Call Forwarding Unconditional: How to Set up + Alternative Method

Imagine this…

You’re on your long-awaited vacation, but all you can think about is missing out on potential customers. “What if they call while I’m gone? Will they move on to a competitor?” are your most pressing concerns. You could have a colleague handle incoming calls, but they’re in a different time zone. How can you ever take a breather?

The answer: by enabling unconditional call forwarding so no potential customer goes unheard. 

In this article, we’ll help you set up unconditional call forwarding and suggest a more convenient alternative (skip ahead to see the better alternative).

What is unconditional call forwarding?

Unconditional call forwarding is a phone feature that automatically redirects all incoming calls to another number — without ringing the original phone first. It ensures every call is forwarded immediately, regardless of whether the phone is busy, unanswered, or unreachable. Businesses often use this to manage calls more efficiently.

It’s “unconditional” because it does so without any conditions, such as:

• The original number getting a call notification first
• Displaying the original number as ‘busy’
• Checking the original number’s network status (e.g., out of service area, phone turned off)

That way, you don’t miss important calls if you’re unable to answer your primary phone, or if you’re traveling and want to avoid roaming charges.

On the flip side, this feature can lead to calls going unnoticed if no one attends to the forwarded number.

Conditional vs unconditional call forwarding

Unconditional call forwarding redirects your calls directly to another number, much like mail being sent straight to a new address without ever going to the old one. Conditional call forwarding is like asking a neighbor to check your mailbox and to leave your mail at the kitchen counter only if you aren’t home.

There are three critical differences between conditional and unconditional call forwarding:

How to set up unconditional call forwarding on iOS

iPhone’s call forwarding settings only allow you to set up unconditional call forwarding. Here’s how: 

1. Navigate to the Settings on the home screen. Then, navigate to Apps.
2. Select Phone.

3. Choose Call Forwarding from the menu.

4. Toggle on the Call Forwarding button (it should turn green).

5. Add a number for call forwarding.

6. To turn off call forwarding, toggle off Call Forwarding in the phone settings.

How to set up unconditional call forwarding on Android devices

You can set up unconditional (always forward) and conditional (forward when busy, unreachable, etc.) call forwarding on most Android phones. Here’s how: 

1. Launch the Phone application.
2. Choose Phone Settings under the three-dot menu in the top right corner.

3. Click on Supplementary services. (If you have a Pixel phone, tap Calling accounts and select the right SIM card.)

4. Once in the Call settings menu, choose Call forwarding.

5. Turn on the Always forward option for call forwarding and add the number you’d like to forward calls to. Leave the other options (busy, unanswered, unreachable) turned off.

6. To deactivate, turn off Always forward in the phone settings.

How to set up on a traditional cell phone or landline

A star code from your service provider allows you to manually activate and deactivate unconditional call forwarding. To set up unconditional call forwarding on a landline or older cell phone, follow the steps below.

Phone provider	Activate	Deactivate
Verizon	Dial *72 followed by the 10-digit forwarding phone number. Listen for a series of beeps, and then wait for the call to end automatically.	Dial *73. Listen for a series of beeps, and then wait for the call to end automatically.
AT&T	Dial *72, enter a forwarding number, and then press #	Dial *73#
T-Mobile	Press **21*1+phone number#	Press ##21#

5 reasons why a virtual number may be a better alternative than unconditional call forwarding

Unconditional call forwarding is a quick fix for the short term, but you may eventually run into problems if:

• You receive a high volume of incoming calls or aren’t always available, and need to share responsibility for incoming calls with colleagues for your business.
• You only need calls to route after business hours to an answering service for call overflow to take calls on your team’s behalf.
• You’re incurring additional charges for forwarded calls, especially when forwarding to numbers that are out of network or in different regions.

Unless you have a brick-and-mortar shop where a landline is all you need, virtual numbers are a better alternative for most small businesses.

Virtual numbers let you easily call and text from your preferred device (computer, laptop, or cell phone). All you need is WiFi. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. Here are a few key benefits to getting a dedicated business number through a virtual phone provider (or porting your existing number to a better service):

1. You can work as a team to manage incoming calls 

Avoid missing important calls and potential customers slipping through the cracks by using shared numbers. Unlike a basic call-forwarding app, shared numbers simultaneously ring multiple people at once. If you have people at your company who you want to take calls first, you can even set a ring order so they get call notifications first. 

Working together as a team using a virtual phone service like Quo is even easier, since you can tag each other and collaborate on responses via internal threads.

2. You can automatically document all incoming calls and messages

Your team doesn’t have to scramble to look up a conversation history or update the CRM. With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), every interaction, including incoming calls, missed calls, business call recordings, texts, and voice messages — is automatically logged. 

This works when you connect Quo to tools like HubSpot, Zapier, or Make. You can also use the Quo API to build custom integrations with the tools your team already uses.

Anyone on your team can also easily view the full conversation history for a customer using Quo.

3. You can set up auto-replies for missed calls

If you do miss a call, you can give customers an immediate touchpoint with auto-replies and set expectations for when you’ll get back to them. You can also offer the option to schedule a call-back and confirm a specific time over text.

4. You can manage business calls more professionally

With a dedicated business phone number that automatically forwards to your cell phone device, your personal number stays private so you’re never guessing if an incoming call is work related. This way, you maintain a better work-life balance while keeping your business communications in one place.

5. You can take calls internationally (without breaking the bank)

As long as you have stable WiFi, your number goes where you go, making it easy to call and text internationally. Since virtual phone numbers don’t have international roaming charges, calling and messaging internationally is a fraction of the cost of traditional cell carriers. 

How to set up in Quo 

Let’s say you’re overseas and won’t have a reliable internet connection. If you need all incoming calls to go to another phone number, here’s how to set up unconditional call forwarding from your computer using the Quo web or desktop app: 

1. Navigate to the left-hand menu and select Settings.
2. Then click on Phone Numbers under Workspace. 
3. Choose the phone number you want to activate call forwarding on. 
4. Select the phone number you want to set up call forwarding on, then scroll down and tap Edit call flow under Call flow.

5. ​Select Default call flow.
6. Choose Forward all calls from the menu.
7. Enter the phone number that’ll receive your forwarded calls (Your forwarding number can be any US, Canadian, or toll-free number you have access to.) and press the Forward button.
8. After entering the number, you’ll be taken to the Forward all calls call flow.
   
   Note: This flow can’t include additional steps — you can only change the forwarding destination.
9. To activate your call flow, click Enable this call flow button at the top of the screen.

If you want to switch back to your default call flow, it’s easy!

1. Click Enable this call flow.
2. Select Default call flow from the dropdown. 

This will disable Forward all calls and publish your default call flow.

If you wish to encourage incoming callers to text or email you instead, you can even set an option in Quo to play an audio recording instead of giving them the option to leave a voicemail.

Bonus: How to route calls with conditional forwarding inside or outside of business hours

Along with the option to set a ring order, Quo users can set up conditional call forwarding (available on our Business plan). That way, unanswered calls can ring an answering service you’ve hired or another phone number your team doesn’t manage in Quo.

To set up conditional call forwarding during business hours:

1. In the Workspace section, click on Phone Numbers.
2. Choose the specific phone number where you wish to enable call forwarding.
3. If you haven’t already, add your business hours.
4. Scroll down to the Call flow section and click edit Call flow.

5. From here, you can use the Quo call flow builder to drag and drop different call flow steps during and after business hours. For example, if you wish to forward calls after hours, drag and drop the Forward call step below After hours. This step can also be below a ring group so that calls only forward to an external number if no one on your team picks up.

6. With the Forward call block selected, then click Pick a phone number and enter the number you wish calls to be forwarded to.

To learn more about the call flow builder and your different options, check out our guide to setting up the call flow builder or watch the video below with more call flow examples.

A few key points about forwarding with Quo:

• You can forward calls to US and Canadian numbers.
• Currently, we don’t support forwarding calls to non-US/Canadian numbers or US territories like Puerto Rico. Use Quo directly on your phone via the mobile apps (iOS and Android) if you’re located outside the US or Canada.
• When the forward function is enabled, any texts you receive will be sent to your Quo app, not to your personal number.
• With Quo (formerly OpenPhone), you can still make and receive calls directly. No call forwarding required!

Improve the way you handle client calls with Quo (formerly OpenPhone)

Effective call forwarding is critical for businesses that pride themselves on great service. You don’t want to leave your customers unattended — or worse — eyeing competitors. But a virtual phone system is even better because it lets you easily establish a professional phone presence with features like business hours and a phone menu. Plus, you can use auto-reply to automatically follow up on missed calls and set expectations outside business hours. 

Try out call forwarding and more by signing up for a free seven-day trial of Quo.

FAQs