How to Set Up Twilio Call Forwarding (The Easy Way)

You bought a Twilio number so customers could reach your business, but Twilio doesn't forward calls to your cell phone by itself. Someone has to write the logic that tells Twilio where to send the call.

The short answer: Twilio forwards calls when you write TwiML (or a Twilio Function) that dials your destination number, then attach that logic to your phone number's voice webhook. If you'd rather not touch code or the Twilio Console, Twilanswer lets you set up call forwarding, with an optional voicemail fallback, from a dashboard in a few minutes, using the same Twilio number and account you already have.

Why Call Forwarding on Twilio Gets Complicated

Twilio is a communications API, not a phone system. It gives you the building blocks (numbers, voice webhooks, TwiML verbs like <Dial>) and expects you to assemble them into whatever call flow you need. That's the right tradeoff for a team shipping a custom product feature. It's overkill for a small business that just wants "calls to this number should ring my cell phone."

Out of the box, a new Twilio number doesn't forward anywhere. You have to host a webhook that returns TwiML, and you have to decide what happens when the call isn't answered, since Twilio won't automatically fall back to anything on its own.

The Hard Way: Forwarding Calls in Twilio

1. Buy or use an existing Twilio number from the Twilio Console.
2. Write a webhook that returns TwiML, using a Twilio Function, or your own server. A basic forwarding response looks like this:

<Response>
  <Dial callerId="+15551234567">
    +15559876543
  </Dial>
</Response>

1. Deploy that Function or endpoint somewhere it can be reached publicly (Twilio Functions handle this for you; a self-hosted webhook needs its own hosting and uptime).
2. Point the number's voice webhook at that URL in the Twilio Console, under the number's configuration.
3. Decide what happens on no answer. By default, an unanswered <Dial> just ends the call. If you want voicemail, you need to add a <Dial> timeout and a fallback branch of TwiML that records a message, likely with <Record>, then store or forward that recording somewhere useful.
4. Test thoroughly, including the no-answer path, since it's easy to get right on the happy path and miss on the failure path.

What You Still Have to Build

Getting a <Dial> verb working is the easy part. What usually eats the time is everything around it:

• A voicemail fallback that actually plays a real greeting and stores messages somewhere you'll see them
• A way for a non-engineer on your team to change the forwarding number without touching code or redeploying a Function
• Handling caller ID correctly, so you can tell business calls from personal ones on your phone
• Business hours logic, if you want after-hours calls to behave differently
• Monitoring so you find out if the webhook goes down, rather than a customer finding out for you

Common Call Forwarding Mistakes

• Forgetting to set a no-answer fallback, so missed calls just disappear
• Hardcoding the destination number in TwiML, meaning every change requires a code deploy
• Not setting caller ID, so the destination phone shows Twilio's number instead of the real caller
• Testing only the answered-call path and never checking what happens when nobody picks up
• Assuming call rejection on a mobile phone routes back to your custom logic; carriers can intercept a declined call before you get the chance to handle it

The Easy Way: Twilio Call Forwarding with Twilanswer

Twilanswer connects to the Twilio account you already have. You keep your existing number and Twilio billing; Twilanswer just gives you a dashboard for building the call flow instead of writing TwiML.

1. Add a forwarding number. In How to Add a Forwarding Number in Twilanswer, enter and verify the phone number you want calls sent to, no code required.
2. Create a call route. Following How to Configure Call Routes, pick the Twilio number this route applies to, and choose either Forward call or Forward with voicemail fallback as the call action.
3. Pick your caller ID behavior. Show the original caller's number if you want to recognize who's calling, or your Twilio number if you want an obvious signal that it's a business call.
4. Turn on call approval if you're using voicemail fallback. This adds a "press 1 to accept" step, which helps Twilanswer reclaim an unanswered call for its own voicemail instead of losing it to your carrier's mailbox. See How to Forward Calls in Twilanswer for the full breakdown of when to use it.
5. Set business hours if needed, so after-hours calls can follow a different path than daytime calls, all in the same route.

No Function to deploy, no webhook to host, and any teammate can update the destination number from the dashboard.

Example: A Practical Call Forwarding Flow

A two-person consulting business publishes one Twilio number. During business hours, calls forward to the owner's cell with the original caller's number showing, so she knows it's a client and not a robocall. After hours, the same number forwards with voicemail fallback: if it rings through to her phone and she doesn't answer, the caller lands in Twilanswer voicemail with a custom after-hours greeting, and she gets the message by email the next morning. All of that is two call routes in Twilanswer, no code, no separate voicemail system to manage.

Raw Twilio vs. Twilanswer

Choose raw Twilio if:

• You have engineering resources and want the call flow embedded in a larger custom application
• Your forwarding logic needs to integrate directly with other backend systems via code

Choose Twilanswer if:

• You want forwarding and voicemail fallback working today, without writing or hosting anything
• Non-technical teammates need to change forwarding numbers or hours themselves

FAQ

Does Twilio forward calls automatically? No. A Twilio number doesn't forward calls until you attach TwiML or a Function that tells it where to dial. You can write that yourself in the Twilio Console, or use a tool like Twilanswer to configure forwarding from a dashboard using the Twilio account you already have.

Do I need a server to forward calls with Twilio? You need somewhere to host the webhook that returns TwiML, whether that's your own server or a Twilio Function. If you'd rather not host anything, Twilanswer handles that hosting for you and connects directly to your existing Twilio number.

What happens if the forwarded call isn't answered? With plain forwarding, an unanswered call typically falls back to whatever your destination phone normally does, usually your carrier's voicemail, not Twilio. To route unanswered calls to a proper business voicemail instead, you can build a <Dial> timeout and <Record> fallback in TwiML, or turn on Twilanswer's forward-with-voicemail-fallback option, which sends unanswered calls to Twilanswer's voicemail with your own greeting.

Can I forward a Twilio number to a cell phone? Yes, <Dial> in TwiML can point to any phone number, including a mobile number. In Twilanswer, you add the cell number as a forwarding number and select it as the destination on a call route, with no code needed.

Can after-hours calls go somewhere different than daytime calls? Yes. In raw Twilio, this means branching your TwiML logic based on the time of the call. In Twilanswer, you enable business hours on a call route and set separate call actions for business hours and after hours, for example forwarding during the day and sending straight to voicemail overnight.

Final Thoughts

Twilio gives you every primitive needed to forward calls: numbers, TwiML, <Dial>. What it doesn't give you is the assembled, maintainable version of that flow, especially the voicemail fallback and caller ID handling that make forwarding feel reliable instead of half-built. If you're comfortable owning a webhook and revisiting the code every time something needs to change, the hard way works fine.

If you'd rather get forwarding, voicemail fallback, and business hours working today using the Twilio account you already have, try Twilanswer free and set up your first call route in a few minutes.