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How do I forward missed Ooma Office calls to an answering line?

Ooma Office’s pages document three ways to send calls to an outside number: forward every call (End User Portal, Call Handling, “Forward it immediately”, or *72 on the desk phone), forward when all devices are offline, and add the number as an External Line that rings along with your devices. They do not document sending only unanswered or busy calls to an outside number: after the “Ring for” time (12 seconds, two rings, by default), the “Then send to” options are your voicemail, another extension, another voicemail or a busy tone.

If you forward, leave “Require key press on answer” off: it asks whoever answers to press 1, which an automated answering line may not do. Ooma forwards only to US and Canadian numbers, and its pages do not state a cost. From Ooma’s pages, read on 31 Oct 2026.

Updated Oct 31, 2026

How it works

  1. Forward every call from the portal

    End User Portal, Settings, Call Handling. Under “when a call comes in”, choose Forward it immediately, set “Forward to” to My Forwarding number, enter the number, choose the caller ID, leave Require key press on answer off, Save, Save.

  2. Or from the desk phone

    Dial *72, wait for the prompt, then dial the number followed by #. *74 turns forwarding on and off.

  3. Forward when devices are offline

    End User Portal, Call Handling, “When all devices are offline, send calls to Forwarding number”, enter the number, choose the caller ID, Save. Admins: Office Manager, SETTINGS, Extensions, CALL HANDLING.

  4. Ring a number along with your phones

    End User Portal, Settings, Devices, ADD, External Line, enter a name and number, Save. It rings together with your devices, not after them. Ooma Office Pro can ring up to three device groups in order, each with its own time; the pages read do not say whether an external line can sit in a later group, so ask Ooma.

  5. Test it before you rely on it

    Call your business number from another phone and let it ring without answering. The call should reach the answering line after the ring time. If you set busy forwarding, call again while the line is in use, and if you set unreachable, try once with the phone switched off.

What it costs to run

Ooma’s pages read on 31 Oct 2026 state no cost for forwarding. They say Call Forwarding is available to all Ooma Office subscribers.

When it is not worth it

  • If you want only the calls you miss to reach the answering line, Ooma’s pages read offer no such option for an outside number; forward-all makes your phones stop ringing.
  • If the answering line is outside the US and Canada: Ooma forwards only to US and Canadian numbers.

Questions

How do I turn forwarding off?

Dial *74 on the desk phone (it toggles forwarding), or in the portal set “when a call comes in” back to ringing your devices.

How long do my phones ring?

“Ring for” defaults to 12 seconds, two rings. On Pro, each of up to three device groups rings for its own time.

Why do Ooma’s menus look different from this guide?

Menu labels differ between Ooma’s own pages. The steps here follow the pages listed below.

Sources

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