What is *72 call forwarding?

*72 is the North-American star code for unconditional call forwarding. Dialing `*72 ` tells your carrier to route every incoming call to the destination immediately — your phone doesn't ring.

Does *72 work on cell phones?

On Verizon Wireless, yes. On AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile (GSM carriers), no — they use `**21* #` instead. If `*72` doesn't take on your wireless phone, you're on a GSM carrier.

How do I cancel *72 forwarding?

Dial `*73` from the same line. Wait for the confirmation tone, then hang up. If forwarding still seems active, check your carrier's web portal — some VoIP and Fios plans need to be cancelled there.

Will my phone ring during *72 forwarding?

No. *72 is unconditional — every incoming call routes to the destination immediately, and your phone stays silent. If you want your phone to still ring when you're free, use `*71` (conditional forwarding) instead.

How long does *72 stay active?

Indefinitely, until you dial `*73` to cancel. There's no automatic expiration — set it once, leave it on until you turn it off.

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*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.

*72 is the North-American star code for unconditional call forwarding — meaning every incoming call routes to a destination number immediately, and your phone doesn't ring at all. It's a 50-year-old telephone feature that survives on most copper landlines, cable VoIP lines, and some wireless carriers. This page explains what it does, which carriers honor it, and when to use it instead of the conditional *71 code.

What *72 actually does

When you dial *72 followed by a destination number, your carrier's switch records a rule: "any call inbound to this line, route to the destination immediately." From the next ring onward, your phone stays silent — every call goes to the destination instead.

It's unconditional because it doesn't check whether you're free, busy, or off — it just forwards. That's the opposite of *71, which only forwards when you can't take the call.

The full sequence on most carriers: 1. Pick up the phone whose number you want to forward. 2. Dial *72 followed by the destination, with no spaces or dashes (e.g. *7218005551234). 3. Press send. 4. Wait for the confirmation tone (a stutter dial tone or three short beeps). 5. Hang up.

All incoming calls from that point forward route to the destination until you cancel with *73.

Which carriers use *72

**Carriers that use *72:** Verizon (landline, Fios, wireless), Spectrum, Cox, Frontier, CenturyLink, AT&T landline, Bell (CA), Telus (CA), most other North-American copper / cable VoIP providers.

**Carriers that DON'T use *72: GSM wireless carriers — AT&T wireless, T-Mobile, Rogers, Freedom Mobile, and most international wireless networks. These use the USSD code `21*<number>#` instead.

Google Voice doesn't use star codes at all — manage forwarding from voice.google.com → Settings → Calls.

If *72 doesn't work on your line, you're either on a GSM wireless carrier (try **21*<number>#) or on a VoIP plan where star codes are disabled (use the carrier's web portal).

72 vs 71 — which one should you use?

*72 (unconditional) is the right pick when you want every call routed away from your line — vacation, after-hours coverage, handoff to another team member or queue.

*71 (conditional) is the right pick when you want to still answer calls yourself when you're free, and only have busy / unanswered calls roll over to the destination. This is what most small businesses use day-to-day, especially when paired with an answering service or AI receptionist.

Quick decision tree: *will my line ring at all during the forwarded period?* If yes, use *71. If no, use *72.

Cancelling *72 forwarding

Dial ***73** from the same line that has forwarding active. The carrier responds with the same confirmation tone, and from that point inbound calls ring your phone normally again.

If you set both *72 and *71 at different times, *73 clears whichever is currently active. If forwarding seems to persist after *73, check your carrier's web portal — some VoIP and Fios plans pin the setting there and ignore the star-code cancel.

Try the carrier code generator

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FAQ

What is *72 call forwarding?: *72 is the North-American star code for unconditional call forwarding. Dialing *72<destination-number> tells your carrier to route every incoming call to the destination immediately — your phone doesn't ring.
Does *72 work on cell phones?: On Verizon Wireless, yes. On AT&T Wireless and T-Mobile (GSM carriers), no — they use **21*<destination-number># instead. If *72 doesn't take on your wireless phone, you're on a GSM carrier.
How do I cancel *72 forwarding?: Dial *73 from the same line. Wait for the confirmation tone, then hang up. If forwarding still seems active, check your carrier's web portal — some VoIP and Fios plans need to be cancelled there.
Will my phone ring during *72 forwarding?: No. *72 is unconditional — every incoming call routes to the destination immediately, and your phone stays silent. If you want your phone to still ring when you're free, use *71 (conditional forwarding) instead.
How long does *72 stay active?: Indefinitely, until you dial *73 to cancel. There's no automatic expiration — set it once, leave it on until you turn it off.

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