Call forwarding unconditional isn’t inherently bad, but it carries real risks that conditional forwarding doesn’t. It redirects every incoming call to another number instantly, without ringing your phone first. That means you lose control over which calls reach you and which get forwarded, and it creates a security vulnerability that scammers actively exploit to hijack accounts.
How It Differs From Conditional Forwarding
Conditional call forwarding only kicks in under specific circumstances: your line is busy, you don’t answer, or your phone is unreachable (turned off or out of range). Your phone still rings first, and you still have the chance to pick up. Unconditional forwarding skips all of that. Every call goes straight to the forwarding number, regardless of whether your phone is on, available, or sitting right in front of you.
This distinction matters because conditional forwarding acts as a safety net, catching calls you genuinely can’t take. Unconditional forwarding replaces your phone entirely as a point of contact. Anyone calling your number gets redirected without knowing it, and you never see the incoming call at all.
The Real Security Problem
The biggest reason unconditional call forwarding has a bad reputation is that scammers use it to intercept verification codes. Many services, including WhatsApp, offer the option to receive one-time passwords through an automated voice call instead of a text message. If your calls are being forwarded to an attacker’s number, they receive that voice call and the code with it.
The attack works like this: a scammer convinces you to dial a code that starts with something like **67* or *405* followed by their phone number. These are MMI codes, short command strings that tell your carrier to activate call forwarding. You may not realize what the code does. Once forwarding is active, the attacker initiates a login or account registration on their device, requests the verification code by voice call, and intercepts it through your forwarded line. In the case of WhatsApp, researchers found that attackers can then enable two-factor authentication on their end, locking the real owner out entirely.
India’s government issued a public warning about a version of this scam where criminals pose as delivery or courier agents. They contact people claiming to confirm or reschedule a package, then send an SMS with a code starting with *21* followed by a phone number. Dialing that code activates unconditional call forwarding to the scammer’s device. The victim has no idea their calls are now being routed elsewhere.
What You Lose When It’s Active
Beyond the security angle, unconditional forwarding creates practical problems. You stop receiving any calls directly. If someone tries to reach you, your phone won’t ring, won’t show a missed call notification, and won’t log the attempt in your call history. The caller is silently redirected and usually has no idea they’re not reaching your actual device.
Voicemail behavior changes too. Your carrier voicemail won’t pick up calls that never reach your phone in the first place. If the forwarding destination doesn’t answer, the call may go to that number’s voicemail instead, meaning messages end up in someone else’s inbox. This can cause you to miss important calls without any trace that they happened.
How to Check if It’s Turned On
On iPhones, a small call forwarding icon appears in the status bar when the feature is active. That’s the quickest visual check. On both iPhones and Android phones, you can also use GSM codes dialed from your phone app:
- *#21# checks unconditional forwarding status
- *#67# checks forwarding when your line is busy
- *#61# checks forwarding when you don’t answer
- *#62# checks forwarding when your phone is unreachable
Dial any of these and press call. Your phone will display whether forwarding is active and, if so, what number your calls are being sent to. If you see a number you don’t recognize, forwarding was likely enabled without your knowledge.
How to Turn It Off
On most U.S. carriers, dialing *73 from your phone deactivates immediate call forwarding. You can also go into your phone’s settings: on iPhone, it’s under Phone > Call Forwarding; on Android, it’s typically under Phone app > Settings > Calling accounts > Call forwarding. Turn the toggle off or clear the forwarding number.
If *73 doesn’t work or you don’t have access to your device, contacting your carrier’s customer service is the fallback option. They can remove all forwarding settings from their end.
When It’s Actually Useful
Unconditional forwarding isn’t always a mistake. Businesses use it deliberately when routing calls to a call center or answering service. If you’re switching phones temporarily, forwarding everything to your new number keeps you reachable during the transition. Some people activate it when traveling internationally to route calls to a local number and avoid roaming charges.
The key difference between helpful and harmful is intent and awareness. If you set it up yourself, know the destination number, and plan to turn it off when you’re done, it works fine. The danger comes when it’s activated without your knowledge, stays on longer than intended, or routes calls to a number you don’t control. If you don’t have a specific reason to forward every call, conditional forwarding is almost always the safer choice, since it only activates when your phone genuinely can’t take the call.