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Two ways to get your AT&T Wireless number to your agent. Forwarding keeps AT&T Wireless as your phone company and sends calls over. Moving the number (porting) makes Answering Agent your phone company for that number.

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Forward calls

1

Use the AT&T phone itself

AT&T only lets you change call forwarding from the wireless phone that has the number. You cannot manage it online.
2

Dial the forwarding code

Dial 21, then the 10-digit number you want calls to go to, then #. For example, 211234567890# sends your calls to 123-456-7890.
3

Wait for the confirmation tone

Wait at least three seconds for the confirmation tone before you hang up. After the tone, all calls go to that number.
4

Turn it back off when you are done

From the same phone, dial #21# and wait three seconds for the confirmation tone. Calls stop forwarding.
5

Call your business number from another phone

Answering Agent listens for the call. When your agent picks up, the phone numbers step in your dashboard turns green.

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Good to know

  • AT&T’s main wireless call forwarding article carries no dial codes. It states the setting can only be changed from the wireless phone and points to device tutorials. The 21 and #21# codes come from AT&T’s own device tutorial pages for its wireless home phone devices, which run on the AT&T wireless network.
  • Call forwarding overrides wireless voicemail. If the forward-to number is busy, your callers get a busy signal.
  • You cannot forward to an international number.
  • Forwarded calls are billed for the length of the call and can add long distance or roaming charges.
  • AT&T does not document a no-answer or busy-only forwarding code for wireless. On modern smartphones the ‘forward when unanswered’ and ‘forward when busy’ options live in the phone’s own call settings, not in an AT&T-published code.

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Move your number

Start the move from Dashboard, then Phone numbers, then Add a number, and choose Move my number. Upload your latest bill and we read the details for you. Have these ready:
Do not cancel your service with AT&T Wireless until the move is complete. A cancelled number can be lost.

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Watch out for

  • The Number Transfer PIN expires 4 days after you request it, or 14 days for business accounts. Request it close to the time you hand it to the new provider.
  • One PIN covers every number on the account you want to move.
  • Do not disconnect AT&T service before the new provider submits the transfer. If the number is already disconnected you have to reactivate it before the request can finish.
  • Wireless Account Lock and Business Account Lock silently block port-outs. This is the most common reason a transfer is rejected with no clear explanation.
  • Unlock the device itself separately before using it on the new network. Device unlock and number transfer are two different things.
  • Suspended accounts can only request the PIN online or in the AT&T app, not by text.
  • AT&T does not publish a typical port-out completion time on these pages.

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Sources

Checked on 2026-09-11 against AT&T Wireless’s own pages.