier's off code from the table above in the Phone app. Our call forwarding on Android guide lists the four kinds and their codes.
How to tell whether forwarding is still on
- Check the status bar. An iPhone shows a Call Forwarding icon while forwarding is on. AT&T's Pixel tutorial describes a phone receiver with an arrow in the status bar.
- Open the Call forwarding screen. On an iPhone that's Settings › Apps › Phone › Call Forwarding. On a Galaxy or Pixel, open the screen from the steps above and check each forwarding option.
- Call your number from another phone. Verizon and Visible both say your phone won't ring while forwarding is on. T-Mobile's troubleshooting page suggests calling your own number to see whether it rings before it goes to voicemail. If yours rings, forward-everything is off. If it doesn't, read the next section.
- Dial the off code anyway. When you can't tell what's set, the off code clears it:
*73on Verizon, or##004#and##21#on T-Mobile.
Why calls still go somewhere else after you turn it off
- Another kind is still set. T-Mobile gives its kinds separate off codes:
##21#for unconditional forwarding and##004#for busy, unreachable and no reply. If calls still go astray, dial both. Verizon's*73covers both of its kinds at once. Our conditional call forwarding guide lists the off code for each carrier's busy and no-answer kinds. - Voicemail is picking up. A call that goes to voicemail isn't necessarily forwarded. T-Mobile's checklist for calls that all go to voicemail also asks you to make sure the number isn't on the device's Block or Spam List, that Call Waiting is on, that Bluetooth isn't sending the ring to a paired device, and that the notification switch on the side of the phone isn't silencing the ringer.
- Do Not Disturb or blocking. Verizon lists Do Not Disturb, blocking, Quiet Mode and apps such as Verizon Family that restrict incoming calls as the next things to check.
- You're outside coverage. Verizon says a star code may not be available outside its coverage, so wait until you're back in range and dial it again.
- The code didn't take. If
*73doesn't work, Verizon says to contact Customer Service. Verizon's own checklist for a phone that isn't receiving calls includes call forwarding as one possible reason.
If you forwarded your cell to VettedCalls
Turn forwarding off and calls ring your cell again. The off code on our setup page is ##21# for the GSM-style carriers it covers and *73 for Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, Visible, Spectrum Mobile, Total by Verizon and Straight Talk. On Google Fi you choose Don't forward in the Fi app. On AT&T, our setup page gives ##21# and AT&T's own help page gives #21# (see the table); if one leaves forwarding on, dial the other, then call your cell from another phone to check.
If you're closing your account, our refund page also tells you to turn forwarding off. To forward again later, the setup walkthrough has the code for your carrier.
Turning off call forwarding questions
What is the code to turn off call forwarding?
It depends on your carrier. Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, Visible and Spectrum Mobile use *73. T-Mobile uses ##21# to turn off forward-all, and AT&T's help page says to press #21# and then the Call key. Google Fi has no code: choose Don't forward in the Fi app.
How do I turn off call forwarding on my iPhone?
Open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, then Call Forwarding, and turn the Call Forwarding switch off. The Call Forwarding icon in the status bar shows while forwarding is on, so check that it is gone.
How do I cancel call forwarding on Android?
On a Samsung Galaxy, open the Phone app, tap More options, then Settings, Supplementary services and Call forwarding. For Australian-model phones, Samsung's off step is to pick Disable on the Call Forwarding option, and Samsung notes menus vary by carrier and phone model. If your phone has no such screen, dial your carrier's off code from the keypad.
Why do my calls still go to voicemail after I turned off call forwarding?
Another kind of forwarding may still be set, or something else is sending calls to voicemail. On T-Mobile, dial ##004# to reset busy, unreachable and no-reply forwarding and ##21# for unconditional forwarding, then check Call Waiting, Bluetooth and the notification switch on the side of the phone. On Verizon, check Do Not Disturb, blocking and Quiet Mode.
Can I turn off call forwarding from another phone or online?
It depends on the carrier. Verizon says you cannot manage call forwarding without using your mobile phone, AT&T says to change it only from the wireless phone and not online, and Xfinity Mobile's off step is *73 dialed on the Xfinity Mobile device. Spectrum Mobile has an account route that only the account holder can use, and Google Fi is set in the Fi app or on fi.google.com.
How do I know if call forwarding is on?
On an iPhone, a Call Forwarding icon shows in the status bar while it is on, and the switch is under Settings › Apps › Phone › Call Forwarding. You can also call your number from another phone. With forwarding on, Verizon and Visible say your phone will not ring.