How to forward your business number to an AI receptionist
You don't need a new number, a new phone, or IT help. Forwarding is a dial code you enter once, and you can undo it in five seconds.
Updated 2026-07-28 · Written by RingOwl, an AI answering service — our bias is disclosed in every section that mentions us
The short answer
You forward your business number to an AI receptionist by dialing a call-forwarding code on your existing phone — most commonly **21#<the AI's number># for unconditional forwarding, or *61#, *67#, and *62# for the three conditional cases (no answer, busy, unreachable). You keep your number and your carrier plan; nothing is ported and nothing is transferred. Setup takes under a minute per rule, and dialing ##21# (or the matching cancel code) undoes it immediately. Most small businesses should not use unconditional forwarding. The better setup is conditional: you keep answering calls yourself, and only the ones you don't pick up within a few rings roll to the AI.
- 1You keep your existing number — no porting, no new SIM, no carrier change
- 2Unconditional forwarding sends every call: **21#<number>#, cancelled with ##21#
- 3Conditional forwarding sends only the calls you miss: *61# (no answer), *67# (busy), *62# (unreachable)
- 4Codes are entered on your handset like a phone number, then dial — no app or IT involvement
- 5iPhone and Android also expose unconditional forwarding in Settings if you'd rather not use codes
Decide which kind of forwarding you want first
This is the decision that matters, and it's the one people skip. There are two meaningfully different setups and they produce completely different experiences.
Unconditional forwarding sends every single call to the AI immediately. Your phone doesn't ring at all. This is right if the AI is genuinely replacing your front desk — you're never picking up, and you want a consistent experience for every caller.
Conditional forwarding sends calls to the AI only in specific situations: when you don't answer within a set number of rings, when you're already on another call, or when your phone is off or out of service. Your phone rings first, every time. This is what most solo operators and small teams actually want, because you keep the calls you can take and the AI catches only the spillover.
You can set all three conditional rules independently, which is how you build "ring me for 20 seconds, then let the AI handle it" without any software at all. It's a carrier feature and it's been there for decades.
The codes
Enter the code exactly as written, including the leading and trailing symbols, then press the call button. You should get a confirmation dialog from the network within a second or two. If you get an error instead, your carrier likely uses a proprietary code set — Verizon and Spectrum both do — and our per-carrier guides have the right ones.
One detail worth knowing: the no-answer code lets you set a ring delay, by appending the number of seconds to the end of the code. That gives the AI a head start behind you — dial your own phone for 20 seconds, then roll over. Supported delays are usually 5 to 30 seconds in 5-second increments, and your carrier's guide will show the exact format.
| What it does | Code to enable | Code to cancel |
|---|---|---|
| Forward every call | **21#<number># | ##21# |
| Forward when you don't answer | **61#<number># | ##61# |
| Forward when you're on another call | **67#<number># | ##67# |
| Forward when phone is off / no service | **62#<number># | ##62# |
| Forward all three conditional cases at once | **004#<number># | ##004# |
| Check what's currently forwarding | *#21# / *#61# | — |
Doing it from Settings instead
If you'd rather not deal with codes, both major platforms expose unconditional forwarding in the UI — though notably, neither exposes the conditional rules, which is why the codes remain worth knowing.
On iPhone: Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding → toggle on → enter the number. On most Android builds: Phone app → three-dot menu → Settings → Calls → Call forwarding, where some manufacturers do expose all four rules.
Samsung, Pixel, and carrier-modified Android builds all move this menu around. Our per-device guides cover the current paths.
What to check after you set it up
That voicemail conflict is the single most common setup failure, and it's silent — everything looks configured correctly and calls just quietly keep landing in voicemail. If forwarding seems not to work, check this first.
- Call your business number from a different phone and confirm the AI picks up as your business, not with a generic greeting.
- If you set conditional forwarding, confirm your own phone rings first and for the duration you expected.
- Check that your voicemail didn't grab the call first. Carrier voicemail often answers around 20–25 seconds, so a 30-second forwarding delay means voicemail wins and the AI never sees the call. Set the delay shorter than your voicemail timeout.
- Confirm caller ID still shows the original caller's number, not your own, so callbacks work.
- Dial *#21# to verify the rule registered.
Turning it off
Dial ##21# to cancel unconditional forwarding, or ##004# to clear all conditional rules at once. Both take effect immediately and you'll get a network confirmation. There's no waiting period and no support ticket.
This reversibility is worth stating plainly because it's the main thing people are nervous about: forwarding is not a commitment. You can turn it on for an afternoon, decide you hate it, and turn it off before dinner. Nothing about your number or your account has changed.
Setting this up with RingOwl
RingOwl is our product. When you're on a paid plan you get a dedicated number, and forwarding to it works exactly as described above — we show you the specific code for your carrier during setup.
One thing to be clear about: during the 7-day free trial you're on a shared test number rather than a dedicated one, so the trial is for hearing the AI answer as your business by calling it directly, not for forwarding your live business line. Your own number is provisioned when you move to a paid plan. We'd rather say that up front than have you discover it mid-trial.
Questions
Common questions
Does call forwarding cost anything?+
Forwarding itself is free to enable on essentially every carrier. What varies is whether the forwarded leg counts against your minutes. On modern unlimited US plans it generally doesn't. On metered, prepaid, or some international plans it can be billed as an outbound call for the duration. Check your plan if you're not on unlimited.
Will the caller know their call was forwarded?+
No. There's no announcement and no extra ring from their side. They may notice a slightly longer connection delay with conditional forwarding, because their call rings your phone first before rolling over.
Can I forward only outside business hours?+
Not with carrier codes alone — the codes are stateless and don't know what time it is. Two options: toggle unconditional forwarding on when you leave and off when you arrive (a five-second dial each way), or leave conditional forwarding on permanently and simply don't answer after hours, which produces the same outcome with no daily toggling. Most people do the second.
Does this work with a landline or VoIP number?+
Usually yes, but not via GSM codes — those are a mobile-network feature. Landline and VoIP systems have their own forwarding, typically in a web admin panel. Spectrum, Comcast Business, RingCentral, and Google Voice all support it; the setting is usually called 'call forwarding' or 'find me / follow me'.
Do I need my IT person for this?+
For a mobile number, no — it's a dial code on the handset. For a multi-line office phone system, possibly, because the forwarding rule may live in the PBX rather than on individual handsets.
Keep reading
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