The AI receptionist only answers calls you don't answer yourself. To make that work, you forward your business line to your Teddy AI number (the dedicated number Teddy provisions for you during onboarding) — but only when you're busy, don't pick up, or your phone is unreachable. This is called conditional call forwarding, and how you set it up depends on your carrier, your phone, and whether you're on a landline, a cell phone, or a VoIP service.
This article walks you through every common setup. Find your carrier or service below and follow those steps.
Have these two things ready:
Your Teddy AI number — the 10-digit number Teddy provisioned for your business. If you don't know what it is, reach out to Alex. It's usually set up during onboarding.
Your current call forwarding status — if you already have voicemail or any forwarding configured, you'll want to replace it (not stack it) with the Teddy AI number.
All of the dial codes below are entered just like phone numbers — open your phone's dialer, type the code, and hit the call/send button. The carrier responds with a confirmation tone or a short SMS.
In every code below, replace {AI-NUMBER} with your 10-digit Teddy AI number, no spaces or dashes. If your carrier asks for a 1 before the number, include it.
Verizon uses No Answer Transfer and Busy Transfer codes.
Activate conditional forwarding:
Forward when no answer: dial *71{AI-NUMBER} and press call. Wait for the confirmation tone.
Forward when busy: dial *90{AI-NUMBER} and press call.
Deactivate:
Turn off No Answer Transfer: dial *73 and press call.
Turn off Busy Transfer: dial *91 and press call.
Note: Some Verizon prepaid plans don't support conditional forwarding. If *71 or *90 returns an error, call Verizon (dial *611) and ask them to enable "No Answer Transfer" and "Busy Transfer" on your line. It's a free feature on most plans.
AT&T uses standard GSM forwarding codes.
Activate conditional forwarding:
Forward when no answer: dial **61*1{AI-NUMBER}# and press call.
Forward when busy: dial **67*1{AI-NUMBER}# and press call.
Forward when unreachable (phone off / no signal): dial **62*1{AI-NUMBER}# and press call.
Deactivate:
Turn off just the no-answer rule: dial ##61# and press call.
Turn off just the busy rule: dial ##67# and press call.
Turn off just the unreachable rule: dial ##62# and press call.
Turn off ALL forwarding rules at once: dial ##002# and press call.
T-Mobile uses the same GSM codes as AT&T.
Activate conditional forwarding:
Forward when no answer: dial **61*1{AI-NUMBER}# and press call.
Forward when busy: dial **67*1{AI-NUMBER}# and press call.
Forward when unreachable: dial **62*1{AI-NUMBER}# and press call.
Deactivate:
Turn off no answer: ##61#
Turn off busy: ##67#
Turn off unreachable: ##62#
Turn off all forwarding: ##002#
If you're on a legacy Sprint plan that hasn't been migrated to the T-Mobile network, use these codes instead:
Activate:
Forward when no answer: dial *28{AI-NUMBER} and press call.
Forward when busy: dial *74{AI-NUMBER} and press call.
Deactivate:
Turn off no answer: *38
Turn off busy: *84
US Cellular uses simple unconditional-forwarding codes. They don't offer separate busy/no-answer codes on most plans — you'll forward all calls to the AI number, which means your phone won't ring at all. For most groomers this isn't what you want, so consider using the menu-based forwarding on your iPhone or Android instead.
If unconditional forwarding is acceptable:
Activate: dial *72{AI-NUMBER} and press call.
Deactivate: dial *73 and press call.
Xfinity Mobile runs on the Verizon network, so use the Verizon codes:
Forward when no answer: *71{AI-NUMBER}
Forward when busy: *90{AI-NUMBER}
Turn off no answer: *73
Turn off busy: *91
Spectrum Mobile also runs on the Verizon network. Use the Verizon codes:
Forward when no answer: *71{AI-NUMBER}
Forward when busy: *90{AI-NUMBER}
Turn off no answer: *73
Turn off busy: *91
Google Fi supports GSM codes, though the cleaner way is through the Google Fi app. From the dialer:
Forward when no answer: **61*1{AI-NUMBER}#
Forward when busy: **67*1{AI-NUMBER}#
Forward when unreachable: **62*1{AI-NUMBER}#
Turn off all forwarding: ##002#
From the Google Fi app: open the app → Phone → Call forwarding → enter your Teddy AI number and choose "Forward when unanswered."
The iPhone's built-in Call Forwarding menu only offers unconditional forwarding on most carriers — meaning every call routes to the AI and your phone never rings. That's not usually what you want, so for conditional forwarding, use the dial codes for your carrier above.
If you do want to use the menu (unconditional):
Open Settings
Tap Phone
Tap Call Forwarding
Toggle Call Forwarding on
Tap Forward To and enter your Teddy AI number
Go back — the toggle should stay on
To turn off: Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding → toggle off.
Note that Verizon and some other CDMA-based carriers don't show the Call Forwarding menu on iPhone at all — you have to use the dial codes.
Android has a more useful forwarding menu than iPhone because it exposes conditional rules directly.
Open your Phone app
Tap the ⋮ (three-dot) menu in the top-right
Tap Settings (or Call settings)
Tap Calling accounts or Supplementary services (the exact label varies by phone)
Tap Call forwarding
You'll see options for:
Always forward — every call (usually not what you want)
When busy — forward only when you're on another call
When unanswered — forward only after a few rings
When unreachable — forward when your phone is off or out of signal
Tap each of When busy, When unanswered, and When unreachable, enter your Teddy AI number, and tap Enable or Turn on.
To turn off: return to the same menu and tap Turn off for each rule.
The menu location varies by manufacturer — Samsung, Pixel, OnePlus, and others each phrase it a little differently. If you can't find it, the carrier dial codes above always work as a fallback.
If you're using a traditional landline (copper or fiber from a local phone company), most US providers support these universal codes:
Activate forwarding:
Unconditional (all calls): dial *72 → wait for a tone → dial the Teddy AI number → wait for confirmation → hang up.
Busy / No Answer forwarding (often called "Remote Access Call Forwarding" or "Call Forward Busy Line Don't Answer"): this is a paid add-on feature on most landlines and must be enabled by your phone company. Call their customer service and ask to add "Call Forwarding Busy/No Answer" — they'll either activate it on the backend or give you the specific dial code for your service area.
Deactivate unconditional forwarding: dial *73 and hang up.
If *72 doesn't work, try 72# — some local providers use that format instead.
Google Voice is a web-based phone service, so setup happens in the Google Voice web interface, not via dial codes.
Go to voice.google.com and sign in
Click the gear icon (Settings) in the top right
In the left sidebar, click Calls
Under Call forwarding, click Add a phone (or edit the existing forwarding rule)
Enter your Teddy AI number
Save
Google Voice's default behavior is to ring your linked phones first, then send unanswered calls to voicemail. To route unanswered calls to Teddy instead, you'll want to remove your voicemail greeting in Google Voice and set the AI number as the forwarding destination — calls that aren't picked up by you within the ring window will then forward to the AI.
RingCentral has proper business-grade call handling, so conditional forwarding is a first-class feature.
Log into your RingCentral admin portal
Navigate to Users → [your user] (or the extension you want the AI to back up)
Click Call Handling
Under Business Hours and After Hours, set up the forwarding rules:
Add your Teddy AI number as a forwarding destination
Set it to ring after your desk phone and mobile have rung unanswered
Save
For a typical setup: ring your desk phone 3 rings → ring your mobile 3 rings → if neither answers, forward to the Teddy AI number.
Log into Grasshopper on the web
Go to Settings → Extensions
Click the extension you want to forward (usually your main business extension)
Under Call Forwarding, add a new forwarding rule
Enter your Teddy AI number as the destination
Set the rule to trigger when no other extension picks up (the exact option label varies)
Save
Grasshopper lets you set up ring groups and fall-through rules, so you can have it try your mobile first and the Teddy AI number as the final fallback.
Open the OpenPhone app (mobile or desktop)
Go to Settings → Phone numbers
Tap the number you want to forward
Scroll to Call forwarding (or When a call comes in)
Set If not answered, forward to and enter your Teddy AI number
Set the ring timeout to whatever window you want to give yourself before the AI takes over (typically 20–30 seconds)
Save
If you use a VoIP provider not listed above (Dialpad, Nextiva, 8x8, Ooma, Vonage Business, etc.), the steps follow the same pattern:
Log into your provider's admin portal
Find the settings for the phone number or extension you want the AI to back up
Look for Call Handling, Call Forwarding, or Call Routing
Add a conditional forwarding rule that sends calls to your Teddy AI number when you don't answer (usually after 3–4 rings, or around 20 seconds)
Save and test
Every VoIP provider supports this — it's one of the most basic business phone features. If you can't find it, search the provider's help center for "conditional forwarding" or "call forwarding no answer."
Once you've set up forwarding, always test it before relying on it. Here's the test:
Grab a second phone (or ask a friend or family member to help)
Call your business number from that phone
Let it ring. Don't pick up.
After the ring window expires (usually 4–6 rings, or 20–30 seconds), the call should route to the AI receptionist
Confirm the AI picks up with your business name
Have a short conversation — ask about your hours or prices
Hang up
Open Teddy → Calls and confirm the call appears with a category label, AI summary, recording, and transcript within a minute or two
If the call doesn't route to the AI:
It went to voicemail instead → your existing voicemail is intercepting before the forwarding rule fires. Shorten the ring time on your voicemail (or disable it) so the forwarding takes over first.
It rang forever and never forwarded → the conditional forwarding rule wasn't saved. Re-enter the dial code or menu setting.
It forwarded but the AI didn't pick up → the Teddy AI number in your forwarding rule is wrong. Double-check you entered it correctly.
Everything worked but nothing shows up in Calls → give it a minute or two; transcripts and summaries take a moment to generate. If it's still missing after 5 minutes, reach out to Alex.
If you ever want to stop routing calls to the AI — for a day, for a week, permanently — use the "deactivate" instructions under your carrier or provider above. The most universal codes:
Most GSM carriers (AT&T, T-Mobile, Google Fi): ##002# turns off all forwarding at once
Most CDMA / Verizon-network carriers: *73 (no answer) and *91 (busy) turn off each rule
VoIP providers: toggle the rule off in the admin portal
iPhone / Android menu: toggle the call forwarding setting off
Your Teddy AI number stays provisioned on the Teddy side — turning off forwarding just means you're not sending calls to it. You can flip it back on anytime.
Tip: A lot of groomers set forwarding once and never think about it again, then wonder why the AI stopped logging calls. The usual culprit is a carrier update or a phone reset that quietly reset the forwarding rules. If the "calls saved" stat stops growing for a few days, run the test above — odds are you just need to re-enter the dial code.
