Call forwarding is easy to forget. You set it up for a vacation or a busy week, and a month later you're wondering why your phone never rings. Or a setting you never chose is sending your calls somewhere else.
Turning it off takes the same path you'd use to turn it on, with one wrinkle: if forwarding was set with a carrier code, the phone's menu may not show it, so you need the code to clear it. This guide covers every way to switch it off, the codes that reset all forwarding at once, and how to check it's really gone.
The fastest fix: reset codes
If you just want everything off, dial your carrier's reset code from the phone or line that's forwarding, and wait for the confirmation tone or message.
| Carrier and line | Code to turn forwarding off |
|---|---|
| Verizon (cell) | *73 |
| T-Mobile (cell) | ##004# resets all forwarding; ##21# all calls; ##61# no answer; ##62# unreachable; ##67# busy |
| AT&T home phone (landline) | *73 or 73# |
| AT&T Wireless Home Phone | #21# |
| Xfinity Voice (home) | *73 (call forwarding), *83 (selective forwarding) |
| AT&T (cell) | Use the phone’s forwarding menu, or ask AT&T |
iPhone
- Go to Settings > Apps > Phone > Call Forwarding (iOS 18 and later; on older versions, Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding).
- Turn off Call Forwarding. On a Dual SIM iPhone, check each line.
- The Call Forwarding icon disappears from the status bar.
- If you set busy or no-answer forwarding with a carrier code, the iPhone switch won’t show it. Clear it with your carrier’s code from the table above.
Steps match Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27. More in call forwarding on iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy
- Open the Phone app, tap More options (three dots), then Settings.
- Tap Supplementary services, then Call forwarding.
- Open Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered and Forward when unreachable in turn, and turn each one off.
Google Pixel
- Open the Phone app, tap the menu, then Settings.
- Tap Calling accounts, then your SIM or carrier, then Call forwarding.
- Open each forwarding type and tap Turn off.
Menu path per AT&T's Pixel 7 Pro device guide; labels vary by Android version and carrier. See call forwarding on Android.
Google Fi
Fi forwarding isn't in your phone's settings. Google says to use fi.google.com or the Google Fi app: on the Home tab, find Phone settings, select Call forwarding, and choose Don't forward. That stops both Always forward and Ring all numbers.
Landlines
- AT&T home phone: Pick up the line and dial *73 or 73#. Selective forwarding has its own menu under *63; busy and no-answer forwarding are removed by calling AT&T at 800.288.2020.
- AT&T Wireless Home Phone: Lift the handset, dial #21# and wait at least three seconds for the confirmation tone.
- Xfinity Voice: Dial *73 for call forwarding and *83 for selective forwarding, or turn features off in Voice settings on xfinity.com. Advanced call forwarding is managed online only.
More on landlines in how to forward a landline to a cell phone.
Check that it’s really off
- Look for the forwarding icon: the status bar on iPhone, the notification bar on Android. It should be gone.
- Call your number from a different phone. Your phone should ring, and let it go to your own voicemail to confirm the greeting.
- If you had no-answer forwarding, let the test call ring out; it should reach your voicemail, not the old forward-to number.
- Still forwarding? Call your carrier and ask them to clear all forwarding on the line. They can see the network setting directly.
If you didn’t turn it on
Forwarding you didn't set up is a red flag. Scammers try to get people to turn it on so they receive your calls, including calls that read out verification codes. Apple's guide says iPhone now alerts you and blocks links that ask you to turn on call forwarding for this reason. Turn forwarding off with the reset code, change your carrier account PIN, and check your accounts that use phone verification. If you're worried someone moved your number entirely, contact your carrier right away.
When to turn forwarding off
- After a trip or time off: Carriers don’t switch forwarding off on a schedule. Set a calendar reminder when you turn it on.
- When someone leaves the team: If a business line forwards to a former employee’s cell, customers are calling their personal phone. Turn it off the day they leave.
- Before you port or cancel a line: Clear forwarding on the old line before the number moves or the account closes, so no rule follows you into the new setup. See how to port a phone number.
- When you change phones: Forwarding lives in the network, not on the handset. A new phone can inherit a forwarding rule from the old one; check the menu and make a test call.
- When you never set it up: Turn it off right away and follow the steps in the next section.
Before you turn it off: where will calls go?
If you set up forwarding because nobody was free to answer the business line, turning it off brings that problem back. Make sure someone, or something, will pick up. Our guides on missed customer calls and AI receptionist vs answering service vs voicemail compare the options.
What Chargezen does instead
Chargezen doesn't forward calls, and it doesn't sell phone lines, desk phones or forwarding. It takes a different approach to the problem forwarding usually solves. Concierge answers calls and texts on your business number, around the clock: a new US number from Chargezen, or the number your customers already know, brought over to Chargezen. It recognizes the caller, looks up their orders and handles the request on the call.
When a person should take over, Concierge alerts your team in the Finn app and the browser, and emails or texts the teammates you pick. A teammate listens in, taps Join the call, and Concierge tells the caller they're there, so nobody starts over. From the Finn app on iPhone or Mac, a teammate can also transfer the call to another teammate. The call, its transcript and every text and email with that customer stay in one conversation. See human handoff and how joining and transferring calls works.
To be plain about the limits: Chargezen has no call forwarding, simultaneous ring, ring groups, phone menu or business-hours routing, and it offers US (+1) numbers only. If you need calls to ring a list of phones by schedule, a VoIP phone system does that; our comparisons with Google Voice, Grasshopper and RingCentral say where each one fits.
See the phone channel and bring your number. Concierge Starter is $20 a month with 20,000 credits. Pro is $199 a month with 199,000 credits, or $1,990 a year. Phone and text charges are billed as used, with no per-user fees. See pricing.
Related terms: number porting, AI receptionist and warm transfer. Related guides: how to forward calls, call forwarding not working and conditional call forwarding. See also warm transfers explained.
Frequently asked questions
What is the code to turn off call forwarding?
It depends on the carrier: *73 on Verizon and on AT&T and Xfinity landlines, ##004# to reset all forwarding on T-Mobile, and #21# on an AT&T Wireless Home Phone.
Why can’t I turn off call forwarding on my iPhone?
If the switch is already off but calls still forward, the forwarding was probably set with a carrier code. Dial your carrier's reset code, or call the carrier.
Does turning off forwarding delete my voicemail?
No. Calls simply go back to ringing your phone and, if unanswered, your own voicemail.
Can I turn off landline forwarding when I am not at the landline?
It depends on the provider. AT&T's home phone codes are dialed from the line itself. Xfinity lets you turn Voice features on and off in Voice settings on xfinity.com. Otherwise, call your provider and ask them to remove it.
Does turning it off in my phone menu turn it off with my carrier?
Yes for the forwarding the menu shows, because the menu sends the change to the network. Rules set by code that the menu doesn't show may stay on; clear them with the carrier's code, such as ##004# on T-Mobile.
Will I miss calls while I switch it off?
The change applies as soon as the network confirms it, usually within seconds. Make a test call to be sure.
Sources: Apple: Set up call forwarding on iPhone, Samsung: Calling features on your Galaxy phone, AT&T: Google Pixel 7 Pro device guide, Google Fi Help: Call forwarding & caller ID, Verizon: Call Forwarding FAQs, T-Mobile: Self-service & short codes, AT&T: Learn how to forward calls (home phone), AT&T: Wireless Home Phone call forwarding, Xfinity Voice features quick reference guide. All checked October 19, 2026.
