How to forward unanswered calls on an Australian mobile

What you want: forward only the calls you miss

For missed-call text back, voicemail replacements and answering services, you don't want every call forwarded. You want your phone to ring as normal and only send calls on when you don't pick up, you're busy, or you have no signal. This is called conditional call forwarding.

Most Australian mobile networks, including Telstra, Optus and Vodafone, support the standard dial codes below. Type them into your phone's keypad like a phone number and press call.

The codes

Replace NUMBER with the number you want calls forwarded to, including the area or country code.

Changing how long it rings first

Many networks let you set how long your phone rings before forwarding, from 5 to 30 seconds. Add the number of seconds to the no-answer code, for example **61*NUMBER**20# for 20 seconds. If your network doesn't accept it, the default is usually around 15 to 20 seconds.

The iPhone setting to avoid

On an iPhone, Settings > Phone > Call Forwarding forwards every call, so your phone never rings at all. For missed-call text back, don't use it. Use the dial codes above instead, which only forward the calls you miss.

If a code doesn't work

• Check you included the full number with no spaces.
• Some prepaid plans and MVNOs limit forwarding. Your carrier can switch it on.
• If voicemail keeps picking up first, the conditional forward may still be pointing at voicemail. Dial ##004# to clear it, then set it again.

With LeadBack

When you sign up, LeadBack texts you your forwarding code with your number already filled in, so you just tap it and press call. It takes about two minutes.