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O2 guide
Call forwarding on O2
How to divert calls you don't answer, check what's set, and turn it off again. Dial these straight from your O2 handset's keypad like a phone number.
Divert calls you don't answer
**61*number#
The one you want for missed calls. Calls you pick up are untouched.
Divert unanswered calls after a set ring time
**61*number**20#
The number before the # is the seconds it rings first. Not every network accepts a custom time.
Check what's currently set
*#61#
Shows the destination and ring time your line is actually using.
Turn off the unanswered-call divert
##61#
Puts unanswered calls back to wherever they went before — usually voicemail.
Replace number with the full number you want calls to go to, including the leading 0. You should hear a confirmation tone or see a “Setting activated” message.
You'll see some networks write these with a single asterisk — *61*number# rather than **61*number#. Both work. The single-star form activates the divert; the double-star form registers the destination as well, which is what makes it survive a reboot on most handsets.
Stopping O2 calls going to voicemail
There is no separate switch for this, which is why it's confusing. Voicemail is simply the destination your network uses for calls you don't pick up. You don't turn voicemail off — you replace it, by pointing unanswered calls at a different number with the **61* code above.
That's also why ##61# appears to “turn voicemail back on”. It doesn't — it just erases your divert, so unanswered calls fall back to O2's default destination, which is voicemail.
If you want unanswered calls to stop reaching you entirely, that's a different setting: divert all calls with **21*, and nothing will ring your handset at all.
The other divert codes
Diverts are set per condition, and each is cancelled separately. These are the standard GSM codes used across UK networks.
| Condition | Turn on | Turn off |
|---|---|---|
| When you don't answer | **61*number# | ##61# |
| Divert every call immediately | **21*number# | ##21# |
| Divert when you're already on a call | **67*number# | ##67# |
| Divert when your phone is off or has no signal | **62*number# | ##62# |
| Turn off every divert at once | — | ##002# |
Setting a divert for one condition doesn't clear the others. If your calls are behaving oddly and you're not sure what's on the line, ##002# clears every divert, and *#61# tells you what the no-answer rule is currently set to.
If the codes don't work on O2
Keypad codes are handled by the network, and not every network or handset accepts every variation — the custom ring time is the one most often rejected. If a code returns an error, use your phone's own menu instead, which sets the same thing:
On iPhone
Settings › Apps › Phone › Call Forwarding. Note that iOS only exposes forwarding for all calls, so the no-answer rule usually has to be set with the keypad code.
On Android
Phone app › the three-dot menu › Settings › Calls › Call forwarding › When unanswered. Multi-SIM handsets ask which SIM first.
Specific to O2
If O2 restores voicemail after a SIM swap, reopen the same menu and point unanswered calls back to the TextTheCaller number.
Pick your handset on the O2 device guides page below, then open Basic settings for the call divert steps for your exact model.
O2's own documentation: O2 device guides
Check it actually worked
A confirmation tone means your handset accepted the code — not that the network applied it. The only reliable check is a real call: ring your O2 number from a different phone and let it ring out without answering. If the divert is working, the call goes to your chosen destination rather than voicemail.
Worth knowing: a SIM swap, a tariff change or an operating system update can silently reset forwarding. If calls start reaching voicemail again after any of those, dial *#61# to see what the line thinks is set.
From the makers of this guide
What changes on an O2 line
Nothing about your number, your tariff or your handset changes. You keep the O2 number that is on your van and in your customers' phones. The only thing that changes is the destination for calls you do not pick up: instead of routing to O2 voicemail, they route to TextTheCaller, which rejects the call immediately and sends your text. Because the call is rejected rather than answered, there is no answering service sitting in the middle of your customer relationships.
If you run a business on an O2 number, every unanswered call currently ends at O2's voicemail. That is fine for personal calls and terrible for business ones: the overwhelming majority of people who ring a trade or a small business will simply hang up and call the next result on Google rather than leave a message. TextTheCaller sends those callers a text from your business name instead, so they know who you are and that you will call back.
What your O2 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.
O2 call forwarding: common questions
Voicemail is just the default destination for calls you don't answer, so you don't switch it off — you point unanswered calls somewhere else instead. Dialling **61* followed by another number and # replaces voicemail as the destination for calls that ring out. To send them back to voicemail later, dial ##61#.
It erases the divert for unanswered calls, so they go back to your network's default destination — normally voicemail. It only affects the no-answer rule. If you also set a divert for all calls or for when you're busy, those stay in place until you cancel them separately, or dial ##002# to clear every divert at once.
A diverted call is billed by the network like a call you made to the destination number, so it may come out of your inclusive minutes or be charged at your standard rate. This is set by O2, not by us, and the rate depends on your tariff. Diverting to voicemail is normally free.
The divert rule stays on your line while roaming, but the charges change and some networks apply restrictions. Check your roaming terms before relying on it abroad, and test it once you've landed rather than assuming.
Unanswered-call forwarding is a standard network feature on O2 lines, so it is generally available across plan types. Pay as you go lines occasionally have forwarding restricted; if the setting will not save, O2 support can confirm whether it is enabled on your line.
O2 can re-provision voicemail settings after a SIM swap or a tariff change, which resets the unanswered-call destination back to voicemail. Reopen your call forwarding settings and point unanswered calls back at TextTheCaller.
Forwarded calls are treated by the network like an outbound call and may use inclusive minutes depending on your tariff. Because TextTheCaller rejects the call the moment it arrives rather than answering it, the forwarded leg is momentary.
Call forwarding on other UK networks
Never lose another O2 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 O2, or any other mobile network. O2 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. The divert codes above are the standard GSM codes used across UK networks; behaviour can vary by network, tariff and handset, and may change without notice — always check the operator's official guidance, linked above, if something doesn't match what you see on your phone.