Set up call forwarding

You keep your business number. You keep advertising it, and it stays yours. All you are doing here is telling your phone company where to send a call when you cannot pick it up, and that destination is your Arnova number.

Your Arnova number is in your welcome email and at the top of your dashboard. It takes about two minutes to set this up, and you can undo it at any time from the same handset.

First, decide which calls Arnova should answer

Recommended: only the ones you miss. Your phone rings first, exactly as it does now. If you do not answer within about 20 seconds, or you are already on a call, Arnova picks up instead of sending the caller to voicemail. You lose nothing and you notice nothing until a lead arrives by text.

The alternative: every call. Your phone never rings and Arnova answers everything. Some operators want this after hours, on weekends, or while they are on a roof. You can switch between the two whenever you like.

Telstra: home phone or mobile

Dial these from the phone you are forwarding. Replace YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER with the number from your welcome email, written the normal Australian way starting with 0.

• When you do not answer: *61*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#
• When you are already on a call: *24*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#
• Every call: *21*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#

Set up the first two together for the recommended option. To turn any of them off, dial #61#, #24# or #21#.

Optus home phone

Optus uses a different code, and there is no # on the end:

• Pick up the handset and wait for the dial tone, dial *78, then enter your Arnova number including the area code. Two short beeps mean it is on.
• To turn it off: dial tone, then #78, and listen for two short beeps.

One thing to know: from the handset, Optus home phone diverts every call, not just the ones you miss. If you want your phone to ring first, ask Optus to set up a no-answer diversion on your service, or use the My Optus app.

Vodafone mobile

• When you do not answer: **61*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#
• When you are already on a call: **67*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#
• When your phone is off or out of range: **62*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#
• Every call: **21*YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER#

Note the two stars at the start. To turn one off, dial #61#, #67#, #62# or #21#. To clear the lot at once, dial ##002#.

Any mobile, using the menus instead

If you would rather not dial codes, the setting is under Settings → Apps → Phone → Call Forwarding on an iPhone, or Phone → Settings → Calls → Call forwarding on most Android handsets. Choose the "when unanswered" and "when busy" options rather than "always", unless you want Arnova taking every call.

Another provider, or a phone that runs over the internet

Every carrier does this slightly differently, and many nbn and VoIP services do not accept codes dialled from the handset at all; the setting lives in your provider's app or web portal instead. Rather than have you guess, ring your provider. This is the only sentence you need:

"Please divert my calls to YOUR ARNOVA NUMBER when I do not answer and when my line is busy."

If you get stuck, email hello@arnova.app with your carrier and what kind of line it is, and we will send you the exact steps.

Two things worth knowing before you switch it on

Your phone company may charge for the forwarded leg. When a call is diverted, most carriers bill it to you as an outgoing call at your normal rate, and some business plans restrict where calls can be diverted. Check your plan if you are unsure. This is a cost from your carrier, not from Arnova.

Your caller ID still comes through. Arnova sees the number of the person calling you, not your own number, so every lead arrives with a real number you can ring back.

Check that it worked

Ask someone to call your business number from their phone and let it ring out without you answering. Arnova should pick up, and the lead should appear in your dashboard with their number on it. If your own number shows up instead of theirs, stop and email us; that means the diversion is set up in a way we need to look at.

Turning it off

Dial #61#, #24# and #21# to clear each type of diversion, or ##002# to clear all of them at once on most mobiles. On a VoIP or nbn service, turn it off wherever you turned it on. Your number goes back to behaving exactly as it did before.