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Tesco Mobile guide
Call forwarding on Tesco Mobile
How to divert calls you don't answer, check what's set, and turn it off again. Dial these straight from your Tesco Mobile handset's keypad like a phone number. The product behind the setup is the missed call text service.
Last reviewed
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**15#
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 Tesco Mobile 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 Tesco Mobile'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 Tesco Mobile
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.
Tesco Mobile is a virtual network running on O2's infrastructure. Forwarding generally behaves the way it does on O2, but O2 doesn't guarantee every feature is enabled on Tesco Mobile plans — so check with Tesco Mobile rather than O2 if something won't save.
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 Tesco Mobile 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
Tesco Mobile runs on the O2 network
Tesco Mobile is a joint venture using O2's infrastructure, so the underlying call-divert behaviour is O2's and the standard GSM codes are the ones to use. Where MVNOs differ from their host network is in provisioning: the host can support a feature perfectly well while the reseller has not enabled it on every tariff, and that is decided per plan rather than per handset.
Tesco Mobile is one of the biggest MVNOs in the UK and a common choice for a business line kept deliberately cheap. Everything below about diverting unanswered calls applies to a Tesco Mobile line the same way it applies to any other — these are network codes rather than anything specific to a provider.
TextTheCaller doesn't work on Tesco Mobile yet
We have not been able to confirm that diverting unanswered calls to an external number works reliably across Tesco Mobile plans, so we do not sell to Tesco Mobile customers. That is a statement about what we have been able to verify, not a claim that it never works on any Tesco line.
Join the waitlist and we'll email you if that changes. No card, and nothing else to do.
Tesco Mobile 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 Tesco Mobile, 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.
The codes above are the standard GSM ones and Tesco Mobile lines run on O2, which supports the feature. Whether diverting to an external number is enabled on your specific plan is a question for Tesco Mobile, and it is worth asking about "call divert provisioning" specifically rather than call forwarding in general.
Because we have not been able to confirm that it works reliably enough across Tesco Mobile plans to sell it in good conscience. We would rather turn away a customer than take a subscription for something that may not work on their line.
Possibly. Join the waitlist and we will email you if that changes. There is no card and nothing else to do.
Call forwarding on other UK networks
BT Mobile
Lebara
Lyca Mobile
Plusnet Mobile
VOXI
On a different network?
TextTheCaller works on the main UK networks and provides a generic setup for other carriers. If you have a second line on a supported network, it works on that one.
TextTheCaller is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or otherwise connected to Tesco Mobile, O2, or any other mobile network. Tesco Mobile 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.