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For giffgaff customers
Missed call text service for giffgaff
giffgaff is one of the most popular choices for sole traders and one-van businesses, because the SIM-only goodybags are cheap and there is no contract. What giffgaff does not solve is the missed call. Every job you cannot answer for goes to voicemail, and voicemail is where those jobs quietly die. TextTheCaller sends the caller a text from your business name instead.
giffgaff runs on the O2 network
giffgaff is an MVNO that uses O2's network, which is good news for setup: unanswered-call forwarding is a standard network feature and works the same way it does on a direct O2 line. giffgaff publishes its own call forwarding guide, with separate walkthroughs for iPhone and Android. Follow whichever matches your handset, and use the TextTheCaller forwarding number as the destination for unanswered calls only.
Worth knowing: giffgaff is a virtual network that runs on O2's infrastructure, so unanswered-call forwarding behaves the same way it does on a direct O2 line.
Setup
Setting it up on giffgaff
giffgaff publishes a dedicated call forwarding guide, including the unanswered-call option.
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1
Open the Phone app or your handset settings and find Call forwarding or Call divert.
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2
Choose the rule for When unanswered or No answer only. Do not turn on Always forward.
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3
Enter your TextTheCaller forwarding number. You get it the moment you sign up, together with the exact dial code for your network.
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4
If your phone asks for a delay before forwarding, use 20 seconds.
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5
Save the change and place a quick test call from another number.
You'll get the exact forwarding number and the dial code for your line when you sign up — the placeholders above are filled in for you.
giffgaff shows separate guides for iPhone and Android. If you get stuck, use the linked guide and then swap in the TextTheCaller number.
giffgaff's own documentation: giffgaff call forwarding guide
What your giffgaff caller receives
An SMS from your business name — not a number they don't recognise — with whatever message you've written, delivered within seconds of the call going unanswered. We never answer the call itself: your network forwards it to us, we reject it immediately, and the text goes out. There is no receptionist, phone menu or hold music between you and your customer.
Because it sends from your business name rather than a phone number, the message is one-way — the caller can't reply to it. That's why a good text-back gives them something they can act on instead: a booking link, an email address, or simply when you'll ring them back.
Mobile numbers only
Landlines, withheld and international callers are skipped, so you never burn a text on a number that can't receive one.
One text per caller
The same person calling repeatedly gets one message every 7 days, not one per call.
50 texts a month
Included in the £6.49/month price. No per-text charges and no surprise bills.
Missed call texts on giffgaff: common questions
Yes. Call forwarding for unanswered calls is a network feature rather than something bundled into a particular goodybag, so it is available regardless of which one you are on.
Not at all, and it works in your favour — there is nothing to renegotiate. TextTheCaller has no contract either, so you can stop both independently whenever you want.
The forwarded leg may draw on your allowance depending on your goodybag. Because the call is rejected the instant it reaches us rather than being answered, that leg is momentary.
Other UK networks
Never lose another giffgaff call to voicemail
Keep your number. Two minutes to set up. Cancel whenever you like.
7 days free, then £6.49/mo. Cancel any time.
TextTheCaller is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or otherwise connected to giffgaff, O2, or any other mobile network. giffgaff and all other network names and logos are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe which networks this service works with. Setup instructions are provided in good faith and may change if the network changes its own settings — always check the operator's official guidance, linked above, if something doesn't match what you see on your phone.