Mei doesn't replace your phone number — she sits behind it. You keep your existing business line, and tell your carrier to forward calls to your Mei number when you can't pick up (or for every call, if you want her as your primary receptionist).
Pick the option below that matches how your business line is provisioned. If you're not sure, start with the universal smartphone codes — they work on most US lines and take about ten seconds.
👉 Heads up — three exceptions. If you're on Verizon, Spectrum Mobile, or Xfinity Mobile, the universal smartphone codes don't work on your network. Skip straight to Verizon, Spectrum, or Xfinity below for the codes that do work.
One-tap exit. Every method below has a removal code or one-click off switch. If you ever want to leave Mei, your calls go right back to ringing your phone the way they did before — no carrier ticket, no waiting. We'll show you the removal step in every section.
There are two ways to wire Mei into your existing line. Most owners start soft, then decide later whether they want her as the primary.
Your phone rings first. If you answer, the call is yours. If you're on another call, don't pick up, or your phone's off — Mei catches it. This is the "she's a backup receptionist" mode. Customers reach you when you're available, and they reach Mei when you're not.
Every call goes straight to Mei. Your phone stops ringing. This is for owners who want Mei as the primary front desk — she takes the call, books or routes as needed, and only texts you if there's something that needs your attention. Quieter day-to-day; great if the phone is a constant interruption.
Most US smartphones — iPhone or Android, on AT&T, T-Mobile, Cricket, Metro, Mint, Boost, Google Fi — accept the same set of universal codes. You dial the code from your phone keypad just like you'd dial a number, tap the green call button, and the network sets the forwarding rule. No app, no portal, no support call.
Replace [MEI-NUMBER] with the 10-digit Mei number we gave you (digits only, no parentheses or dashes — for example, 6267023524).
One code does it all. Dial **004*[MEI-NUMBER]# and tap
call. This single code sets forwarding for busy, no answer, and
unreachable in one step. Your phone will show "Setting Activation Succeeded"
when it works.
If you'd rather set the three conditions individually (for example, to leave one off):
**61*[MEI-NUMBER]# — forward when you don't answer**67*[MEI-NUMBER]# — forward when you're on another call**62*[MEI-NUMBER]# — forward when your phone is off or out of service
To control how long your phone rings before Mei picks up (5-second increments, max 30
seconds): **61*[MEI-NUMBER]**20# — that's a 20-second ring before forward.
**21*[MEI-NUMBER]# and tap call. From this moment on, your phone will not
ring; everything goes to Mei.
Codes to dial — tap call after each.
##002# | Everything — wipes all forwarding rules in one shot |
##21# | Full forwarding (all calls) |
##61# | No-answer forwarding |
##67# | Busy forwarding |
##62# | Unreachable forwarding |
##004# | All three soft-install rules at once |
To check what's currently set: dial *#21# and tap call. Your phone will
show the active forwarding rules. (The list usually includes rows for "Voice, Fax, Data,
Sync, Async" — that's normal; only the Voice row matters.)
Verizon, Spectrum Mobile, and Xfinity Mobile users: these codes
don't work on your network. Skip down to your carrier's section
(Verizon, Spectrum,
Xfinity) for the codes that do. If you're not sure which network
you're on, dial *#21# — if you see "Connection problem or invalid MMI
code," you're on a Verizon-family network.
Apple's Settings app only does full forwarding. For soft install (busy / no-answer only), use the universal dial codes above — Settings won't get you there on iPhone.
Same path, flip the toggle off.
Most Android phones expose all four forwarding modes in the Phone app's settings.
For a soft install, set all three of When busy, When unanswered, and When unreachable to your Mei number. Leave Always forward off.
Same screens — toggle each rule off. If your phone seems stuck or the toggles don't
cooperate, dial ##002# from the keypad to wipe every forwarding rule at
once.
Verizon Android users: Verizon has stripped the "Supplementary services" menu on some Samsung phones. If you don't see Call forwarding under Settings, use the Verizon star codes instead.
AT&T's wireless lines honor the universal dial codes — there's no web portal toggle for forwarding on a regular AT&T cell number. Dial these from your phone, tap call, and wait for the confirmation tone.
Soft install: use **004*[MEI-NUMBER]# for all three
conditions in one shot (or set each individually — see
universal codes).
Full install: *21*[MEI-NUMBER]#
Removal: ##002# clears everything. Or
*73 if you only set the full-install rule.
Are you on AT&T Business with a hosted phone system / Office@Hand? Don't dial codes — log in to the AT&T Business portal, find your extension under Manage Features, and set Call Forwarding there (Always, Busy, or No Answer).
Verizon uses its own star codes — the universal GSM codes don't work here. Dial these from your phone (the line being forwarded — Verizon won't let you set this remotely from another phone or computer).
Soft install: *71[MEI-NUMBER] and tap call. (Notice
there's no * between *71 and the digits — just
ten digits right after *71.) One code handles both busy and no-answer;
Verizon combines them into a single "no-answer / busy transfer" rule. Your phone
rings 3-4 times before forwarding.
Full install: *72[MEI-NUMBER] and tap call. Wait for
the confirmation tone.
Removal: dial *73 and tap call. This single code
turns off both soft and full forwarding. The one-tap exit for every Verizon
line.
On Verizon Business with One Talk or Digital Voice? Use the One Talk app (Settings → Call Forwarding → Always / Busy / No Answer / Out of Service) or the Verizon Business Digital Voice portal.
T-Mobile honors the universal dial codes. T-Mobile's docs sometimes show a leading
1 before the destination — either works.
Soft install: **004*[MEI-NUMBER]# for all three
conditions at once, or set **61*, **67*, and
**62* individually.
Full install: **21*[MEI-NUMBER]#
Removal: ##002# wipes everything. Per-rule:
##21#, ##61#, ##67#, ##62#.
Test after setup. T-Mobile has a documented history of
conditional forwarding silently breaking — the activation tone plays but calls
don't actually route. After setup, call your business number from a different
phone and let it ring through. If you don't hear Mei pick up after the configured
ring duration, dial ##004# to reset and re-run the activation, or call
T-Mobile support and ask them to enable "Conditional Call Forwarding" on the line
server-side.
Spectrum Mobile runs on the Verizon network, so it uses Verizon-style star codes — not the universal GSM codes. You must dial from the Spectrum Mobile device itself (no remote setup from another phone or computer).
Soft install: *71 + the 10-digit Mei number, tap call.
Combined busy / no-answer rule (no separate codes for each).
Full install: *72 + 10-digit Mei number, tap call.
Removal: *73 + tap call. Single off switch for all
forwarding rules.
Texts to your line are unaffected — only voice calls forward.
Xfinity Mobile is on the Verizon network, so it uses the same star-code system as Spectrum and Verizon. Setup must happen from the Xfinity Mobile device itself.
Soft install: *71 + 10-digit Mei number, tap call.
Combined busy / no-answer.
Full install: *72 + 10-digit Mei number, tap call.
Removal: *73 + tap call. One off switch for all
forwarding.
Nice perk of Xfinity Mobile: when forwarding is on, unanswered calls skip the carrier voicemail entirely and go straight to Mei — there's no race between Mei and your mobile voicemail picking up.
Log into the Grasshopper web app. Navigate to Settings → Call Forwarding Settings → Extensions, click Edit on the extension you want to forward.
Soft install: set a schedule (e.g., weekdays 9-6, or "if busy / no answer") and add your Mei number as the forwarding destination. Calls ring your usual devices first, then fall to Mei on miss.
Full install: set the schedule to "24/7" with your Mei number as the sole destination — no fallback.
Removal: same screen — edit the extension and delete the forwarding number, or switch the destination back to voicemail.
Forwarded calls eat your Grasshopper minute allotment. If you're on a low-minute plan and Mei handles a lot of calls, you can blow through your monthly limit fast. Check your plan before going full-install.
Log into the RingCentral Admin Portal. Go to Users → Users with Extensions, select the user/extension, then Call Handling & Forwarding.
Soft install: set your work hours, then under Missed calls (or the after-hours rule) pick Forward to external number and enter your Mei number.
Full install: use the Forward all calls feature on the same Call Handling page (or the toggle in the RingEX app).
Removal: toggle Forward all calls off, or switch the "Active" toggle off next to the forwarding rule. One click.
External-number forwarding is on every RingEX plan (Core / Advanced / Ultra). Forwarded minutes count against your plan's outbound usage.
In the OpenPhone / Quo desktop or web app, open the phone-number settings and click the Default call flow dropdown at the top.
Soft install: add a Business hours step to your call flow, with Ring users during hours and a Forward call step pointing to your Mei number for the after-hours / no-answer branch.
Full install: from the Default call flow dropdown, pick Forward all calls, enter your Mei number, save as a new flow, and enable it.
Removal: open the Default call flow dropdown, pick your original flow, click Enable this call flow. Forwarding stops immediately.
OpenPhone call forwarding only supports US and Canadian destination numbers (your Mei number qualifies). Forwarded calls bill at your standard outbound rate.
Personal (free) Google Voice doesn't play well with Mei. It has no real "forward to external number" feature — only "linked numbers" that ring simultaneously with built-in call screening that requires a human to press a digit. Mei can't press a digit, so calls won't reach her cleanly.
If you're on personal Google Voice, text us — we'll work out the right approach (usually porting the number to a system that forwards properly, or layering Mei behind a Google Workspace Voice plan).
Google Workspace Voice (Standard tier and above) supports proper auto-attendant rules with external-number destinations. In Google Workspace Admin Console, find Voice → your user → Call routing, and set the external destination. Google's own docs recommend Workspace Voice (not personal GV) any time you need to "forward calls to an automated system."
Log into the Vonage Admin Portal. Go to Phone System → Extensions, click the pencil icon on your extension, and open Call Forwarding.
Soft install (Follow Me): turn on Follow Me. This rings your usual devices first, then falls to Mei if there's no answer. You can chain up to 5 destinations with 2-12 rings per leg.
Full install: toggle Forward Calls on, pick Forward All Calls, enter your Mei number in the Send To Ext. or Number field.
Removal: same screen — toggle Forward Calls to disabled. Save. (End users can also do this from Online Account → Avatar → Settings → Call Forwarding.)
Time-of-day rules, day-of-week rules, and caller-ID-based rules are also supported from the admin portal — handy if you want Mei only on weekends, or only after 6pm.
Log into the 8x8 Admin Console. Go to Home → Users, select the user, then Call forwarding rules. 8x8 pre-seeds two conditional rules: When user is busy and When user does not answer within 15 seconds.
Soft install: click the pencil on each pre-seeded conditional rule and enter your Mei number in Forward Directly To. Done — your calls now fall to Mei on miss.
Full install: edit the Forward all calls rule with your Mei number, enable it.
Removal: uncheck each rule's checkbox in the rules list, or edit and delete.
8x8 quirk — enter your Mei number in E.164 format. That means
+14155551234, not 4155551234 or
(415) 555-1234. This is the #1 setup mistake on 8x8.
Also worth knowing: 8x8's default Forward all calls rule can bounce back to voicemail after about 4 rings if the forwarded leg isn't answered fast enough. Mei answers near-instantly so this is usually fine, but if you see calls dropping to your 8x8 voicemail, raise the ring timeout in the rule.
The single most useful test: from a different phone, call your business number. Let it ring (or, if you set up full install, listen for Mei's greeting right away). Mei should pick up — in English by default, switching to your customer's language if they speak first. If she doesn't, something didn't take.
Common reasons it didn't take:
*611 or your carrier's
support and ask to enable "Conditional Call Forwarding."If any of this doesn't work, or you'd rather have us walk you through it on a screen-share, we're glad to do it. Setup usually takes under five minutes.