How to divert your mobile to an answering service: EE, O2, Vodafone and Three

To divert your mobile, you dial a short code, then the number you are diverting to, then #, and press call. **21* sends every call. **61* sends the calls you do not answer. **67* sends calls that arrive while you are already on the phone. **62* sends calls when your phone is off. ##002# cancels the lot.

That is the whole trick, and it is typed straight into your phone's keypad. The rest of this guide is the detail that decides whether it works for you: which of those diverts to use, how to type the number so the network accepts it, what your phone's own settings can and cannot do, and what to check with EE, O2, Vodafone or Three before you rely on it.

Which divert should you use?

There are four kinds, and they do quite different jobs.

• All calls. Your phone does not ring at all. Every call goes straight to the number you have diverted to. Useful for a day you know you cannot pick up, such as a full day on a job or a day off.
• No answer. Your phone rings first, and only if you leave it does the call move on. This is the one that lets you keep answering when you can.
• Busy. The call moves on only when you are already on another call, so a second caller hears a person rather than an engaged tone or your voicemail.
• Unreachable. The call moves on when your phone is switched off or cannot be reached by the network, for instance in a building with no signal.

For a business that wants to answer its own phone when it can and never lose the calls it cannot, the three conditional diverts together are the natural setup: no answer, busy and unreachable. Your phone still rings. You pick up the calls you are free for. Everything else is answered by somebody else rather than by a recording.

The all calls divert suits the opposite situation, when there is no point your phone ringing at all.

What are the codes?

These are the codes Vodafone publishes on its own help pages, and they are the standard codes used across mobile networks. Type them into your phone's keypad exactly as shown, with the number you are diverting to in place of number, then press call.

• Divert all calls: **21*number#
• Divert calls you do not answer: **61*number#
• Divert calls when you are busy: **67*number#
• Divert calls when your phone is off: **62*number#

To switch one off again, swap the opening **nn* for ##nn#, so ##21#, ##61#, ##67# or ##62#. To cancel every divert at once, dial ##002#.

To check what is currently set, dial *#21#, *#61#, *#67# or *#62#. Your phone shows a short message saying whether that divert is on.

How to type the number

Vodafone's instructions are to replace the first 0 of the number with +44. So an example number, 07700 900123, is entered as +447700900123, with no spaces. A divert for unanswered calls to that number would be:

**61*+447700900123#

If a code is rejected, the number format is the first thing to check. The second is that you have included both asterisks at the start.

How do you divert calls on an iPhone?

Apple's instructions are: open Settings, tap Apps, tap Phone, then Call Forwarding, and turn it on. Tap Forward To, enter the number and go back. On an iPhone with two SIMs, you choose which line to forward first. A small forwarding icon appears in the status bar while it is on. On older versions of iOS, Phone sits directly in Settings rather than under Apps.

That switch is simple, but it is the all calls divert: while it is on, your iPhone does not ring. If you want the conditional diverts instead, so your phone rings first, use the codes above in the Phone app's keypad. They work on an iPhone exactly as they do on any other mobile.

Apple also notes that if Call Forwarding does not appear in your settings, it is not available on your iPhone. The keypad codes are worth trying in that case, and your network can tell you what is supported on your plan.

How do you divert calls on an Android phone?

Android phones are made by many companies, so the menu is not in the same place on every one. The route is generally through the Phone app: open its menu or settings, look for a section called something like Calls, Supplementary services or Calling accounts, then Call forwarding. Look for the four divert types described above, each with its own number.

If you cannot find the setting, you do not need it. The codes in this guide go to the network directly from the keypad, whatever phone you have.

What should you know about your network?

Vodafone

Vodafone publishes every code in this guide, including the check and cancel codes, and asks for the number in +44 format. Its help pages also say that on Pay as you go, calls can only be diverted to voicemail. On a Vodafone Pay as you go SIM, then, diverting to an answering service is not an option.

EE

EE's business help pages say diverts are set up on the phone itself, and also give a route through the automated line: call 150 and choose option 1, then option 2, then option 4, then option 1. The same path ending in option 2 removes a divert. Those pages are written for EE business customers, so on a personal plan it is worth confirming with EE that the same route applies. EE also sets out how the calls are charged, which is covered in the next section.

O2

O2 keeps step-by-step call forwarding guides for individual phone models in the device help section of its website, so it is worth searching there for your exact handset if you would rather follow screens than type a code. The keypad codes above are the standard codes, and O2's own guides are the place to confirm them for your handset.

Three

We have not found a Three help page that sets out call divert steps, so we are not going to repeat unofficial advice about it here. If a code is not accepted on a Three SIM, Three's customer services are the people to ask, and they can confirm what your plan allows.

What does it cost to divert your mobile?

The cost to think about is the diverted calls themselves. EE's business help pages explain it plainly: a call diverted to another UK number is charged at the call rate on your price plan, so if calls to that number are included in your allowance, a diverted call uses up allowance rather than adding to your bill.

On those terms, a call that moves on from your phone is treated much like a call you made yourself to the divert number. Other networks set out their own terms, so before you divert, it is worth asking your network two things: whether calls to the number you are diverting to come out of your inclusive minutes, and whether anything changes when you are abroad. Vodafone, for example, says that when you are in a roaming zone, standard call charges apply even to diverts to voicemail.

How do you check a divert is working?

Do not assume. Test it before the first day you rely on it.

• Dial the check code for each divert you set, such as *#61#, and read the message that comes back.
• Ask somebody to ring your mobile and let it ring out. If you set a no answer divert, the call should move on after a short wait.
• Ring your mobile while you are already on another call, to test the busy divert.
• Switch your phone off and ring it from another phone, to test the unreachable divert.

Then switch it back on and make sure your own calls still arrive as normal.

What stops a divert from working?

Your voicemail is already a divert. Voicemail works by taking the calls you do not answer, so it is occupying the same slot. Setting a new no answer divert normally replaces it, but if a code will not take, voicemail is worth ruling out. Vodafone customers can switch voicemail off completely by calling 1210.

The number is in the wrong format. Use +44 in place of the first 0, with no spaces.

The wrong line on a dual SIM phone. A divert set on your personal line does nothing for calls to your business line.

Your plan does not allow it. Pay as you go plans can restrict diverts, as Vodafone's does.

A divert left on by mistake. If your phone has gone strangely quiet, dial ##002# to clear every divert and start again.

How does this work with Reception Hub?

You keep your mobile number. The number to divert to is given to you when your account is set up, and getting the forwarding working is part of that setup, so you are not left alone with a keypad and this page. After that, the divert is yours: all calls on a day you cannot answer, the three conditional diverts on a normal day, or nothing at all when you want the phone to yourself.

The detail of what happens to a call once it reaches us is on the telephone answering page. If an evening or weekend divert is what you are after, check the plan first, because out-of-hours answering comes with Growth and Premium, as set out on the plans and pricing page. There is a seven-day free trial with no card needed, and you can ask anything first on 01709 222834.