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Phone & call answers
103guides covering the dial codes, carrier paths, and device settings you need to forward calls, set up voicemail, block spam, or troubleshoot your business line — without sifting through your carrier's support pages.
Star codes & USSD
13 guides
Reference for the dial codes that control call forwarding, last-call return, and other carrier features — plus the full code list for each major carrier and handset.
*72 call forwarding — what it does and how to use it
The classic North-American forward-every-call star code. Works on Verizon, Bell, Telus, Spectrum, and most landline + cable VoIP carriers. Plus: the *72 scam, and how to check whether your line is forwarded.
*71 call forwarding — what it does and how to use it
The classic conditional-forward star code. Routes only the calls you'd otherwise miss — keep answering the rest yourself.
*73 — how to cancel call forwarding
One short code clears both *72 (forward every call) and *71 (forward on busy / no answer). Works on Verizon, Spectrum, Bell, Telus, and most landline + cable VoIP carriers.
What does **21* and ##21# mean?
**21* sets unconditional call forwarding. ##21# cancels it. Two codes, one feature, every GSM carrier.
What does *69 mean?
Dial *69 and your phone calls back the last number that called you — useful for the missed call you couldn't catch in time.
USSD codes — what they are and how to use them
Short dial strings that talk straight to your carrier's network. Used for call forwarding, balance checks, IMEI lookup, and more — work on every GSM phone.
Call diversion codes — full reference by carrier
"Call diversion" and "call forwarding" are the same feature with two names. Same GSM USSD codes apply across the US, UK, and most international networks.
AT&T codes: star codes, USSD codes, and self-service shortcuts
AT&T wireless runs on GSM, so it uses USSD strings rather than the old star codes — and AT&T landlines use the opposite set. Here is the full list for both, grouped by what you are trying to do.
Verizon codes: star codes, account shortcuts, and status checks
Verizon kept the North American star codes rather than moving to GSM strings, so *72, *71 and *73 still run the show. Here is the full set, plus the # shortcuts for balance, data and minutes.
T-Mobile codes: USSD strings, account shortcuts, and status checks
T-Mobile is a GSM network, so its codes are USSD strings rather than star codes. Here is the full set — forwarding, status checks, account shortcuts, and the ones that spell words on the keypad.
UScellular codes: star codes, USSD strings, and programming codes
UScellular sits between two worlds — legacy star codes from its CDMA days and GSM USSD strings on newer VoLTE handsets. Both sets are here, plus a straight answer on programming codes.
Android secret codes: hidden dialer menus that actually work
Most published lists are copied from a decade-old forum post and half the codes are dead. These are the ones still worth dialing, what each actually opens, and which ones to stay away from.
iPhone secret codes: Field Test mode and the codes that still work
iOS hides far less than Android, but a handful of dialer codes still work — including Field Test mode, which shows your real signal strength instead of the five dots.
By carrier
8 guides
Step-by-step forwarding instructions for the major US and Canadian carriers, wireless and landline.
How to forward calls on Verizon
Three star codes, one minute. Forward every call, only busy/missed calls, or cancel — straight from your existing Verizon phone.
How to forward calls on AT&T
Three USSD codes on AT&T wireless. Dial, press send, done — same codes work on T-Mobile too.
How to forward calls on T-Mobile
Three GSM USSD codes. Dial, press send, done — same pattern AT&T, Cricket, and Mint Mobile use.
How to forward calls on UScellular
UScellular uses the standard North-American star codes plus the toggle in your phone's Settings. Here's exactly how to forward calls on an iPhone, a Samsung or other Android, and what to dial when the menu isn't there — plus what to do when forwarding won't turn off.
How to forward calls on Comcast Xfinity Voice
Comcast Xfinity Voice uses the classic North-American star codes: *72 / *71 / *73 — same pattern as Verizon landlines.
How to forward calls on Spectrum Voice
Spectrum Voice (formerly Charter, Time Warner Cable Voice) uses standard North-American star codes: *72 / *71 / *73.
How to forward calls to a Google Voice number
Forward your existing number to Google Voice so GV handles voicemail transcription, call screening, and routing.
Landline call forwarding: forward your home or office line to a cell
Dial *72, then the cell number, and wait for the confirmation tone. *73 turns it off. Here's how that works on each major provider — and what it costs when the destination isn't local.
By device
3 guides
Where the forwarding toggle lives — and the carrier code to dial when it doesn't.
How to forward calls on iPhone
Two paths: the in-Settings toggle (when your carrier supports it) or a one-line carrier code that works on every iPhone.
How to forward calls on Android
Two paths on every Android: the in-app Call forwarding menu (when your carrier exposes it) or a one-line carrier code.
How to forward calls on Samsung Galaxy
Same Samsung, different code depending on your carrier. Both paths covered below.
Concepts & how-to
10 guides
What conditional vs unconditional forwarding actually means, plus how to turn it all off.
How to forward calls
Two ways to do it — your phone's settings or a dial code — and three codes that cover every carrier. Here's the fastest path for your phone.
What is call forwarding?
Call forwarding redirects your incoming calls to another number — automatically, handled by your carrier. Here's the plain-English version.
What is conditional call forwarding?
Forward only the calls you actually miss — keep answering the rest yourself.
What is unconditional call forwarding?
Forward every call away, no exceptions — the opposite of conditional forwarding.
How to cancel call forwarding
One short code or one toggle. Pick your carrier below and you're back to normal in under a minute.
How to turn off call forwarding
Two ways to stop your calls being forwarded: flip the toggle in your phone's settings, or dial a short cancel code. Here's both, for every phone and carrier.
How to turn off call forwarding on iPhone
Most iPhones turn forwarding off with one toggle under Settings → Phone. If that row is missing, one short code does it instead. Here's both.
How to turn off call forwarding on Android
Android hides the forwarding toggle inside the Phone app's settings. Here's the exact path on Samsung and Pixel — plus the code to dial if the menu isn't there.
How to forward calls to another number
Redirect your incoming calls to a different phone — your cell, a colleague, or an answering service — with one code. Here's the exact code for your line.
How to forward calls to voicemail
Want callers to go straight to voicemail? The reliable way is Do Not Disturb. Here's how on every phone — and why a business might skip voicemail entirely.
Caller ID & privacy
7 guides
Hide or show your number, and what those "is my phone tapped" codes really tell you.
How to block your number when calling
Dial *67 before a number to hide your caller ID for that one call — or switch it off permanently in Settings. Here's how to make your number private on iPhone, Android, and every major carrier.
How to know if someone blocked your number
Blocked calls go straight to voicemail and texts quietly stop delivering — but each sign has an innocent explanation too. Here's how to read the signals on iPhone and Android, and how to confirm.
No Caller ID calls: what they are and how to handle them
'No Caller ID' means the caller deliberately hid their number. Here's what that is, why you get these calls, and exactly how to silence, block, or trace them.
What does *67 mean? How to block your number on a call
Dial *67 before any number to hide your caller ID for that one call. Here's how it works, the limits, and how to do the reverse.
How to know if your phone is tapped
The honest version: a dial code can't detect a real wiretap — but it can reveal whether your calls are being secretly forwarded. Here's how to check.
How to call someone who blocked you
Confirm the block first — most people who think they're blocked aren't. Then there are three approaches that work, and a point at which none of them should be used.
How to call back a blocked or No Caller ID number
The honest answer: you usually can't dial it back. But there are three things that do work, and one of them creates a record the police can use.
Voicemail setup & greetings
14 guides
Set up, check, and record a voicemail greeting on iPhone, Android, and Samsung — plus why most callers never leave one.
How to set up voicemail on any phone
Setting up voicemail takes about two minutes — here's how on every kind of phone.
How to set up voicemail on Android
Android voicemail depends on your carrier — here's how to set it up no matter who you're with.
How to set up voicemail on a Samsung Galaxy
Galaxy phones have their own quirks — here's the clean way to get voicemail working.
How to change your voicemail greeting on iPhone
Updating your iPhone greeting takes about 30 seconds — here's exactly where to tap.
How to check voicemail on any phone
Three reliable ways to listen to your messages, no matter what phone you have.
Why is my phone going straight to voicemail?
When calls skip the ring and drop straight into voicemail, it's almost always one of ten settings — and the most common one is call forwarding you forgot was on. Work down this list in order, on iPhone or Android.
How many rings before voicemail — and how to change it
The default is around 20-25 seconds — four to six rings. On GSM carriers you can push it to 30 with a single dial code. Here's the exact string.
How to check voicemail from another phone
Call your own number, press * or # while the greeting plays, enter your passcode. The interrupt key differs by carrier — and you need a passcode you may never have set.
How to save a voicemail
Carrier voicemail deletes itself — often within 30 days. Saving one means getting it off the carrier's platform and into a file you control.
How to leave a voicemail without calling
There's no native way to do it on iPhone or Android. What does work: a slydial-style deposit service, a carrier voicemail number, or simply calling when you know the line is engaged.
How to send a call straight to voicemail
One press of the side button declines the call you're looking at. Sending a specific person there every time, or your whole line, takes a different setting on each platform.
How to turn off voicemail
There's no switch on the phone, because voicemail isn't on the phone. It's a carrier feature — which means a dial code gets you closer than any settings menu.
What is visual voicemail?
Voicemail as an inbox instead of a phone call. Here's what it is, why some phones have it and some don't, and how to switch it on.
How to change your voicemail language
There are three different 'languages' in voicemail — the menu you hear, the greeting callers hear, and the screen you read — and they're changed in three different places.
Block & screen calls
17 guides
Block a number, silence unknown callers, and cut down spam and robocalls on every kind of phone — without missing real customers. Plus how to unblock again when you change your mind.
How to block a number on any phone
Stop unwanted calls in a few taps — whatever phone you carry.
How to block a number on iPhone
Three taps in the Phone app and that caller is gone for good.
How to block a number on Android
Block any caller from your call log — plus turn on automatic spam filtering.
How to block unknown callers on iPhone and Android
Silence the numbers you don't recognize — on either kind of phone.
How to block spam calls and robocalls
Stack the right tools to quiet robocalls — and know why none of them are perfect.
How to unblock a number
Every number you've blocked sits on a list you can edit. Here's where that list lives on iPhone, Android, Samsung, your carrier's app, and a landline — and what actually changes once you take a number off it.
How to unblock a number on iPhone
Settings → Phone → Blocked Contacts, then swipe and tap Unblock. iPhone keeps one shared list for calls, Messages, and FaceTime, so removing a number once clears it everywhere.
How to unblock a number on Android
Phone app → ⋮ → Settings → Blocked numbers, then tap the X. Samsung puts it under Block numbers instead — and the Messages app keeps a second list of its own.
What "Scam Likely" actually means
It isn't the caller's name. It's your carrier's verdict, added by T-Mobile's network before the call reaches your phone — and it's occasionally wrong.
What "Spam Risk" means on an incoming call
Verizon and AT&T's wording for the same thing T-Mobile calls "Scam Likely" — a network score, attached before the call reaches you.
Why am I getting so many spam calls?
A sudden spike is almost never random. Something put your number on a list that gets resold — and answering once is what keeps you on it.
How to see blocked numbers on iPhone
Settings → Apps → Phone → Blocked Contacts. One list, shared by Phone, Messages, and FaceTime — here's how to read it and what it doesn't show you.
What happens when you block a number
They aren't told. Their call rings once and goes to voicemail, their texts vanish silently — and they can still leave you a message you'll never be notified about.
Google Business listing spam calls: how to spot the scam and stop it
"Your Google listing is about to be suspended" is a robocall script, not a Google policy. Here's how to tell the real verification process from the scam, and how to make the calls stop.
What is call screening?
Finding out who's calling and why before you decide to answer. There are four different things people mean by it, and they work very differently.
How to turn on call screening on iPhone
Three taps in Settings. Unknown callers get asked who they are and why they're calling, and you see the answer before you pick up.
How to turn on call screening on Android
Pixels have the real thing, built into the Phone app. Other Android phones get most of the way there with spam protection and a carrier app.
Business phone systems
10 guides
Choosing and getting the most out of a business phone — including where Google Voice fits, what an auto attendant does, and where each falls short.
How to get a business phone number
Five ways to get a business number — from free to full VoIP — and how to pick the right one so work calls stay off your personal cell.
Google Voice for business
A plain-English guide to using Google Voice as a business phone — what it does well, what it costs, and the one thing it can't do.
How many Google Voice numbers can you have?
One number per Google Account on the free plan — but nothing stops you running several accounts on the same phone. Here's how it actually works, and when it's the wrong tool.
How to port a number to Google Voice
A US mobile number, your carrier's transfer PIN, and a one-time fee. The whole thing usually completes in a day — if you don't trip one of the four eligibility checks first.
Why is my Google Voice not working?
Most Google Voice problems are one setting. Find your symptom below and start there — the nuclear options are at the end.
How long does porting a phone number take?
A day for a simple wireless port, longer for landlines and internet phone numbers, and much longer when one detail on the form doesn't match.
What is an auto attendant?
The "press 1 for sales" menu that greets and routes callers — how it works, when it helps, and why more businesses are replacing it with an AI that actually answers.
How to set up a phone tree
Four options, one level deep, most-common first, and always a way to reach a person. Here's the structure, the script, and the setup — plus how to tell whether you need one.
How to get a toll-free number
Pick a provider, choose from available 800-family numbers, point it at a phone you already own. Usually live the same day — the harder question is whether you need one.
Can you text a landline?
Yes — but only if that number has been text-enabled by its owner. If it hasn't, your message vanishes with no error, which is why this is so confusing.
Calling features & how-to
12 guides
The everyday calling features — recording a call, transferring a caller, merging people into a 3-way or conference call — and how to use them on any phone.
How to record a phone call
The built-in options on iPhone and Android, the apps that fill the gaps, and the one legal step to take before you hit record.
How to make a 3-way call
Add a third person to a live call on iPhone or Android in a few taps — plus how to run a larger conference call for business.
How to make a 3-way call on iPhone
Add a third person to a live call on iPhone in four taps — add call, dial, merge. Here's exactly where those buttons are and what to do when Merge won't appear.
How to make a 3-way call on Android
Add a third person to a live call on Android in a few taps — Add call, dial, Merge. Here's where those buttons are on Samsung, Pixel, and most Android phones.
How to make a conference call on iPhone
Merge several people onto one line right from the Phone app — add call, dial, merge, repeat. Here's how to run and manage a conference call on iPhone.
How to make a conference call on Android
Call the first person, tap Add call, dial the second, tap Merge. Most US carriers allow five or six people on the line — here's the full flow and the limits.
What is call waiting?
Call waiting lets a second caller reach you while you're already on a call — you hear a beep and can switch between the two. Here's how it works and how to turn it on or off.
How to transfer a call
Warm transfer means you announce the caller first; blind transfer sends them straight through. Here's how to do each on a desk phone or VoIP system — and the workaround for a mobile, which can't really transfer at all.
What is a warm transfer? (and how to do one on any phone)
You stay on the line, tell your colleague who's calling and why, and then connect them. The caller never repeats themselves. That's the whole idea.
How to turn on auto-answer for calls on iPhone and Android
Buried in Accessibility on iPhone, tied to a headset on Samsung, and worth pairing with a spam filter before you switch it on.
How to answer the phone professionally at a business
A business phone call is decided in the first ten seconds. Here's what to say in them, and what to do with the rest of the call.
Phone etiquette for a business that answers its own calls
Most phone etiquette advice is a list of pleasantries. The things that actually decide how a call goes are the hold, the transfer, the message, and the first seven seconds.
Call recording & consent law
3 guides
Whether you can legally record a call, which states need everyone's consent, and the five that are genuinely contested. General information, not legal advice.
Call recording laws by state
Federal law sets a one-party floor. States can be stricter — and five of them are genuinely contested, which most published lists don't tell you.
One-party consent states
36 states and the District of Columbia let you record a conversation you're part of without telling the other person. Here's the list — and the limits that still apply.
Two-party consent states
"Two-party" is a misnomer — these states require every party to consent. Nine are settled, five are genuinely contested, and the penalties are criminal.
Lead response & conversion
1 guide
Why how fast you answer a new lead is one of the biggest predictors of whether they buy — and how to respond first.
Call troubleshooting
5 guides
Diagnose the settings that quietly stop calls from coming through — a phone that won't ring, or calls dropping straight to voicemail.
Why is my phone not ringing?
If your phone isn't ringing for incoming calls, it's almost always a setting — silent mode, Do Not Disturb, call forwarding, or a Bluetooth device stealing the audio. Work down this list in order.
"The number you have dialed is temporarily out of service" — what it means
It's a carrier recording, not a person. Here's what each version of the message means, why 'temporarily' is the key word, and how to fix it when it's your line.
Speakerphone not working? Fixes for iPhone and Android
Usually it's the call being routed somewhere else, a blocked grille, or Bluetooth still holding the audio. The hardware is the last thing to suspect.
"Call Failed" on iPhone — why it happens and how to fix it
Start with one question: does it fail on every number, or just one? That single answer rules out half the causes before you change a setting.
"SOS Only" on iPhone — what it means and how to fix it
Your phone still works for emergencies. What it has lost is your own carrier — which is why everything else fails.
Done forwarding? Forward to something that picks up.
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