Forwarding your calls while you are abroad
You can send your calls to another number from the iPhone settings or by dialling a GSM code such as **21* followed by the number and #, and cancel every forward with ##002#. Set it up before you leave, because Apple says the phone must be in range of its network when you do it. A forwarded call is still billed by your operator, and outside the EU that can mean roaming or international rates, so ask before you rely on it.
See data eSIM pricesWhy forward at all on a trip
The usual reasons are practical. A freelancer wants client calls to reach a colleague or a business line while away. Someone travelling outside the EU wants their phone to stop ringing, so that calls are not answered by accident on roaming. Parents want calls to the home number to reach whoever stayed behind. In each case forwarding works at the network level: your operator sends the call to the other number, and the person calling sees nothing different.
What you cannot do is forward calls to a data-only travel eSIM. It has no phone number, so there is nothing to forward to. If people need to reach you on the trip, the realistic options are your usual line kept active, or internet calls over data, which we explain in calling home with a data-only eSIM.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
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How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
The codes, and what each one does
- **21*number# forwards all calls. ##21# turns it off and *#21# shows its status.
- **61*number# forwards calls you do not answer. ##61# turns it off and *#61# checks it.
- **62*number# forwards calls when the phone is off or out of coverage. ##62# turns it off and *#62# checks it.
- **67*number# forwards calls when you are busy. ##67# turns it off and *#67# checks it.
- ##002# cancels all forwards at once.
These are the supplementary service codes of GSM networks, whose dialling format is set out in the 3GPP standard for the phone's user interface. The list above follows Vodafone UK's help page, which also asks for the destination number in international format. You type each code in the Phone app's keypad, then press call. Your operator may use different codes or offer forwarding in its own app, so check its help page if a code returns an error. Vodafone's page also shows how to change how long the phone rings before an unanswered call is forwarded.
On iPhone: the setting and its limits
Apple's steps are: open Settings, tap Apps, then Phone, tap Call Forwarding and turn it on. On a Dual SIM iPhone, choose the line first, below SIMs. Then tap Forward To, enter the number and tap Back. A call forwarding icon appears in the status bar while it is on. This setting forwards all calls. For forwarding only when you are busy or unreachable, Apple says to ask your carrier, which is where the codes above come in.
Two details from Apple matter for a trip. The setting only works on GSM networks, and you must be in range of the mobile network when you turn it on, or calls will not be forwarded. That is a good reason to set it up at home, check it with *#21#, and only then switch off data roaming on the line. Apple also blocks links in messages, emails or web pages that try to turn on call forwarding, because scammers use them. Never dial a forwarding code someone sends you.
What a forwarded call can cost
Forwarding is not free by default. Vodafone UK's help page, for example, says diverting to voicemail uses your plan's minutes, and that in a roaming zone where you cannot use your plan like at home, standard call charges apply. Inside the EU, EEA, Moldova and Ukraine, roam like at home means calls you make and receive are charged as at home. Outside that area your operator sets the prices, and the EU rules no longer cap them.
Before a trip outside the EU, ask your operator three questions. Is a forwarded call charged to me, and at what rate? Does it change if I set the forward before leaving or while I am roaming? And if I forward to a number in another country, is that billed as an international call? The answers decide whether forwarding is a cheap convenience or a line on the bill. Our list of questions to ask your operator before travelling covers the rest of the roaming side.
Forwarding and voicemail are the same switch
Voicemail answers the same three cases as the conditional forwards: when you are busy, do not answer or cannot be reached. Vodafone UK's page lists its voicemail options among the diverts for that reason. That has two consequences. Setting a forward on no answer or not reachable can take your voicemail's place. And ##002# cancels every forward, which can switch voicemail off as well, until you restore it with your operator's code or app.
If what worries you is the cost of voicemail on roaming rather than forwarding to a person, read whether voicemail costs money when roaming, which goes through what the EU regulation says about it.
When you get back
Forwards stay on until you remove them, so put a reminder on the day you return. Dial *#21# to check the unconditional forward and ##002# to clear them all, then restore voicemail if it was switched off. On iPhone, turn Call Forwarding off in the same Phone settings and make sure the icon has gone from the status bar. While you are away, keep data roaming off on your usual line and let a travel eSIM such as Snoozim's carry the internet; your number then stays reachable for SMS codes, as explained in getting bank SMS codes abroad.
What is the code to forward all calls?
**21* followed by the number and #, then call. ##21# turns it off and *#21# shows whether it is on.
How do I cancel all call forwarding?
Dial ##002# and press call. It removes every forward, which can include the one that sends calls to your voicemail.
Can I set call forwarding once I am abroad?
Often yes, but Apple says the phone must be in range of the mobile network when you set it, and the charges abroad depend on your operator, so it is simpler to do it at home.
Can I forward my calls to a travel eSIM?
Not to a data-only eSIM, because it has no phone number. Keep your usual line active or use internet calls over data.
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