iPhone Call Forwarding for Business: Why It's Not Enough (And What to Use Instead)

The Search That Led You Here

You're probably searching for how to set up call forwarding on your iPhone because you've got a practical problem: you can't always answer your phone, and you're missing important calls.

Maybe you're a tradesperson who can't pick up while working. Maybe you run a small business and want calls to reach you on multiple devices. Maybe you just need your business calls to go somewhere when you're unavailable.

iPhone call forwarding seems like the obvious solution. And for personal use, it often is.

But if you're running a business, basic iPhone call forwarding has significant limitations that most people discover only after setting it up. This guide covers both: how to enable call forwarding on your iPhone, and why you'll probably want something more powerful.

How to Set Up Call Forwarding on iPhone

Let's start with what you're looking for. Here's how to enable call forwarding on any iPhone:

Basic Call Forwarding (All Calls)

Open Settings
Tap Phone
Tap Call Forwarding
Toggle Call Forwarding to ON
Enter the number you want calls forwarded to
Tap Back to save

That's it. All incoming calls will now forward to the number you entered.

Important notes:

Your carrier must support call forwarding (most do)
You may be charged for forwarded calls as outgoing calls
Call forwarding only works when your phone is on a cellular network (not on aeroplane mode)
When enabled, you'll see a phone icon in your status bar

Conditional Call Forwarding

Some carriers support conditional forwarding—calls only forward in specific situations:

Call Forward When Busy: Dial *67*[forwarding number]# and press Call

Call Forward When No Answer: Dial *61*[forwarding number]# and press Call

Call Forward When Unreachable: Dial *62*[forwarding number]# and press Call

To disable conditional forwarding, dial ## followed by the relevant code (e.g., ##61# to cancel no-answer forwarding).

These codes work on most UK carriers. If they don't work, contact your carrier for their specific codes.

The Forwarding Chain

With iPhone call forwarding, calls follow this path:

Customer calls your number → iPhone forwards to new number → New phone rings

If the new number doesn't answer? Voicemail on THAT phone (not your iPhone). This is where problems start for businesses.

Why iPhone Call Forwarding Falls Short for Business

Now that you know how to set it up, here's why basic call forwarding often disappoints business users:

Problem 1: You Still Need Someone to Answer

Call forwarding doesn't answer calls. It redirects them. If you forward to your home phone but you're not home, the call goes to your home phone's voicemail. If you forward to a colleague but they're busy, same problem.

The business reality: You need calls ANSWERED, not just forwarded somewhere else where they'll also go unanswered.

Problem 2: No Caller Context

When a forwarded call comes in, you see it's forwarded (maybe), but you have no idea who's calling or why. You answer blind.

The business reality: You can't prioritise. The call might be a sales pitch or a £10,000 customer—you won't know until you answer.

Problem 3: All or Nothing

iPhone call forwarding is binary: either ALL calls forward, or none do. You can't say "forward calls when I'm in a meeting" or "forward only during business hours" or "forward new enquiries but ring through for existing clients."

The business reality: You need different handling for different situations and different callers.

Problem 4: Voicemail Lands in the Wrong Place

When calls forward to another number, voicemail is handled by that number's voicemail, not yours. If you forward to a mobile, voicemails go to that mobile's voicemail. If you forward to a landline, voicemails go there.

The business reality: You end up checking multiple voicemail boxes, missing messages, and confusing yourself.

Problem 5: No Professional Greeting

Callers hear your personal voicemail or the voicemail of wherever calls forward to. There's no "Thank you for calling Smith's Plumbing, we're currently helping other customers..."

The business reality: You sound like what you are—one person with a mobile phone—rather than a professional business.

Problem 6: No Call Qualification

Every call is treated identically. An emergency gets the same handling as a routine enquiry. A high-value potential customer gets the same greeting as a spam call.

The business reality: Emergencies wait in voicemail. Hot leads go cold. You waste time on calls that could have been filtered.

Problem 7: No Analytics

You have no idea how many calls you're missing, when they're coming in, or what they're about.

The business reality: You're flying blind on one of your most important customer touchpoints.

The Upgraded Path: Virtual Phone Number

A virtual phone number solves these problems. It's what call forwarding should be, but built for business.

Here's the difference:

iPhone call forwarding: Customer calls → Phone forwards → Another phone rings → Someone answers (maybe) or voicemail

Virtual phone number: Customer calls → Intelligent system answers → Customer is greeted, qualified, and helped → Information captured → Call forwarded when appropriate

The key difference: with a virtual phone number, every call is ANSWERED. Then, based on what the caller needs, different things happen.

What a Virtual Phone Number Does That iPhone Can't

Answers Every Call

No voicemail, no "please hold," no "your call is important to us." An intelligent system actually engages with the caller:

"Thank you for calling Johnson Electrical. I can help you today. Is this for an emergency, a quote, or a general enquiry?"

Qualifies Before Forwarding

Before the call reaches you, the system understands what it's about:

Emergency? Forwarded to you immediately
Quote request? Details captured, callback scheduled
Existing customer? Routed to the right person
Spam? Handled without wasting your time

Handles Different Situations Differently

During work hours: Full service, immediate callback promises After hours: Emergency-only forwarding, next-day callbacks for everything else When you're in a meeting: All calls handled, summaries sent via text When you're available: Option to accept calls directly

Provides Professional Greeting

Every caller hears a professional greeting customised for your business. No personal voicemail, no carrier-default message, no "please leave a message after the tone."

Captures Complete Information

When calls can't reach you directly, the system captures:

Caller name and number
What they're calling about
Urgency level
Best time to call back
Any details they want to share

You get this as a text, email, or app notification—immediately.

Gives You Data

See exactly what's happening with your calls:

How many calls per day/week/month
What times calls come in
How many go to voicemail vs. handled
Average call duration
Common enquiry types

Cost Comparison: iPhone vs. Virtual Phone Number

iPhone call forwarding:

Cost: Included with your plan (usually)
But: Forwarded calls may be charged as outgoing calls
And: No actual call answering—just redirection

Virtual phone number:

Cost: £30-60/month typically
Includes: Actual call answering, qualification, routing, notifications, analytics
Value: If it captures ONE new customer who'd otherwise have hung up, it pays for itself

For perspective: a virtual phone number costs about the same as two takeaway coffees per week. If it captures even one additional customer per month, the ROI is typically 10-50x the cost.

When iPhone Call Forwarding Is Actually Fine

To be fair, basic call forwarding works well in some situations:

Personal use: Forwarding calls from your old number to your new one while you transition Holiday coverage: Forwarding to a colleague when you're on leave Temporary situations: Short-term redirection while you're unavailable Simple backup: Having calls go to a secondary personal device

If you're a sole trader who only gets a few calls per day, and you're fine with voicemail for anything you miss, iPhone call forwarding might be enough.

But if missed calls mean lost business, you'll quickly hit its limitations.

Making the Switch: What's Involved

If you decide a virtual phone number makes more sense, here's what the switch looks like:

Option 1: New number for business

Get a virtual phone number (local or memorable)
Use this number on all marketing materials
Keep your personal mobile separate
Calls to business number handled professionally

Option 2: Forward existing number

Set up a virtual phone number
Forward your current number to the virtual number
Virtual system handles all incoming calls
You answer when available, system handles when you're not

Option 3: Port your number

Move your current business number to the virtual phone service
All calls now handled by the intelligent system
You receive forwarded calls on any device you choose

Most businesses start with Option 1 or 2, keeping their setup simple while testing the service.

Setup Time: Minutes, Not Days

Unlike traditional phone systems that require hardware, engineers, and installation:

Virtual phone number setup:

Sign up online (2 minutes)
Choose your number (1 minute)
Record or create your greeting (5 minutes)
Set your call handling rules (5 minutes)
Start receiving calls (immediate)

No phone lines to install. No hardware to configure. No contracts with BT. You can be running in under 15 minutes.

The Question to Ask Yourself

Before deciding, ask this:

In the last month, how many calls did you miss while working, driving, or otherwise busy?

If the answer is "rarely" and missed calls don't affect your business, iPhone call forwarding is probably fine.

If the answer is "regularly" and each missed call could be a customer, you're paying a hidden cost every day. A proper virtual phone number isn't an expense—it's an investment that pays back every time it captures a caller who'd otherwise have hung up.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	iPhone Call Forwarding	Virtual Phone Number
Cost	Included (usually)	£30-60/month
Answers calls	No	Yes
Professional greeting	No	Yes
Qualifies callers	No	Yes
Emergency detection	No	Yes
After-hours handling	No	Yes
Call analytics	No	Yes
Information capture	No	Yes
Multi-situation rules	Limited	Yes
Setup time	2 minutes	15 minutes

Getting Started

If basic call forwarding is enough for you, the instructions at the top of this article have you covered.

If you want something more powerful—calls answered professionally, information captured, and callers handled even when you can't pick up—explore virtual phone number options.

The technology has evolved dramatically in recent years. What once required expensive PBX systems and dedicated staff is now available for the cost of a few coffees per week. And for businesses that depend on phone enquiries, it's often the difference between growing and standing still.

Questions about upgrading from iPhone call forwarding to a proper business phone system? Our support team can explain your options.