To forward (divert) calls to another number on a Safaricom, Airtel or Telkom line, dial **21* then the number then # (for example **21*0720000000#) and press call. Use **61* for calls you don't answer, **62* for when your phone is off, and **67* for when you're busy. Dial ##002# to cancel every forward.
A phone code sends the call to one other phone. If you already have a business number on a physical SIM card, forward it to a Sautikit number instead: for KES 500 a month the call rings your whole team, the Sautikit Phone app or an AI agent, and customers keep dialling the number they already know.
Type the code in your phone's dialler and press the call button. Replace number with the phone number you want calls to go to, written in full, such as 0720000000 or +254720000000. Your phone shows a short confirmation from the network when it works.
| What it does | Code | Cancel |
|---|
| Forward every call | **21*number# | ##21# |
| Forward when you don't answer | **61*number# | ##61# |
| Forward when your phone is off or has no signal | **62*number# | ##62# |
| Forward when you're on another call | **67*number# | ##67# |
| Check if forwarding is on | *#21# (or *#61#, *#62#, *#67#) | n/a |
| Cancel every forward | n/a | ##002# |
Change how long it rings first. On the "don't answer" forward, you can add the number of seconds before the final #. **61*0720000000*20# rings your phone for 20 seconds, then forwards. Networks usually accept 5 to 30 seconds, in steps of 5.
These are the standard GSM codes (3GPP TS 22.030) that Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom mobile lines use. If a code is rejected on your line, set the forward from your phone's settings (below) or call your operator: Safaricom on 100 (prepay) or 200 (postpay).
If you already have a number on a physical SIM card, forward its calls to your Sautikit line in four steps. Customers keep dialling the number they know, and your team, the app or an AI agent answers.
- Claim a number. Sign up, top up your wallet by M-Pesa or card, and pick a Kenyan number. It costs KES 500 a month with no setup fee, and it is live in seconds.
- Choose who answers. In the number's settings, pick one:
- Your team's phones. List two or more numbers. Ring them together so the first to answer takes the call, or one after another with the ring time you set (5 to 120 seconds).
- The Sautikit Phone app. Answer on the web, Android or Windows app (iPhone and Mac in beta), or on any desk phone that signs in with a SIP username and password.
- An AI agent. Publish an AI agent on the number to answer around the clock, or only outside your opening hours.
- Voicemail. Add a greeting so a caller can leave a message when nobody picks up.
- Forward your old line. On the phone that holds your current business SIM, dial
**21* then your Sautikit number then #, and press call. To keep answering on that phone first, use **61* instead: it rings you, then hands the call to Sautikit when you don't pick up.
- Test it. Call your old number from another phone. It should ring wherever you chose in step 2. Dial
*#21# on the old line to confirm the forward is on.
Keep the old line active. The forward only works while your SIM line is live, so keep topping it up as normal. If the operator suspends or recycles the line, calls to your old number stop reaching Sautikit.
Or ask us to arrange it. Email support@help.sautikit.com and we will request your operator to forward the calls to your Sautikit number for you.
Put the Sautikit number on your website, receipts and WhatsApp profile from now on. Calls made straight to it skip the forward. To keep a record of those calls, see call recording in Kenya.
What it costs. The Sautikit number is KES 500 a month, and calls coming in to it are free. If the number rings a mobile phone, that onward call is KES 3.00 a minute, billed per second after it is answered. Calls answered in the Sautikit Phone app have no onward charge. An AI agent adds KES 4.00 a minute. Your mobile operator charges your old line for the forwarded leg as if you had made that call, so check its rate to other networks.
The dashboard steps and the API settings are in the forward calls and voicemail guide.
The same forward can be set from your phone, which sends the request to your network for you.
iPhone (Apple's steps for iOS):
- Open Settings, tap Apps, then tap Phone.
- Tap Call Forwarding and turn it on. On a Dual SIM iPhone, choose the line.
- Tap Forward To, enter the number, then tap Back.
A forwarding icon appears in the status bar while it's on. The iPhone setting only forwards every call. To forward only when you're busy or unreachable, use the **67* and **62* codes above.
Samsung Galaxy (Samsung's steps):
- Open the Phone app, tap the three dots, then Settings.
- Tap Supplementary services, then Call forwarding.
- Choose Always forward, Forward when busy, Forward when unanswered or Forward when unreachable, enter the number and tap Enable.
Other Android phones have a similar Call forwarding option in the Phone app's settings. The codes above work whichever menu your phone has.
Turning a forward on or off with the codes is a network setting, and the caller pays what they normally pay to call you. Each forwarded call is charged to the forwarding line, like a call you made from it to the new number, at your operator's rate.
Calls that arrive on a Sautikit number are free. You pay KES 3.00 a minute, billed per second, only when the number rings a mobile phone, and nothing extra when you answer in the app.
Dial **21*, the number you want calls sent to, then #, and press call. For example, **21*0720000000# diverts every call to 0720 000 000. Diverting and forwarding are the same thing, and the code works from mobile to mobile on Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom. Dial ##002# to stop diverting.
Dial **21* followed by the number and #, for example **21*0720000000#, then press call. That forwards every call. Use **61*, **62* or **67* instead of **21* to forward only unanswered calls, calls when your phone is off, or calls when you're busy. If a code is rejected, call Safaricom on 100 (prepay) or 200 (postpay).
Dial ##002# and press call. It cancels every forward on the line at once. To cancel only one type, use ##21#, ##61#, ##62# or ##67#. On an iPhone, you can also turn off Call Forwarding in Settings, Apps, Phone.
Dial *#21# and press call. The network replies with whether forwarding of all calls is on, and to which number. Use *#61#, *#62# or *#67# to check the other types.
A phone code forwards to one number. Forward that line to a Sautikit number and it can ring several phones at once or one after another, with voicemail or an AI agent when nobody answers. To talk to several people at once instead, see how to make a conference call in Kenya.
A Safaricom business line can forward to the Sautikit Phone app or an AI agent: claim a Sautikit number, set it to ring the app or the agent, then dial **21* followed by the Sautikit number and # on your Safaricom line. Callers dial your usual number and the app or the agent answers.
The forwarded leg is charged to the forwarding line at your operator's rate, like a call you made. On a Sautikit number, incoming calls are free and ringing a mobile costs KES 3.00 a minute, billed per second.
An unconditional forward to your voicemail is probably on. Dial *#21# to check, and ##002# to clear every forward.