How to Set Up Call Forwarding on Verizon (2026 Guide)

    Last verified July 2026Sources:Verizon call forwarding FAQsReviewed by Daniel Slovak, EazyAgent AI

    Verizon is a CDMA-heritage carrier, which is why the codes look different from GSM carriers. You dial *72 followed immediately by the 10-digit number — no star, no hash, no separator — then press call. You'll hear a short confirmation tone that tells you forwarding is active.

    The important distinction on Verizon: *72 forwards every single call, while *71 only forwards calls you don't pick up. For a trades business, *71 is almost always the right choice — your phone rings first, and only the calls you miss get sent to your AI receptionist.

    Plan & eligibility on Verizon

    • No monthly fee for call forwarding on current Verizon plans (a fee may apply on some retired plans). Forwarded calls use airtime if your plan doesn't include unlimited talk.
    • Cannot forward calls to international numbers.
    • Setup must be done from the Verizon mobile phone itself — you can't do it from another line.
    Verify on Verizon call forwarding FAQs

    TL;DR — Verizon in 10 seconds

    Turn ON (forward all)

    *72[number]

    Turn OFF

    *73

    Replace [number] with the 10-digit phone number you want calls sent to — no dashes, no country code, no spaces.

    Method A — Dial codes

    The fastest way. Open your phone's dialer, type the code exactly as shown, and press call. You'll hear a short confirmation tone.

    Verify on Verizon call forwarding FAQs
    What it doesActivateDeactivate
    Forward all calls*72[number]*73
    Forward unanswered only*71[number]*73
    • Must be done from the mobile phone itself.
    • Can't forward to international numbers.

    Method B — In-phone settings

    iPhone (Verizon)

    1. Open the Phone app dialer
    2. Type *72 followed immediately by the 10-digit forwarding number (e.g. *725555550123)
    3. Press the green call button
    4. Listen for the confirmation tone, then hang up

    Android (Verizon)

    1. Open the Phone dialer
    2. Enter *72 followed by the 10-digit number, no spaces
    3. Press call
    4. Wait for the confirmation tone

    Forward only your missed calls

    You're on a roof, under a sink, driving between jobs. You don't need every call forwarded — just the ones you can't get to. That's called conditional forwarding, and it's the setup most trades businesses use.

    • Forward when no reply — keep the call ringing on your phone first. If you don't pick up in 15–20 seconds, it forwards.
    • Forward when busy — you're already on a call, the next one still gets answered instead of hitting voicemail.
    • Forward when unreachable — you're in a basement or a dead zone. The call still gets picked up.

    Combine all three and no caller ever hits voicemail again — but you still answer the calls you're free to take.

    Verizon call forwarding not working?

    Verify on Verizon call forwarding FAQs

    • You must dial the code from the Verizon line itself — you can't set forwarding remotely with codes.

    • Verizon uses *73 to turn OFF both *72 (all calls) and *71 (unanswered only) — there's no separate deactivation code.

    • If the code won't go through, try temporarily turning off Wi-Fi Calling and dialing again, then re-enable it — a common troubleshooting step, though not documented by Verizon.

    • Must be done from the mobile phone itself.

    • Can't forward to international numbers.

    • Make sure you entered a raw 10-digit number — no +1, no dashes, no spaces.

    • Dial the deactivate code first, wait 10 seconds, then re-enter the activate code.

    • If voicemail keeps catching the call, your voicemail is answering faster than forwarding activates. Ask Verizon to raise your ring timer or use "no reply" forwarding with a longer delay where supported.

    • Restart your phone after enabling — some devices cache the old routing.

    Where should you forward your Verizon calls?

    Forwarding only works if you have a number to forward to. That's EazyAgent — a dedicated AI receptionist line that answers every call you miss, captures the caller's name, number, and job details, and drops the lead straight into your pipeline.

    Busy/no-answer forwarding is also exactly how overflow call answering works — your second and third simultaneous callers get a real conversation instead of a busy tone. And because every captured call is ranked by urgency, you always know which caller to return first.

    Get your forwarding number →No forms. No sales call.

    See what missed calls are costing you

    Your Numbers

    Adjust to match your business. Results update live.

    12

    In a 411 Locals study of 85 small businesses, only 38% of inbound calls were answered live — the rest hit voicemail or rang out

    $

    What an average job is worth to you

    35%

    % of qualified leads you'd normally close

    Revenue Going to Your Competition

    $92,820

    Per year in missed jobs

    Weekly Missed

    $1,785

    Monthly Missed

    $7,729

    EazyAgent starts at $468/year.

    Catching just 2 missed jobs per year pays for it.

    Stop Losing These Jobs →

    Verizon Call Forwarding FAQ

    Dial *72[number] from your Verizon phone. To turn it off, dial *73.

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