Call forwarding for your apartment buzzer: the codes, and why each kind fails
Call forwarding for an apartment buzzer sends the lobby call from the phone on file to one other phone. Unconditional forwarding (`*21*` on Rogers, Fido, Telus, Koodo and Freedom) moves every call, so the first phone never rings. Conditional forwarding (`*61*`) rings the first phone for about 20 seconds, then the second, and often loses to voicemail or the panel timeout. Neither rings two phones at once. BuzzMeBro rings up to 4 phones together.
Call forwarding is the first thing most renters try. It is already on the phone and costs nothing to set up. Your building stores one number in the panel, and forwarding lets that number hand the call to a different phone.
It half works. This post covers the two kinds of forwarding, the exact codes on the Canadian carriers, and where each one breaks when the caller is a lobby panel. For why a panel only calls one number, start with how apartment buzzers work.
What does call forwarding actually do to a buzz?
The lobby panel dials one number. Forwarding is a rule on the phone line behind that number, and it decides what happens when the call arrives.
There are two kinds. Unconditional forwarding sends every call somewhere else before the phone rings. Conditional forwarding lets the phone ring, and only sends the call on if nobody answers, the line is busy, or the phone is off. The table is sorted by whether the option gets both of you to the door.
| Approach | What rings | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| A number that rings every phone at once (BuzzMeBro) | Every phone registered to the apartment, up to 4, at the same time. First to answer opens the door. | $11.99 a month or $109.00 a year, per apartment. Nothing to remember. |
Conditional forwarding (*61*, *62*, *67*) | Your phone first. The second phone after about 20 seconds, if the carrier honours the rule. | A courier waiting through two rings. Per-minute charges on many plans. Voicemail often takes the call first. |
Unconditional forwarding (*21* or *72) | Only the phone you forwarded to. The number on the panel goes silent. | Every personal call on that line goes to the other person too. Someone has to remember the toggle. |
Why does unconditional forwarding fail for a buzzer?
Unconditional forwarding is the simplest rule: every call to this number goes to that number. The phone with the rule on it does not ring at all.
It moves the buzz, it does not share it
Say the panel calls your cell. You dial *21* with your partner's number because you work late. Now your partner gets the buzz and you do not, even when you are home and they are out. You have not added a phone. You have swapped one for another. And the rule cannot tell the lobby panel from your dentist, so every call you get rings your partner too.
Somebody has to remember the toggle
Forwarding is set from the phone the panel calls, and only from that phone. If the buzzer rings your roommate's phone, only your roommate can forward it or undo it. Every shift change, trip, or dead battery means a code to dial.
The one case where it is fine
You live alone, your buzzer calls a landline, and you want it on your cell. Dial *72 on the landline, then your cell number, and it works. A carrier forward is a redirect inside the phone network, not an app in the middle, so the door digit usually survives. Test it from the lobby anyway.
The catch is the bill. You are paying every month for a landline whose only job is to forward, and the day you cancel it, the forward dies with it.
Why does conditional forwarding fail for a buzzer?
Conditional forwarding sounds like the fix. Your phone rings first, and if you do not pick up, the call goes to your roommate. It breaks in four specific places.
1. Voicemail is already using the same rule
Your voicemail is itself a conditional forward. When you dial *61*, you overwrite the no-answer rule your carrier set up for voicemail. Rogers says it plainly: conditional forwarding will not work when voicemail is activated. Telus and Koodo customers who had *61* working found it stopped after the network moved calls to VoLTE in early 2026. Every missed call went back to voicemail.
The result is a courier talking to your greeting. That is the same failure as a buzzer that goes to voicemail, with one extra step.
2. The panel may hang up before the second phone rings
Fido says no-reply forwarding kicks in "normally within 20 seconds". Telus lets you pick 10, 20 or 30. The building sets how long the panel waits before it gives up, and that is often under a minute. Twenty seconds on your phone, then a fresh ring on the second phone. The panel can time out before anyone presses the door digit.
3. The second phone sees a spam call
The forwarded call arrives showing the lobby panel's number. Carrier spam filters flag panels routinely, because a panel calls many numbers, briefly, from a line nobody calls back. The second phone can send the call to its own voicemail without ringing. Both people have to whitelist the number the buzzer calls from.
4. It is still one phone at a time
Even when all of that works, the courier waits through two full rings. A driver with three orders in the car does not. Sequential is not simultaneous.
What are the exact call forwarding codes on Canadian carriers?
Rogers, Fido, Telus, Koodo and Freedom Mobile all publish the standard GSM codes. Dial the code like a phone number and press call. The network answers with a confirmation.
| What you want | Turn on | Turn off | Check status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward every call (unconditional) | *21*NUMBER# | #21# (Fido: ##21#) | *#21# |
| Forward when you do not answer | *61*NUMBER# | #61# (Fido: ##61#) | *#61# |
| Forward when your phone is off or has no signal | *62*NUMBER# | #62# (Fido: ##62#) | *#62# |
| Forward when you are on another call | *67*NUMBER# | #67# (Fido: ##67#) | *#67# |
| Set the no-answer delay (Telus only) | *004*NUMBER*20# for 20 seconds (10 or 30 also work) | #004# | *#004# |
Home phone codes on Bell and Rogers
On Bell and Rogers home phone, dial *72, then the number to forward to. If someone answers, stay on the line at least five seconds or the forward does not take. Dial *73 to turn it off. Rogers also publishes *92 and *93 for forwarding after four rings, and *90 and *91 for when the line is busy. Bell documents those codes for business lines; on a home line, ask Bell first.
- Decide what happens to voicemail Conditional forwarding and voicemail fight over the same rule. Keep voicemail and expect
*61*to stop working after the next network change. - Dial the code from the phone the panel calls The rule only takes effect on the number the building has on file. Dialing it from the other phone does nothing.
- Confirm it took Dial
*#21#or*#61#. The network reads back the forwarding number. If it says forwarding is off, the carrier rejected the code. - Buzz yourself from the lobby Have the second phone answer and press the door digit. Listen for the click. Do this three times on different days, because the timing varies.
- Check the bill after a week Forwarded minutes show up as a separate line. If they are there, the forward costs more than you planned.
What rings both phones at the same time?
Forwarding is a rule on one phone line, and a line can only be in one place at a time. To get two phones ringing together, the number the building calls has to fan out. That is what BuzzMeBro is.
BuzzMeBro gives your apartment its own local phone number. You hand that number to your building once, and it goes into the panel like any other number. When someone buzzes, every phone registered to the apartment rings at the same time, up to 4 of them. Whoever answers first talks to the visitor and presses the door digit your building uses, usually 9. A buzz arrives as an ordinary phone call, so there is nothing to install on anyone's phone.
It is $11.99 a month or $109.00 a year, billed per apartment, not per person. A local number is checked at signup, and a building with no number available goes on a waitlist. For every other way to get more than one phone on a buzzer, free ones included, see the full comparison.
Questions people ask
Can I forward my apartment buzzer to two phones?
Not with carrier forwarding. A forward sends the call to one other number. Conditional forwarding can ring you first and then one other phone, in sequence, after about 20 seconds. To ring two or more phones at the same time you need a number that fans out, which is what BuzzMeBro does for up to 4 phones per apartment.
Does the door open when the buzzer call is forwarded?
Usually, on a straight carrier forward from a cell or landline to another cell. The forward is a redirect inside the phone network, so the keypad tone normally survives. It fails more often when the destination is an app-based or re-encoded number. Test it from the lobby before trusting it.
What is the difference between *21* and *61*?
*21* is unconditional: every call is sent to the other number and your phone never rings. *61* is conditional: your phone rings first, and the call moves on only if you do not answer, typically after about 20 seconds. *62* forwards when your phone is off or out of signal, and *67* forwards when you are on another call.
Why did my conditional forwarding stop working?
Voicemail uses the same no-answer rule. Rogers states that conditional forwarding does not work with voicemail on, and Telus and Koodo customers saw *61* silently revert to voicemail after a network update in early 2026. Dial *#61# to see what the carrier currently has set.
Is call forwarding good enough for a buzzer if I live alone?
If your buzzer calls a landline and you want it on your cell, *72 from the landline works and is the cheapest fix for one person, as long as you keep the landline. Once a second person needs the buzz, forwarding runs out, and a number that rings both phones at once, like BuzzMeBro, is the fix.