How forwarding works
What your carrier does with an unanswered call, and what Catchline does in the seconds after.
Updated
On this page
Conditional call forwarding is a carrier feature. Once the code is dialled, your carrier sends a call to your Catchline number only when your line is busy, unanswered or unreachable. You see the call on your phone first, exactly as before.
Second by second
The customer dials your number. Your phone rings for as long as your carrier allows, usually 20 to 25 seconds.
You do not answer. Your carrier forwards the call to your Catchline number.
Catchline answers, logs the call and looks up the caller.
Catchline sends the missed-call text (or the after-hours text, if you are closed and have it turned on) and plays the caller a short message saying a text is on its way.
Catchline texts you the caller's number, and the call appears in your inbox with the conversation.
Calls that do not get a text
| Shown as | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Unknown caller | The number was withheld or was not a real mobile number, so there was nobody to text. |
| Opted out | This number replied STOP earlier. It is texted again only after they text START. |
| Blocked | You blocked this number from the inbox. Calls are logged, nothing is sent. |
| Plan not active | The trial has ended or the subscription is not active. Choose a plan under Billing. |
| Paused | Protection is paused in Settings. |
| Send failed | The text could not be handed to the carrier. Open the conversation to see the error. |
Answered calls
An answered call never reaches Catchline in forwarded mode, so it is not logged. In primary mode, the calls you answer are logged as answered so you can see the whole day in one place.
Voicemail
In forwarded mode your carrier hands the call to Catchline before voicemail would have picked up, so callers get a text instead of a mailbox. In primary mode Catchline asks whoever answers to press a key; voicemail cannot, so a call that lands in voicemail is treated as missed and the caller still gets the text.
Still stuck?
Email us with your business name and what you were trying to do. Screenshots help. If a page here does not match what you see in Catchline, say so and we will fix the page.
hello@catchlinehq.com