Phone help
What call forwarding is, and what ‘call forwarded’ means
Call forwarding is an instruction to your phone network: when a call comes in for my number, send it to this other number instead. UK networks call it call divert, and it is the same thing. The codes to switch a forward on or off are on our call divert codes page; this page is about what it means and how it behaves.
The meaning
What call forwarding is
When someone rings you, the call goes to your network first, and the network looks up where your number should ring. Call forwarding changes that answer. Instead of ringing your phone, or after ringing it for a while, the network sends the call on to a second number you have chosen: a colleague, a landline, voicemail, or an answering service.
Vodafone’s help page puts it in one line: you can automatically forward incoming calls to another UK number, landline or mobile (Vodafone, managing call diverts). EE’s opens with “call diverts, also called call forwarding” (EE Business, managing call diverts). Phone makers say forwarding, UK networks say divert, and BT calls its landline version Call Diversion.
The forward lives on the network, not in your phone
When you set a forward, your phone sends a short instruction to the network, which stores it against your number. The handset keeps nothing. That is why a forward carries on working when your phone is switched off or flat, and why Apple says you must be in range of the mobile network when you set one up, or calls will not be forwarded (Apple, set up call forwarding on iPhone). It is also why the confirmation comes from the network: a pop-up on Vodafone, an announcement on a BT landline (BT, all about Call Diversion).
The four types
Unconditional and conditional call forwarding
EE splits forwards into two kinds: conditional forwards act on a condition, such as your phone being busy or going unanswered, and unconditional forwards send every call on without your phone ringing (EE Business). The GSM standard defines one unconditional type and three conditional ones.
| Forward | When it triggers | Typical use | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unconditional (divert all) | Every call, before your phone rings | A week away, or a number you are retiring | Call Forwarding switch on iPhone; Always forward on Android; check code |
| No answer | Nobody picks up within the timer, 5 to 30 seconds | Voicemail, a colleague, an answering service | When unanswered on Android; check code |
| Busy | You are already on a call | A second line or an answering service | When busy on Android; check code |
| Unreachable | Phone off, flight mode or no signal | Voicemail, or a number that works on site | When unreachable on Android; check code |
The names match the Call forwarding screen giffgaff describes on Android: Always forward, When busy, When unanswered and When unreachable (giffgaff help).
Unconditional call forwarding
Every call goes to the other number and your phone never rings. It is the only type the iPhone’s own settings offer: Apple’s guide tells you to contact your network for forwarding when the line is busy or not in service (Apple).
Conditional call forwarding
Your phone rings as normal, and the forward only steps in when a condition is met. No answer is the one most people want: the phone rings for a set time, you pick up if you can, and if not the call moves on. The standard sets that timer between 5 and 30 seconds, with the network’s default applying if you never set one (3GPP TS 22.082, section 3.3.3). BT’s landline version uses 15 seconds, and O2’s iPhone guide asks for a number of seconds divisible by 5 (O2 device guide). Busy catches the second caller while you are already talking. On most UK networks all three are set to voicemail from day one.
On screen
What ‘conditional call forwarding active’ means
Some Android phones show this notice in the status bar or notification shade. It means at least one of the three conditional forwards is set on your line: no answer, busy or unreachable. Nine times out of ten it is voicemail. Voicemail on a UK mobile is a conditional forward pointed at the network’s voicemail number: O2’s iPhone guide sets up voicemail by forwarding unanswered, unreachable and busy calls to 901 (O2), and giffgaff tells you to forward to 443 (giffgaff). So if you have never set a forward yourself, the notice means voicemail is working. It is only worth acting on if the forward points somewhere you do not recognise. To see where it goes, open the Call forwarding screen in your Android phone app and tap each condition, or on an iPhone use the check codes on the codes page.
How to clear it
Turn off When busy, When unanswered and When unreachable on the Android Call forwarding screen, or cancel them with the codes. Both routes also cancel voicemail, so set it up again if you want messages back. If a forward points at a number you did not set, cancel it and tell your network: Apple notes that scammers send links asking people to turn on call forwarding, and the iPhone now blocks those links (Apple).
What ‘call forwarded’ means when you ring someone
You dial a number and your screen says “call forwarded” or “call is being forwarded”. Nothing has gone wrong at your end. The person you rang has a forward on, and the network has sent your call to another number. The GSM standard lets the person being called choose whether callers are told (3GPP TS 22.082, section 3.3.8), so the notice depends on their network and phone. Usually you are about to hear their voicemail, or a colleague or an answering service is about to pick up in their name.
The phone-with-an-arrow icon
On an iPhone this status bar icon means “call forwarding is set up” (Apple, iPhone status icons), and it only appears for the unconditional forward set in Settings. EE describes the same phone icon with an arrow on Android (EE Business).
Money
Who pays for a forwarded call
A forwarded call has two legs. The first is the caller ringing your number, and they pay for that exactly as if you had answered. The second leg, from your number to the forwarded-to number, is treated as a call you made, and you pay for it at your own tariff.
What the second leg costs depends on your plan. EE charges a divert to another UK number at the call rate for your price plan; if that number is in your allowance it comes out of your minutes, 08 numbers are charged, and roaming charges apply abroad. A divert to voicemail is free for its small business customers (EE Business). Vodafone says a divert to voicemail on pay monthly uses your allowance, that standard call charges apply once the minutes run out or you are roaming outside your plan, and that pay as you go customers can only divert to voicemail (Vodafone). On a BT landline, Call Diversion itself is included with Digital Voice and Home Phone Standard. Calls diverted to a BT mobile or BT home phone are free; anything else is charged at the standard rate for that type of number, for the length of the call plus the set-up fee, and a mobile costs more than a home phone (BT).
We are not quoting pence per minute because they change and vary by plan. If the number you forward to would be free to ring from your phone, the forward is usually free too. Check your tariff before you leave one on for a month.
Check
How to check if call forwarding is on
iPhone
Open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, then Call Forwarding. If the switch is on, every call is being forwarded to the number under Forward To (Apple). This screen cannot show conditional forwards, so a switch that is off does not mean none is set.
Android
Open the Phone app, tap the three dots, then Settings, then Calls (some Samsung phones say Supplementary services or Calling accounts). Tap Call forwarding and you see all four types with the number each points to (giffgaff).
Landline
On a BT line there is a check code for each of its three diverts, and the network tells you the number (BT). On an EE Digital Home Phone with voicemail, you will not hear the interrupted dial tone that normally signals a diversion; the tone only changes for a new message (EE, Call Diversion on Digital Home Phone).
The surest check is the network’s own reply to a check code, because the handset can only show what it last sent. The codes are on the call divert codes page.
Landline and mobile
Call forwarding on a landline compared with a mobile
On a BT landline you dial the code from a touch-tone handset, and BT offers three diverts: all calls, calls not answered within 15 seconds, and calls while the line is engaged. Digital Voice customers can also use the handset menu under Calling Features (BT). There is no unreachable type on a landline, because a landline is never out of signal. Mobiles have all four, and the codes are a different shape: a double star on a mobile, a single star on a BT line. If you use Call Barring too, BT says to switch Call Diversion on first.
Dual SIM, eSIM and Wi-Fi calling
A forward belongs to a line, not a handset, so a phone with two SIMs or an eSIM has two sets of forwards: Apple has you choose the line under SIMs first, and giffgaff says the same for Android (Apple; giffgaff). Wi-Fi calling does not replace a forward. Apple lists its icon separately (Apple, status icons) and still requires mobile signal to set forwarding.
For businesses
How small businesses use it
A plumber with both hands under a sink cannot answer the phone. A driving instructor mid-lesson should not. Both still want the call, because a new customer who gets voicemail tends to ring the next name on the list; our page on what missed calls cost goes through the numbers. The usual fix is a no answer forward. Your mobile rings for 20 seconds, and if you do not pick up, the network passes the call to whoever you chose: the other partner, the office desk, or an answering service. If voicemail is all you have for now, our voicemail greetings page has wording that gets callers to leave a message rather than hang up.
With While You Work, the forwarded call is answered in your business name by an automated receptionist that takes the caller’s name, number and what they need, and emails it to you within a minute; on Pro and Business, urgent calls are texted straight away. It is a no answer forward, so you still answer your own phone when you can, and your number stays with your network: a forward is not a port, and if you are changing network as well, our guide to number porting explains how to keep your number when you switch. See how the call answering service works, read about the AI receptionist, or use the call divert codes to set it up.
Questions
Call forwarding FAQs
What does call forwarding mean?
It means your network sends calls made to your number on to a different number: every call, or only the calls you miss, the calls that arrive while you are busy, or the calls that arrive while your phone is off. UK networks usually call it call divert, which is the same thing.
What does “call forwarded” mean when I ring someone?
The person you rang has a forward on, and your call has been sent to another number, usually their voicemail, sometimes a colleague or an answering service. The GSM standard lets the person being called choose whether callers are told, so some phones show the notice and some do not.
What does “conditional call forwarding active” mean?
At least one conditional forward is set on your line: no answer, busy or unreachable. On most UK mobiles that forward is voicemail, which is itself a conditional forward; O2’s iPhone guide sets up voicemail by forwarding unanswered, unreachable and busy calls to 901. If you did not set anything else, the notice is normal.
How do I turn conditional call forwarding off?
On Android, open the Phone app, then Settings, Calls and Call forwarding, and turn off When busy, When unanswered and When unreachable. iPhone settings only cover forwarding every call, so cancel conditional forwards with your network’s codes. Both routes also switch off voicemail, so set it up again if you want it.
Is call forwarding the same as call divert?
Yes. EE’s help page opens with “call diverts, also called call forwarding”, BT calls it Call Diversion, and Vodafone’s divert page describes pop-ups that say call forwarding is on. Phone makers say forwarding, UK networks say divert.
Who pays for a forwarded call?
The person who set the forward pays for the second leg at their own tariff. The caller pays only what they would normally pay to ring you. On EE and Vodafone pay monthly the second leg comes out of your minutes; on a BT landline it is free to a BT mobile or home phone and charged at the standard rate to anything else.
Sources
All pages read on 31 October 2026. Help pages change, so check the latest version.
- Apple: Set up call forwarding on iPhone and Learn the meaning of iPhone status icons
- EE Business: How do I set up and manage call diverts?
- EE: Call Diversion on Digital Home Phone
- Vodafone UK: How do I manage call diverts?
- O2: Set up voicemail on iPhone 11 (iOS 18)
- BT: All about Call Diversion
- giffgaff: How to manage call forwarding on your phone
- 3GPP: TS 22.082 section 3.3.3 and section 3.3.8 on a public mirror
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