Forward missed calls on a Verizon phone

Your phone rings first. If you don’t pick up, Verizon sends the call to your answering service instead of voicemail. It takes one short code.

Checked October 20, 2026against Verizon’s own help pages

Before you start, have these

  • The Verizon cell phone your customers call.
  • Your answering service’s number: the number calls go to. With Wakeman, it’s on your Forwarding page.

Turn it on

  1. Open the Phone app and tap Keypad

    If the phone has two lines, pick the business line first.

  2. Dial *71, then the answering number

    All 10 digits, straight after *71, with no 1 in front and no spaces.

    Example, if the answering number is (503) 555-0142*71 503 555 0142

  3. Press Call and wait

    You’ll hear a series of beeps, then the call ends by itself. That means it’s on.

Test it

  1. Call your business number from a different phone

    Not the answering number. That only tests the answering service.

  2. Let it ring. Don’t press decline.

    Declining can count as busy, which is a different setting.

  3. Check who answered

    Your answering service should pick up. If your voicemail answers, forwarding isn’t on yet.

Turn it off

Dial *73 on the same phone and press Call. The tone can sound like a busy signal. That’s normal.

*73
Send every call instead?Your phone stops ringing. Use it once you trust the service.

Dial *72, then the 10-digit answering number, and press Call. *73 turns this off too.

If it didn’t work

  • Dial it on the Verizon phone itself. Verizon says forwarding can only be set from the phone.
  • Check all 10 digits of the answering number, with nothing between them and *71.
  • Outside Verizon’s coverage area the codes may not work. Try again where the phone has Verizon signal.
  • Verizon One Talk, Fios Digital Voice and office phone systems have their own settings.
  • Still stuck? Our team can check it with you.

Good to know

  • Verizon forwards a call you don’t answer after 3 to 6 rings, and a call that comes in while you’re on the phone too.
  • Verizon says most plans have no monthly fee for forwarding, though a fee may apply on some older plans. Without unlimited minutes, forwarded calls use your plan’s minutes.
  • It only forwards to US numbers.

Sources: Verizon’s call forwarding FAQ, checked October 20, 2026; Verizon’s guide to *71 and *72, checked October 20, 2026. Help pages change; the test above shows what your line does today.

Want Wakeman to answer the calls you miss?

Hear it answer as your business first, with no account needed. Once you sign up, your Forwarding page shows the steps for your phone with your Wakeman number already in them.

Hear it answer as my businessGet help checking my forwarding

Already using Wakeman? Open your forwarding page. Plans and what each one answers are on the pricing page. More free tools.