How do I send all calls straight to voicemail?

Turn on Do Not Disturb (or silence your ringer). Every incoming call then goes unanswered and rolls to voicemail automatically. It's the most reliable method on both iPhone and Android.

Is there a star code to forward calls to voicemail?

There's no clean universal star code for it. You can point conditional forwarding at your voicemail number (on GSM: **61* #), but Do Not Disturb is simpler and works the same way. A true star code like *72 forwards to a number you choose, not specifically to voicemail.

How do I send a specific number to voicemail?

On iPhone, open the contact and turn on a custom setting or block them. On Android, open the Phone app, tap the contact or recent call, and choose "Send to voicemail" or "Block." That number's calls then go straight to voicemail while everyone else rings through.

Will callers know they were sent to voicemail?

No — it sounds the same to them as a call you simply didn't answer. They hear your ringback for a moment, then your voicemail greeting.

Can I forward to something better than voicemail?

Yes. Forward your line to an AI answering service like RingOwl instead. It picks up every call live, books appointments, and texts you a summary — so callers get a real answer rather than a beep and a hang-up.

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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.

Forwarding calls to voicemail means sending incoming calls straight to your mailbox instead of ringing your phone. There isn't one universal star code for it the way there is for forwarding to another number — the dependable method is Do Not Disturb (which routes callers to voicemail) or a carrier diversion set to your voicemail. This guide covers each method by device, and a better option if you're a business losing customers to voicemail.

The fastest way: Do Not Disturb

On any modern phone, turning on Do Not Disturb (or silencing the ringer) sends incoming calls to voicemail without you touching them — your phone stays quiet and unanswered calls roll to your mailbox automatically.

This is more reliable than hunting for a "send to voicemail" code, because every phone already routes unanswered calls to voicemail by default. Do Not Disturb just guarantees you never pick up, so they all go there.

On iPhone

Two options:

Do Not Disturb / Focus: open Control Center, tap the Focus button, choose Do Not Disturb. All calls go to voicemail (you can allow specific contacts through in Settings → Focus).
Silence Unknown Callers: Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers. Calls from numbers not in your contacts go straight to voicemail, while known contacts still ring.

On Android

On most Android phones (Samsung, Pixel, and others):

Do Not Disturb: swipe down for Quick Settings and tap Do Not Disturb — unanswered calls route to voicemail.
Block / send specific numbers to voicemail: open the Phone app, tap a contact or recent call, and choose "Send to voicemail" or "Block" to route that number's calls to voicemail automatically.

With a carrier diversion code

If you want calls to reach voicemail through a forwarding rule rather than Do Not Disturb, you can point conditional forwarding at your voicemail retrieval number. On a GSM phone the pattern is **61*<voicemail-number># to send unanswered calls there, and ##61# to undo it.

In practice this is fiddly — voicemail access numbers vary by carrier, and Do Not Disturb achieves the same result more simply. Use the carrier code generator below if you'd rather forward to a specific number instead.

A better option for businesses than voicemail

For a business, sending callers to voicemail is where customers go to be lost — many hang up without leaving a message, and a voicemail you return hours later has often already called a competitor.

Instead of forwarding to voicemail, you can forward to an AI receptionist. RingOwl answers every call live 24/7 — it greets the caller, books appointments straight into your calendar, captures the details, and texts you a summary. Same "I can't pick up right now" problem, but the caller gets a real answer instead of a beep.

Try the carrier code generator

Pick your carrier and condition — get the exact code to dial, with a copy button.

Country

Carrier

When should calls forward?

Forward to this number (your RingOwl number, your other line, etc.)

Code preview

Enter the destination number above and the dial code appears here.

FAQ

How do I send all calls straight to voicemail?: Turn on Do Not Disturb (or silence your ringer). Every incoming call then goes unanswered and rolls to voicemail automatically. It's the most reliable method on both iPhone and Android.
Is there a star code to forward calls to voicemail?: There's no clean universal star code for it. You can point conditional forwarding at your voicemail number (on GSM: **61*<voicemail-number>#), but Do Not Disturb is simpler and works the same way. A true star code like *72 forwards to a number you choose, not specifically to voicemail.
How do I send a specific number to voicemail?: On iPhone, open the contact and turn on a custom setting or block them. On Android, open the Phone app, tap the contact or recent call, and choose "Send to voicemail" or "Block." That number's calls then go straight to voicemail while everyone else rings through.
Will callers know they were sent to voicemail?: No — it sounds the same to them as a call you simply didn't answer. They hear your ringback for a moment, then your voicemail greeting.
Can I forward to something better than voicemail?: Yes. Forward your line to an AI answering service like RingOwl instead. It picks up every call live, books appointments, and texts you a summary — so callers get a real answer rather than a beep and a hang-up.

Forward your line to an AI that books

RingOwl is a 24/7 AI answering service for small businesses. Forward your line with the codes above and the AI picks up every call, books appointments straight into your calendar, and texts you a summary. Free 7-day trial, no credit card.

Start your free trial →