How to Set Up Call Forwarding on iPhone for Business Use

The short answer for iPhone

Open Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding. Toggle on. Enter the destination number. The setting persists until you toggle it off or change the destination. Works on most GSM carrier iPhones (AT&T, T-Mobile, Rogers, Bell, Telus). CDMA-network iPhones (some older Verizon plans) require carrier-side feature codes instead.

• Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding (Call Forwarding menu).
• Toggle Call Forwarding to ON.
• Enter the 10-digit destination number.
• Setting persists until manually disabled.
• If the menu doesn't appear, your carrier requires feature codes — see the per-carrier guides linked below.

Step-by-step on iPhone

The native iOS Call Forwarding menu is the cleanest way to configure forwarding on a GSM iPhone. The setting is stored on the carrier side, not on the device — so it survives device reboots and iOS updates.

• Open the Settings app.
• Tap Phone.
• Tap Call Forwarding (if visible — see notes below if it isn't).
• Toggle Call Forwarding to ON.
• Tap Forward To and enter the 10-digit destination number.
• Return to the Phone settings — the green toggle confirms the setting is active.

When the Call Forwarding menu doesn't appear

Some carriers and plan types don't expose the iOS Call Forwarding menu. This is most common on Verizon iPhones with CDMA-era plans, on prepaid plans, and on certain MVNOs. When the menu is hidden, you dial the carrier's own feature code from the Phone keypad instead — and the exact code differs by carrier, so use the per-carrier guides rather than a generic code.

• Codes are carrier-specific: the same forwarding action uses different star codes on Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, Rogers, and TELUS — and some carriers (like Bell) use the phone Settings menu instead of any code.
• The carrier forwarding guides list each carrier's activation and cancel codes, verified against the carrier's own documentation where published.
• MVNOs usually run on a host network but don't always support its codes — their guides note when the settings route is safer.

What to forward to — an AI-enabled number

A VeraDial number is a useful destination because it adds an AI layer in front of the call: VeraDial answers, identifies itself as an AI assistant for your business, captures the caller's intent in their own words, and delivers a transcript and notification within seconds.

• VeraDial number with STIR/SHAKEN A-level attestation on the receiving side.
• AI call screening for emergency vs. routine triage.
• Voicemail transcription on captured messages.
• From $14.99/mo per line, 7-day free trial.

Travelling: set forwarding before you leave, not after

Because the rule lives on the carrier network rather than on the iPhone, forwarding keeps redirecting calls after you enable airplane mode, switch off data roaming, or lose coverage completely — which is what makes it the practical way to keep a business line answered from another country. The catch is the other direction: you generally need your carrier line reachable to change the setting, so it has to go on before you leave and come off when you are back. Test it while you are still home rather than discovering a carrier quirk at the airport.

• Turn forwarding on a day or two before departure, not at the gate.
• Test it properly: enable airplane mode, turn Wi-Fi back on, and call your own number from another phone.
• Prefer always-forward over forward-on-no-answer while abroad — the call is redirected before it ever tries to reach a handset that is out of service.
• Check whether your plan bills the forwarded leg. Carriers generally treat it as an outgoing call from your number, and some apply long-distance or roaming conditions to forwarded calls specifically.
• Texts do not follow voice forwarding — they stay on your original carrier number.

Taking calls yourself while you're abroad

Forwarding to a VeraDial number normally means Vera answers and you catch up on transcripts whenever you have Wi-Fi. If you would rather handle some calls personally while away, VeraDial can also ring your phone through the app over Wi-Fi or a travel data plan — that leg runs over the internet rather than your carrier's roaming voice service. Ringing calls to your phone is off by default, so switch it on before you travel if you want the option available.

• Ringing through the app needs an internet connection only — hotel Wi-Fi, a travel eSIM, or a local data plan.
• The forwarded leg from your carrier to VeraDial is separate and still follows your carrier's plan terms.
• Leaving it switched off is the quieter setup: Vera answers everything and you reply from the transcript.
• Switching it on suits a trip where you are expecting one specific call worth interrupting a holiday for.

iOS Focus modes and call forwarding

iOS Focus modes (Do Not Disturb, Sleep Focus, Work Focus, custom Focuses) silence inbound calls on the device but do not forward them — the call still goes to your voicemail. Call Forwarding is a carrier-side setting that routes the call before it ever rings your iPhone. The two are complementary: set Call Forwarding to an AI-enabled number for actual handling, and use Focus modes to control how your iPhone behaves when you're available.