Wondering why call forwarding is not working on your iPhone?
Call forwarding is a convenient feature that allows you to forward your calls to another person in instances where you are unavailable.
Yet, the convenience of call forwarding may not always work as expected on your iPhone.
This problem has been around for years. Many iOS versions later and iPhone owners are still experiencing this issue.
To help out, we will show you how to fix call forwarding if it’s not working on your iPhone.
Let’s begin!
1. Check Your Settings.
Before doing anything, ensure that call forwarding is set up on your iPhone. Call forwarding is not enabled by default, and you must set it up manually.
Here’s how you can enable call forwarding:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Now, tap on Phone.
- Find Call Forwarding and tap on it.
- Tap the toggle switch to enable the feature.
Note
- Call forwarding can be set up if you have cellular service through a GSM network.
- If you use a CDMA network, you must contact your carrier to enable call forwarding.
- You must be within your carrier’s cellular signal range when enabling call forwarding.
- Your carrier can set up conditional call forwarding (when your line is busy or out of service) if they support it.
Once done, ask a friend to call you and check if call forwarding works.
2. Toggle Airplane Mode On/Off.
Try toggling Airplane mode on/off on your iPhone. This should force your device to renew the connection with your carrier, ensuring you get enough reception.
Note
Enabling Airplane mode also turns off all wireless functions on your iPhone, including Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Swipe downwards from the upper right corner of your screen.
- In the Control Center, tap the Airplane icon beside Cellular Data.
- After 2-3 minutes, tap the Airplane icon again to disable Airplane Mode.
Check if call forwarding works afterward.
3. Disable Cellular Data.
Another thing you can check is cellular data. If the version of iOS on your iPhone has an issue with cellular data, it can get in the way of call forwarding.
Follow the guide below to turn off cellular data:
- Go to your home screen and open Settings.
- Now, tap on Cellular.
- Tap the toggle switch next to Cellular Data.
Note
- The toggle switch should turn green once cellular data is enabled.
- An LTE / 5G icon will appear beside the signal indicator when cellular data is enabled.
Ask a friend to call you and see if call forwarding works.
4. Restart Your iPhone.
You can also try restarting your iPhone if call forwarding doesn’t work.
This should reload your system resources, resolving any errors that occurred during runtime. Restarting your phone also clears corrupted and unused data from the system memory.
If you are using an iPhone X, 11, 12, 13, 14, or later, here’s what you need to do:
- Hold the Volume Down and Side buttons until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt appears.
- Now, drag the slider to the right and wait for 30 seconds.
- Press the Side button afterward to turn on your device.
For older models, follow the steps below:
- Locate the Power button on your device.
- Hold the button until the ‘Slide to Power Off’ prompt appears.
- Drag the slider to the right and wait 30 seconds before turning on your device.
Once done, try using call forwarding again. Proceed to the next step if the feature still doesn’t work.
5. Check Your Plan/Subscription.
Receiving calls is free. However, forwarding it to another mobile number is not.
If call forwarding is not working on your iPhone, check if your forwarding number has an active voice call plan.
For postpaid users, confirm if your current plan includes call forwarding.
If you use a prepaid number, ensure you have enough balance to call or subscribe to a voice call promo.
6. Update Your iPhone.
There might be a problem with your iPhone’s software related to call forwarding or phone calls.
To fix this, install the latest version of iOS available for your device to patch possible bugs and errors.
Here’s how you can update your iPhone:
- Open Settings on your iPhone.
- Navigate to General > Software Update.
- If there’s a new iOS version available, tap Download and Install.
- Once the new software is ready, follow the prompts to install the update.
Note
- Your device can restart several times while installing the update.
- Ensure your iPhone has at least 50% battery before installing updates. It’s best to keep your device plugged into the wall charger to avoid interruptions.
- Allow at least 15 minutes for the update to install, especially if it’s a major update (iOS 14 to iOS 15).
Use call forwarding again to check if the problem is solved.
7. Reset Network Settings.
If none of the solutions above worked, we suggest resetting your network settings.
There might be some conflicts with your iPhone’s settings that prevent calls from being diverted to your assigned phone number.
Here’s what you need to do:
- On your iPhone, go to the main menu and open Settings.
- Now, tap on General.
- Look for Transfer or Reset iPhone and tap on it.
- Tap the Reset option and select Reset Network Settings.
- Follow the prompts to continue.
Note
- Your iPhone will immediately restart upon resetting your network configurations.
- It may appear to be stuck in the Apple logo. Wait for the process to complete, which usually takes 5 to 10 minutes.
Ask someone you know to call your number and see if it will get diverted to your assigned number.
That ends our guide for fixing call forwarding if it’s not working on your iPhone.
If you have questions or other concerns, please let us know in the comment section, and we’ll do our best to respond.
