What call forwarding does and why you might want to stop it
Call forwarding is a phone setting that sends incoming calls to a different number instead of ringing your iPhone. When it's on, someone calling you might reach a different phone, voicemail, or another person entirely — and you won't see the call come through on your device at all.
You may have turned it on to redirect calls while traveling, during work hours, or to send calls to an assistant or family member. Once you no longer need it, the setting stays active unless you turn it off. Many people forget they enabled it and wonder why calls aren't reaching them normally.
Disabling call forwarding takes less than a minute and works the same way on any recent iPhone model running iOS 15 or later.
Key Takeaways
- Call forwarding redirects your incoming calls to another phone number, so callers reach that number instead of your iPhone.
- You turn off call forwarding through Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding, then toggle it off.
- If you see "Call Forwarding On" in the status bar at the top of your screen, that's the quickest sign the feature is active.
- Some carriers let you manage call forwarding through their website or app, but the iPhone Settings method works regardless of carrier.
- If you can't find the Call Forwarding option, your carrier may not support it or your plan may not include it.
Open Settings and navigate to the Phone menu
Tap the Settings app on your home screen — it's the gray icon with white gears. Scroll down and tap Phone. You'll see several phone-related options including Voicemail, Silence Unknown Callers, and Call Forwarding.
If you don't see a Phone option in Settings, your carrier may not support call forwarding on your plan, or your iPhone model may not have access to this feature. This is rare but happens with some regional carriers or older plans.
Turn off the Call Forwarding toggle
Tap Call Forwarding. You'll see a toggle switch next to it. If the toggle is green and switched to the right, call forwarding is currently on. Tap the toggle to switch it to the left — it will turn gray and move to the off position.
That's all you need to do. Your iPhone will when ready stop forwarding calls to the other number. Any calls that come in from now on will ring your iPhone normally.
Confirm the change took effect
Look at the very top of your iPhone screen, in the status bar. If you previously saw a small icon or the words "Call Forwarding On," it should now be gone. This confirms the setting is off.
Make a test call from another phone to your iPhone number if you want to be certain. Your iPhone should ring normally instead of sending the call elsewhere. If it still doesn't ring and you don't see a missed call notification, call forwarding may still be active — go back to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding and verify the toggle is all the way off.
What to do if Call Forwarding doesn't appear in Settings
If you navigate to Settings > Phone but don't see Call Forwarding listed, your carrier may not support the feature on your account. Contact your carrier's customer service — you can usually find the number on your bill or on their website — and ask whether call forwarding is included in your plan.
Some carriers require you to add call forwarding as a feature before you can use it, or they may manage it through their own app instead of the iPhone Settings menu. Your carrier can tell you whether it's available and how to turn it on or off if it is.
Managing call forwarding through your carrier's app or website
Many carriers including Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile let you control call forwarding through their official app or website as an alternative to using iPhone Settings. If you prefer to manage it that way, open your carrier's app, look for a Phone Settings or Call Management section, and find the call forwarding option there.
The iPhone Settings method and the carrier method do the same thing — they both turn the feature on or off at the carrier level. You only need to use one. If you turn it off in Settings, you don't need to turn it off again in your carrier's app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will turning off call forwarding delete the number I was forwarding to?
No. The number you set up for forwarding stays saved in your iPhone settings. If you turn call forwarding back on later, it will forward to that same number again. You can change it anytime by going back to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding and entering a new number.
Can I turn off call forwarding for only certain callers?
Call forwarding as a setting applies to all incoming calls — you can't pick and choose which callers get forwarded. If you want to send some calls to voicemail or another person, use Do Not Disturb, Focus modes, or contact your carrier about conditional call forwarding, which some carriers offer as a separate feature.
What if my iPhone shows "Call Forwarding On" but I didn't turn it on?
Someone else with access to your phone may have enabled it, or it may have been set up by your carrier or workplace. Go to Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding and turn off the toggle. If it keeps turning back on by itself, contact your carrier to check whether they've set it up on your account.
Does turning off call forwarding affect my voicemail?
No. Call forwarding and voicemail are separate features. Turning off call forwarding means calls ring your iPhone instead of going to another number, but voicemail still works normally — callers can still leave messages if you don't answer.
Can I set up call forwarding to forward only during certain hours?
The standard iPhone call forwarding feature forwards all calls all the time. Some carriers offer conditional call forwarding that lets you set rules by time of day or caller type, but you'd set that up through your carrier's app or by calling their customer service, not through iPhone Settings.