Phone help
These are the call divert codes that work on UK mobile networks, with the menu steps for iPhone and Android and the codes for BT and Virgin Media landlines. Type a code into your phone’s keypad as if it were a phone number, press call, and the network replies with a message to say it worked. Each code is checked against a network’s own help page or the GSM standard, linked as you go.
The codes
Replace number with the number you want calls sent to. Tap a code to copy it.
| Divert | Turn on | Check | Turn off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calls you do not answer | |||
| Calls you do not answer, after 20 seconds | |||
| Calls that come in while you are on the phone (busy) | |||
| Calls when your phone is off or has no signal | |||
| Every call, without your phone ringing | |||
| Cancel every divert, including voicemail |
The codes come from the GSM standard for phone keypad commands (3GPP TS 22.030) and match Vodafone’s call divert page, which lists every one of them. The 11 in the ring time code means voice calls only; Vodafone’s page uses 10 in that spot, which covers voice and other phone services. Either works for ordinary calls.
The basics
Call forwarding, which UK networks usually call call divert, is an instruction stored on your network’s system rather than in your handset. When someone rings you, the network checks it and sends the call on. That is why a divert keeps working with the phone switched off, and why you set it by sending a code to the network.
EE’s help pages put it simply: conditional diverts act on a condition, such as your phone being busy or going unanswered, while unconditional diverts send all calls on without your phone ringing (EE, managing call diverts). In the table, 61, 62 and 67 are conditional and 21 is unconditional. Most people who still want to answer their own phone want 61: it rings as normal and only the calls you miss go elsewhere.
The no answer divert has a timer. The GSM standard sets it between 5 and 30 seconds in steps of 5, and if you never set one the network’s own default applies (3GPP TS 22.082, section 3.3.3). Defaults differ: Vodafone sends unanswered calls to voicemail after 15 seconds, and Tesco Mobile pay monthly phones ring for 30. We use 20 seconds: long enough to get the phone out of a pocket, short enough that the caller does not give up.
By network
The codes are a shared standard, but each network publishes its own instructions, and a few have quirks worth knowing before you rely on a divert.
| Network | What its own help says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vodafone | Lists **21*, **61*, **67* and **62* with check and cancel codes, ##002# to cancel all, and a ring time code. Enter the number with +44 in place of the first 0. Pay as you go customers can only divert to voicemail. Diverted calls use your plan minutes. | Vodafone help |
| O2 | Its phone guides use the same codes with 901, O2’s voicemail number, for example **21*901# and **62*901#. The ring time must be divisible by 5. | O2 device guide |
| EE | Diverts are set on the phone itself, not by customer services. As well as the phone’s settings, you can call 150 and choose option 1, then 2, then 4, then 1 to set a divert (or 2 at the end to remove one). Diverts to a UK number are charged at your plan’s call rate. | EE Business help |
| giffgaff | Points you to the Call Forwarding screen in your phone’s settings, with options for always, busy, unanswered and unreachable. To divert to voicemail, enter 443. | giffgaff help |
| Tesco Mobile | Voicemail is 905. On pay as you go you can set the ring time with **61*905*11* followed by 10, 20 or 30 and #. Pay monthly phones ring for 30 seconds before voicemail. | Tesco Mobile help |
| Three, Sky Mobile, iD Mobile | We could not find a divert page on their own help sites. Use the Call Forwarding screen on your phone, or the standard codes above, and ask the network if the reply says the service is not available. |
iPhone
That switch sends every call. Apple says to ask your network about forwarding when the line is busy or not in service (Apple iPhone User Guide), so for missed calls only, open the Phone app’s keypad, type **61*number*11*20# and press call. A small forwarding icon shows in the status bar while divert all is on.
Android
Those are the steps giffgaff gives for Android (giffgaff help). Menu names move about between makers, so if you cannot find it, search Settings for “call forwarding”. To choose how long it rings first, use the 61 code with a ring time instead.
Landlines
Landline codes start with a single star, not two. On a BT line, pick up the phone and dial:
| BT divert | Turn on | Check | Turn off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Every call | |||
| Calls not answered in 15 seconds | |||
| Calls while the line is engaged |
BT includes Call Diversion with Digital Voice and Home Phone Standard. Calls diverted to a BT mobile or BT home phone are free, and diverts to anything else are charged at the standard rate for calling that number, so a divert to a mobile on another network costs more than one to a landline (BT call diversion). On a Digital Voice handset you can also use the menu: Calling Features, Call Diversion, Set Up (BT Digital Voice).
Virgin Media charges £2.25 a month for Call Divert. Call 1765 first to find out your area colour. In green, blue, yellow and purple areas, dial *21*, wait for the tone, enter the number and press #; cancel with #21#. In red areas the code is *70, cancelled with #70 (Virgin Media call diversion). Its help page only covers diverting every call.
On screen
Your phone is telling you a no answer, busy or unreachable divert is set. It is nearly always your voicemail: on most networks voicemail is itself a conditional divert, which is why O2’s guides tell you to divert calls to 901 to receive messages. The GSM standard has the network remind you that a divert is on each time you make a call (3GPP TS 22.082, section 3.3.8), which is where the message comes from. Dial *#61# to see where it points. If the number is not one you recognise, cancel it with ##002# and set up voicemail again.
You see this when you ring someone who has a divert on. The standard lets the person you are calling choose to have the caller told the call was forwarded, so the notice is normal, and you will be speaking to whoever or whatever the call was sent to.
EE’s business pages say setting a divert to voicemail is free, and on Vodafone pay as you go it is the only divert allowed. A divert to a number is a new outgoing call from your phone, charged as one, but the caller reaches a person or a service that can answer. To go back to voicemail later, use your network’s voicemail number as the divert number: 901 on O2, 443 on giffgaff, 905 on Tesco Mobile. On Vodafone, call 1211.
For businesses
A sole trader can’t answer the phone up a ladder or under a sink, and voicemail rarely saves the call: Moneypenny found 69% of callers who reached a small business’s voicemail hung up without leaving a message (Moneypenny, 2016; more in what missed calls cost). The 61 divert fixes that without changing your number. The phone rings for 20 seconds as normal; if you are free, you answer, and if not, the call goes to someone who can take the details.
That someone can be a partner or an office, or it can be an answering service. If a colleague is taking your diverted calls, our guide on how to answer the phone covers what to say and how to take a message. With While You Work, the call is answered in your business name by an automated receptionist, and the caller’s name, number and what they need are emailed to you in a minute. On Pro and Business, urgent calls are texted straight away. Plans start at £39 a month plus VAT, and switching it off is ##61#. See how the call answering service works or read the pricing.
Questions
Call forwarding, also called call divert, tells the phone network to send your incoming calls to another number. It happens in the network, not on the handset, so it still works when your phone is switched off. You set it with a short star code or in your phone’s settings, and turn it off the same way.
It means at least one divert is switched on that only applies in certain conditions: when you do not answer, when you are busy or when your phone cannot be reached. On most phones that divert points at your voicemail, because that is how missed calls reach voicemail in the first place. Dial *#61#, *#67# and *#62# to see where each one goes.
The person you rang has a divert on, and your call has been sent on to another number, often their voicemail or a colleague. The GSM standard lets the network tell the caller this happened, so some phones show a “call forwarded” notice. Nothing is wrong with your phone.
On most UK mobiles, dial **61* followed by the number to divert to, then *11*20# and press call. That sends calls you do not answer within 20 seconds to that number. Dial *#61# to check it and ##61# to cancel.
Dial ##002# and press call. It is the GSM code for all call forwarding, and Vodafone lists it on its help page as the way to cancel all active diverts. Your voicemail divert is one of them, so set it back up afterwards if you want voicemail.
The Call Forwarding switch in iPhone Settings sends all calls. Apple says to ask your network about forwarding when the line is busy or not in service. In practice you type the conditional codes, such as **61* for no answer, into the Phone keypad and press call.
Usually the diverted part of the call is charged to you as if you had rung the number yourself. Vodafone takes it from your plan minutes, EE charges it at your plan’s call rate, and BT charges standard rates unless the divert goes to a BT number. EE says setting a divert to voicemail is free for its business customers.
It depends on the network. Vodafone says pay as you go customers can only divert to voicemail. Tesco Mobile lets pay as you go customers change how long the phone rings before voicemail. Check your own network’s help page before relying on a divert.
Pick up the landline and dial *21* followed by your mobile number, then #. To divert only the calls you do not answer within 15 seconds, use *61* instead. Dial #21# or #61# to cancel. BT charges the diverted call at its standard rate for calls to that number.
All pages checked on 17 October 2026. Networks change their help pages, so if a code is refused, check the latest version.
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