What is call forwarding?

Call forwarding is a feature provided by your mobile carrier, not by Beside.

It redirects incoming calls from your main phone number to another number, in this case, your Beside number.

This means your contacts can keep calling the number they already know (such as the one listed on your website or business cards), while Beside handles the call in the background.

Even if the Beside app isn't open, your forwarded calls will still be picked up by Beside, enabling features like our AI Receptionist, transcripts, and call summaries. This lets you benefit from everything Beside offers without needing to share a new number.

When call forwarding is enabled, all incoming calls will ring on Beside, based on an 'all-or-nothing' approach. It cannot selectively manage calls based on individual instructions.

Start here: who is your phone number provider?

Call forwarding is always managed by the carrier that owns your phone number (for example: Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile).

Because of this:

Beside does not control or override call forwarding
Setup methods vary depending on the provider

🇺🇸 Enable Call Forwarding on US numbers

Follow the steps below based on the U.S. carrier that owns your phone number.

➡️ Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or Spectrum

These providers are directly supported in the Beside app.

Open the Beside mobile app
Go to Settings
Configure number*
* Business plan users: select the line/inbox you want to update first
Under Incoming calls, tap Set up call forwarding
Select your provider
Follow the on-screen instructions

❗ Once completed, contact your provider to confirm that call forwarding is active.

If it doesn’t work, use carrier dial codes

If setup fails or doesn’t activate correctly, enable call forwarding manually using your native phone dialer (not the Beside app).

📌 Example: *21*1234567890#

If forwarding still doesn’t activate, contact your carrier to confirm it’s enabled on your line.

Carrier	Enable call forwarding
Verizon	*72BESIDE_NUMBER
AT&T	21BESIDE_NUMBER#
T-Mobile	*21BESIDE_NUMBER#

➡️ Visible, Xfinity Mobile, US Mobile, Spectrum, Boost Mobile

Open your phone’s Phone app (native dialer)
Dial: *72 followed by your 10-digit Beside number
Example: *72*1234567890
Press Call

➡️ Cricket Wireless

Open your phone’s Phone app (native dialer)
Dial: *21* followed by your 10-digit Beside number and #
Example: *21*1234567890#
Press Call

➡️ Metro by T-Mobile, Mint Mobile

Open your phone’s Phone app (native dialer)
Dial: **21* followed by your 10-digit Beside number and #
Example: **21*1234567890#
Press Call

🇨🇦 Enable Call Forwarding on Canadian numbers

If you’re on iOS, you can try enabling call forwarding directly from the Beside app:

Open the Beside mobile app
Go to Settings
Configure number*
* Business plan users: select the line/inbox you want to update first
Under Incoming calls, tap Set up call forwarding
Select Canadian Carriers
Follow the on-screen instructions

❗ Once completed, contact your provider to confirm that call forwarding is active.

If you're on Android or if the setup from the Beside app doesn't work, use carrier dial codes:

Open your phone’s Phone app (native dialer)
Dial: *21* followed by your 10-digit Beside number and #
Example: *21*1234567890#
Press Call

☁️ Enable Call Forwarding on VoIP numbers

This applies to Twilio, RingCentral, Vonage, Zoom, Dialpad, OpenPhone, Aircall, Ooma, CloudTalk.

Call forwarding is managed inside the provider’s app or admin dashboard
Phone settings and Beside cannot control it
Some VoIP providers do not support forwarding to Beside

👉 Contact your provider to confirm whether call forwarding is supported.

⚠️ Call forwarding is not supported for Google Voice.

Important notes

Call forwarding is fully controlled by your provider
Beside cannot enable, disable, or troubleshoot it on your behalf
Availability may depend on your plan, region, or provider rules
Some providers may not support forwarding to Beside at all

If calls aren’t reaching Beside or if call forwarding doesn’t work as expected, your provider is the best point of contact.

If you're experiencing issues enabling or disabling call forwarding, or if it doesn't seem to be working as expected, we recommend reaching out directly to your carrier's support team for assistance.

❗ Important: Disable call forwarding if you're deleting Beside

If you're deleting the Beside app or canceling your subscription, make sure to disable call forwarding first.

If it stays on, calls to your primary number may keep forwarding to Beside - even if the app is no longer installed.

Call forwarding is managed entirely by your mobile carrier - not by Beside. Our team is not able to enable or disable it on your behalf. If you need assistance, you'll need contacting your carrier directly.

📚 Lear more here: How to DISABLE call forwarding from your primary number to Beside?

Important considerations

✔️ Verify the correct forwarding number

Always double-check that the forwarding number is correct to avoid missed or misdirected calls. If the number is incorrect, calls may be lost or misdirected.

✔️ Carrier restrictions

Some carriers require additional steps or may not fully support forwarding.

Reach out to your carrier's support team if things don't work as expected.

✔️ Support limitations

Beside Support cannot enable, disable, or troubleshoot carrier-side call forwarding.

We can explain the steps, but the carrier controls the feature.

❌ Google Voice (not supported)

If you've previously tried forwarding your Google Voice number to Beside, we recommend disabling it - since Beside does not officially support call forwarding from Google Voice at this time. Leaving it enabled can cause call delivery issues.