How to Start and Stop Call Forwarding on Airtel, BSNL, Jio and Vi | Step-by-Step Guide

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Vodafone Idea (Vi), Airtel and Jio, India’s top telecom service providers (TSPs), offer call forwarding services to their subscribers. You can activate the same by entering one of the codes given below, follow by a phone number of their choice.

This same can be deactivate by using their corresponding codes.

Vi and Jio offer four types of call forwarding, each meant to redirect incoming calls in a particular situation.

What is Call Forwarding Code?

The call forwarding feature codes allow users to redirect calls to another contact number by simply dialing a code on their phone’s dialer.

You can choose to activate or deactivate the feature by inserting different codes, depending on your TSP.

Call Forwarding Code comes in handy in situations where your SIM is not in the network coverage area, your phone is switch off, or you’re not available to take a call.

The calls can be forward to either a landline, another phone, or your voicemail.

When you dial the corresponding code with the number and country code you wish to redirect the calls to, from your primary phone, you will stop receiving calls till you deactivate the same.

To do same, you will have to dial a different call forwarding code, given below.

Some telcos also offer 4 types of call forwarding, each one having a different code, for specific purposes.

First is Unconditional Call Forwarding, which redirects all incoming calls, and second is Call Forwarding When Busy, for times when you’re on another call.

Many TSPs also allow Call Forwarding When Not Answer and Call Forwarding When Unreachable, which redirects calls when you don’t pick up a call and when you’re out of the network coverage area.

How to Start and Stop Call Forwarding?

You can activate and deactivate call forwarding using USSD codes on your mobile phone.

Keep remember that you will need different codes for each telecom provider, so if you have two SIMs from Vi and Airtel, you will need to use the correct code for each SIM card.

Vodafone Idea (Vi)

Follow These Steps:

1. To activate Unconditional Call Forwarding, you can open your phone’s dialer and call “21#”.
2. To deactivate it, users can type “##21#” in the dialer and press the call button.
3. For Call Forwarding When Busy, you can activate it by calling “67#” and deactivate it with “##67#”.
4. To activate Call Forwarding When Not Answered, the corresponding code is “62#”.
5. The deactivation code is “##61#”.
6. Finally, you can dial “62#” to activate Call Forwarding When Unreachable, which can be deactivate by calling “##62#”.

Airtel

As Airtel does not allow users to call forwarding of types, you can still redirect all your calls.

Follow These Steps:

1. Same like Vi subscribers, Airtel users should also open the Phone app on their handsets.
2. Dial *21 follow by the contact number they want to redirect their calls to with the country code. 
3. Tap the call button after following the above-mention steps.
4. You will receive a confirmation message or a tone on their primary handset once call forwarding has been successfully activate.
5. To deactivate it, Airtel subscribers can dial ##21# and press the call button.
6. A similar confirmation message or a tone will be sent to their phones.

Jio

Follow These Steps:

1. Open the Phone app. 
2. Type *401 follow by the ten-digit contact number of your choice to redirect all incoming calls.
3. For deactivation, again open the phone app –> enter *402 and press the dial button.
4. The same step can be repeat for Call Forwarding on No Reply by typing *403 <ten-digital phone number>.
5. It can be deactivate by dialling *404.
6. For Call Forwarding on Number Busy, you can dial *405 <ten-digit phone number> and deactivate it by calling *406.
7. Finally, Call Forwarding on Number Not Reachable can be activate by dialling *409 <ten-digit contact number>.
8. Call forwarding can be stop by calling *410.

BSNL

Follow These Steps:

1. Open the phone app on your phone.
2. To forward all calls, dial **21** <ten-digital phone number> # OK Enter ##21#OK.
3. To forward calls while you are speaking to Someone else, dial **67* <ten-digital phone number> # OK Enter ##67#OK.
4. To forward calls if you don’t answer the incoming calls, enter **61* <ten-digital phone number> #OK Enter ##61#OK.
5. To forward calls if your CellOne phone is switch off or is out of reach, enter **62* <ten-digital phone number> #OK Enter ##62#OK.
6. To cancel all preset conditions, enter ##002#OK.