Phone Setup & Call Forwarding
Configure conditional call forwarding so missed calls reach Ringback automatically.
Which setup matches your phone system?
Personal Cell Phone
Calls and texts go straight to your own mobile number
Cloud Phone System (VoIP)
RingCentral, Grasshopper, Quo (OpenPhone), Nextiva, Vonage, Google Voice, Dialpad, Ooma and others
Office Line or PBX
A business landline, or a desk phone system like Panasonic, Avaya, Cisco or 3CX
Personal Cell Phone
Calls and texts go straight to your own mobile number
📝 Step-by-Step
Open the Phone app keypad (not Settings)
Dial your carrier's code with your 10-digit Ringback number in place of NUMBER, then press call
Wait for the confirmation tone or message
Test: call your number from another phone and let it ring out
Check the Ringback dashboard: the lead should appear within 2 minutes
📱 Carrier Codes (Dial from Phone App)
Dial these codes directly from your phone keypad. Replace RINGBACK_NUMBER with your Ringback number.
| Carrier | Code | Action | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT&T / T-Mobile | **004*1NUMBER#RINGBACK_NUMBER# | Forward no answer, busy and unreachable (recommended) | *72+12145550199# |
| AT&T / T-Mobile | **61*1NUMBER**20#RINGBACK_NUMBER# | Forward no answer only, after 20 seconds | *72+12145550199# |
| AT&T / T-Mobile | *#61#RINGBACK_NUMBER# | Check where no-answer calls go | *72+12145550199# |
| AT&T / T-Mobile | ##004#RINGBACK_NUMBER# | Cancel conditional forwarding | *72+12145550199# |
| Verizon | *71NUMBERRINGBACK_NUMBER# | Forward no answer and busy (recommended) | *72+12145550199# |
| Verizon | *73RINGBACK_NUMBER# | Cancel forwarding | *72+12145550199# |
* To cancel: AT&T/T-Mobile dial ##002# or ##61#/##62#/##67# | Verizon dial *73
💡 Important Notes
- Don't use the iPhone Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding switch: it forwards every call, so your phone stops ringing
- Don't use *72 (Verizon) or **21* (AT&T, T-Mobile): they also forward every call
- Other carriers (Cricket, Metro, Visible, Mint…) usually use the AT&T / T-Mobile codes or their own app. Search "conditional call forwarding" plus the carrier name
- Your phone still rings normally. Only missed calls forward
🔧 Common Issues
Code says 'Invalid MMI code'
Dial it from the Phone app keypad, not from contacts. Check the code matches your carrier; some prepaid carriers set forwarding in their app instead.
Calls still go to voicemail
Your voicemail answers first. Use the no-answer code with a ring time (for example **61*1NUMBER**20#), or ask your carrier to turn off voicemail.
Forwarding works but no lead appears
Check that you forwarded to your Ringback number exactly. It's shown in Settings → Call forwarding.
Cloud Phone System (VoIP)
RingCentral, Grasshopper, Quo (OpenPhone), Nextiva, Vonage, Google Voice, Dialpad, Ooma and others
📝 Step-by-Step
Sign in to your phone system's admin portal or app
Open the call handling settings for your main business number
Find the rule for unanswered calls (often called 'unanswered calls', 'no answer' or 'call flow')
Forward unanswered calls to an external number: your Ringback number, after about 20 seconds
Turn on 'show original caller ID' if your system has that option
Turn off your provider's own missed-call auto-text if it has one (Grasshopper Instant Response, Quo auto-replies)
Test: call your business number from another phone and let it ring out
💡 Important Notes
- Settings → Call forwarding in your Ringback account has step-by-step instructions for each provider
- Your app, your number and your team's phones stay the same. Ringback only handles the calls nobody answers
- Grasshopper: set forwarding on the cell phones Grasshopper rings, using your carrier's code
- RingCentral: a direct API connection with no forwarding is in beta. Ask us if you'd like to try it
🔧 Common Issues
No text was sent after a test call
Your system may show its own number instead of the caller's. Turn on 'show original caller ID' (Vonage, Google Voice and some PBXs). Settings → Call forwarding shows a warning when this happens.
The caller got two texts
Turn off your provider's built-in missed-call text (Grasshopper Instant Response, Quo auto-replies).
Calls loop back to Ringback
Make sure the forwarding destination is your Ringback number, not your business number.
Office Line or PBX
A business landline, or a desk phone system like Panasonic, Avaya, Cisco or 3CX
📝 Step-by-Step
Business landline: call your phone company and ask for 'Call Forward No Answer' and 'Call Forward Busy' to your Ringback number
PBX: in the web admin, set the no-answer destination of your main line or ring group to an external number: your Ringback number
Ask for the original caller ID to be passed on forwarded calls
Test with a call from outside the office
💡 Important Notes
- PBX menus vary a lot. Ringback support can join a setup call or screenshare
- Forwarding the main line or ring group works better than forwarding each extension
- Some PBXs (FreePBX, 3CX, Asterisk) call this 'Follow Me' or 'Find Me'
🔧 Common Issues
Calls forward but ring once then disconnect
Increase the ring timeout in the PBX to 20–30 seconds before forwarding
No text after a test call
The PBX may send your office number as caller ID. Ask your IT person to pass the original caller ID on forwarded calls.
Only some calls forward
Check that every line or ring group has forwarding on, not just the main one
✅ Universal Test Checklist
Run this after ANY setup to verify end-to-end flow:
🔧 General Troubleshooting
Caller hears an error message
Your Ringback number may not be set up yet. Check Settings → SMS sender, then try again.
Lead created but no SMS sent
Check Settings → SMS sender: your Twilio number must be verified and A2P 10DLC approved. Also check that the cron job that sends queued texts is running.
Multiple leads for same call
Enable webhook idempotency (auto-enabled). Check ring_webhook_event table for duplicates.
Voicemail picks up before forward
Increase ring duration on your carrier/PBX to 30+ seconds. Disable voicemail if possible.
Forward works on cell but not office phone
Different forwarding rules for different endpoints. Check each line/extension config.