How to set up conditional call forwarding with Videotron: a step-by-step guide

Conditional forwarding in a nutshell

Classic call forwarding sends every call elsewhere from the first ring: your phone never rings at all. That is useful on vacation, but not day to day. What you want is for your phone to ring first, and for forwarding to take over only when you cannot pick up.

That is exactly what conditional forwarding does. It triggers in a specific situation: no answer after a few rings, busy line, or a phone that is off or out of coverage. The forwarding happens inside the Videotron network, not on your device, so it works even if your battery is dead.

For your customers, nothing changes. They dial the number they already know, the one on your truck, your cards and your website. You have nothing to announce or reprint.

• Forward on no answer: your phone rings, then the call is forwarded if nobody picks up.
• Forward on busy: the call is forwarded if you are already on a call or decline it.
• Forward when unreachable: the call is forwarded if your phone is off, in airplane mode or without signal.
• Forward all calls: your phone never rings, keep this one for vacations.

Before you start: check your Videotron plan

Before touching any setting, take two minutes to check your plan in the Videotron Customer Centre or app. Depending on your agreement, call forwarding may be included, offered as an add-on or billed per use. Terms vary from plan to plan, so confirm yours before enabling anything.

Also think about the forwarding destination. If calls are forwarded to a long-distance number, long-distance charges may apply depending on your plan. With a business plan that includes unlimited Canada-wide calling, the impact is usually minimal, but it is the kind of detail you want to confirm before seeing it on your bill.

Finally, if you use Videotron voicemail, know that it competes with forward-on-no-answer: both features want to grab the call when you do not pick up. More on that below.

• Is call forwarding included in my plan or billed per use?
• Is the destination number local or long distance for me?
• Is my voicemail active, and will it conflict?
• Is my account mobile, business or residential?

On a Videotron mobile phone: through the phone settings

On Android, the most common path is: open the Phone app, tap the three-dot menu, then Settings, then Supplementary services or Calling accounts, and finally Call forwarding. You will usually see four options: always forward, when busy, when unanswered and when unreachable.

Set the three conditional options to your destination number, and leave "always forward" off. That combination keeps you in control: your phone rings first, and forwarding only takes over when you cannot answer.

On iPhone, the Settings, Phone, Call Forwarding menu usually only offers forwarding of all calls. For conditional forwarding, you need the dial codes described in the next section.

On a Videotron mobile phone: with dial codes

Forwarding codes are sequences you type in the Phone app, as if you were dialing a number, then tap the call button. These are the standard codes used on Canadian mobile networks. If a code is rejected, do not keep trying: use the phone menu or contact Videotron support to have the feature enabled on your account.

Replace "number" with the 10-digit destination number, prefixed with 1 if needed (for example 14505551234). After each code, a confirmation message should appear on screen.

• Forward on no answer: *61*number#
• Forward when unreachable: *62*number#
• Forward on busy: *67*number#
• Check a forwarding status: *#61#, *#62# or *#67#
• Set the delay before forwarding (5 to 30 seconds): **61*number*11*20#
• Disable a forwarding rule: #61#, #62# or #67#

The voicemail conflict

This is the most common trap. If your Videotron voicemail is active, it is itself programmed to answer when you do not pick up. Depending on the configuration, it can grab the call before your conditional forwarding has time to trigger, or the other way around.

The practical rule: whichever service has the shorter delay wins. If your voicemail answers after 20 seconds and your forwarding is set to 25 seconds, voicemail takes the call. For forwarding to work, set its delay shorter than the voicemail delay, or have Videotron disable voicemail if you no longer use it.

After any change, run a real test with a second phone. It is the only way to know which service actually answers.

Test your setup in five minutes

Once forwarding is on, do not trust the on-screen confirmation alone. Run a real test, ideally with a friend's phone or a second device.

Call your own number and let it ring without answering: the call should reach the destination number after the chosen delay. Repeat the test while declining the call, then with your phone turned off, to validate all three conditions. If one test fails, check the matching code (*#61#, *#62# or *#67#) to see the real forwarding status.

• Test 1: unanswered call, let it ring until it forwards.
• Test 2: declined call, to validate forward on busy.
• Test 3: phone turned off, to validate forward when unreachable.
• Test 4: hang up before the delay ends, to confirm your phone still rings normally.

What if forwarding alone is not enough?

Conditional forwarding moves the call, but it does not answer for you. If the destination is another line that nobody answers either, you have simply moved the problem. The caller hears ringing somewhere else, then hangs up.

That is exactly the use case Alloia was built for. You forward your missed calls to your Alloia line, and as soon as a call lands there, the customer automatically receives a text from you, with your message and your booking link. The missed call becomes a text conversation while you finish your job.

Setup takes a few minutes: you enable conditional forwarding to your Alloia number using the codes in this guide, you write your text once, and every missed call gets an instant reply, without changing your number or answering yourself.