Call forwarding is how you go live. You keep the number your tenants already have, and your carrier or phone system quietly hands those calls to Doorkeep. It takes about two minutes to turn on, and one code to turn off.
Why forwarding is the right way to start
You keep your number. No porting, no new number to teach anyone. Your leases, signs, website, Google listing, and every tenant's contacts stay exactly as they are.
It is reversible in seconds. Forwarding is a setting on your line, not a change to your account. One code sends calls straight back to your phone the way they came before. That is your kill switch, and it stays in your hands the whole time. You never have to call us to undo it.
The real setup is your assistant, not the forwarding. Turning forwarding on is one code. What actually determines whether Doorkeep feels right is the configuration behind it: who is on your Call List, what your call windows are, which situations ring a person, and what the assistant says. Expect to adjust that in your first week or two. If it is not right yet, turn forwarding off, tune the assistant, turn it back on. Nothing breaks and nothing is lost.
Find your Doorkeep number first
Your Doorkeep number is under Settings → Phone. This is the number you forward to. Unless you are replacing your old number entirely, you do not need to give it to tenants.
Two ways to forward
Forward every call. Your phone never rings. Doorkeep answers first, every time. This is what most people land on.
Forward only the calls you miss. Your phone rings first. If you do not pick up, the call rolls to Doorkeep instead of your voicemail. Nothing changes except where unanswered calls land.
If you are not sure yet, start with the second one for a few days. You still answer whatever you want to answer, and you get to hear what Doorkeep does with the rest. Then switch to forwarding every call once you have listened to a handful.
Forward a mobile number
Verizon and US Cellular
Every call: dial *72 followed by your 10-digit Doorkeep number, press call, and wait for the confirmation tone.
Only calls you miss: dial *71 followed by the number.
Turn it off: dial *73.
Verizon does not support the iPhone Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding screen. Use the codes above or My Verizon.
AT&T, T-Mobile, Mint, Metro, and most other carriers
Every call: dial **21*[number]# and press call.
Only calls you miss: dial **61*[number]#. On T-Mobile you can set how long your phone rings first, for example **61*[number]**20# for twenty seconds.
Turn it off: ##21# and ##61#.
Check what is currently active: *#21#.
Using your phone's settings instead
iPhone on AT&T, T-Mobile, or most non-Verizon carriers: Settings → Phone → Call Forwarding, toggle on, enter your Doorkeep number.
Android: open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings → Call forwarding. On Samsung it is under Supplementary services. Choose Always forward or Forward when unanswered.
Forwarding covers voice calls only. Your texts keep arriving on your phone exactly as before.
Forward an office or VoIP number
If your calls run through RingCentral, Quo (formerly OpenPhone), Dialpad, Nextiva, Vonage, 8x8, Zoom Phone, Grasshopper, or Google Voice, the setting you want is usually called call handling, call rules, or call flow. Three patterns cover almost everyone.
After hours only. Set your business hours, then point the after-hours destination at your Doorkeep number instead of voicemail. In RingCentral this is Call Handling & Forwarding → After Hours → Forward Calls, entered as an external number.
Overflow. Your main line rings your team first. Anything nobody picks up after a set number of seconds forwards to Doorkeep instead of dropping into a general mailbox.
Everything. Point the main number or auto-attendant straight at Doorkeep and let it answer first.
If you already have an after-hours or on-call number pointed at an answering service, the simplest move is to repoint that same number at Doorkeep. Nothing else in your setup has to change.
Enter the destination as a 10 or 11-digit US number. Some plans require external forwarding to be enabled by an admin before it will save.
The one thing to get right
Do not forward the same number that is on your Call List.
When Doorkeep needs to reach a person, it calls the number on your Call List. If that is the same number you forwarded into Doorkeep, the call gets forwarded right back and never reaches you.
Setups that work:
Forward your business or office line and put your mobile on the Call List. This is the cleanest arrangement and what most teams end up with.
If you only have one phone, either forward only the calls you miss, so your phone still rings normally and can take a transfer, or stop forwarding and hand out your Doorkeep number instead, keeping your personal cell on the Call List.
That second option is worth a serious look if your personal cell became your business number by accident. Forwarding keeps the old number working. Giving out the Doorkeep number is how you get your cell back.
One side effect of forwarding only the calls you miss: if Doorkeep transfers a call to you and you do not answer, your own no-answer rule sends it back to the assistant, which takes a message. Nothing is lost, but it is another reason a separate number on the Call List is tidier.
Turn it off
Verizon and US Cellular: dial *73.
Most other carriers: dial ##002# to clear every forwarding rule at once.
Office or VoIP system: switch the forwarding rule back off, or set the destination back to voicemail.
It takes effect immediately, and it does not touch anything inside Doorkeep. Your assistant, Call List, contacts, and call history stay exactly where you left them.
If something is not working
Calls still go to your voicemail. Your voicemail is picking up before forwarding kicks in. On iPhone, turn off Live Voicemail under Settings → Phone. On T-Mobile, shorten the ring timer with **61*[number]**15#. Or switch to forwarding every call.
You get a busy tone when entering the code. Usually a typo or a code that did not register. Re-enter the number with no spaces, dashes, or plus sign.
Doorkeep answers but does not recognize a known caller. The original caller's number normally passes through, which is how Doorkeep matches a call to a contact. Some carriers and phone systems replace it with the forwarding number instead. Make a test call and check what number shows on the call in your call history. If it shows your own number, look for a caller ID passthrough setting in your phone system, or get in touch.
Forwarding stopped on its own. Some carriers clear forwarding rules after a SIM swap, a new device, or a long stretch with no signal. Re-enter the code.
Texts are not being forwarded. Expected. Call forwarding moves voice calls only.
Good to know
Forwarded calls can count against plan minutes on metered plans. Most current unlimited plans include domestic forwarding at no extra cost.
Carriers only forward to US numbers.
Your outgoing calls are unaffected. You can still call out normally while forwarding is on.
Each account has one Doorkeep number today. If you forward several of your numbers into it, every call arrives at the same assistant with the same configuration. Let us know if you need different behavior per number.
Next step
Once forwarding is on, make a few test calls before your tenants do. It is the fastest way to find out whether your configuration matches how you actually work.