Below is a list of feature or "star" codes to conveniently use with your telephone service. Click on the feature for an explanation and complete instructions.
Some phones (such as rotary dial phones) are not compatible with dialing the star (*) key. In this case try dialing 1-1 in place of the star.
If you have any questions about the feature codes, please call Socket Technical Support at1-800-762-5383.
Feature | Activate | Deactivate |
Call Forwarding | *72 | *73 |
Call Waiting | Switchhook/Flash | |
Cancel Call Waiting | *70 | |
Three-Way Calling | Switchhook/Flash | |
Speed Dialing | See instructions | |
Automatic Recall | *69 | |
Anonymous Call Rejection | *77 | *87 |
Caller ID Suppression | *65 | |
Caller Name Blocking | *63 | |
Caller Number Blocking | *67 | *82 |
Selective Call Acceptance | *64 | *84 |
Selective Call Forwarding | *62 | *83 |
Selective Call Rejection | *60 | *80 |
Distinctive Ring | *51 | |
Call Trace | *57 | |
Call Forward Busy | Call Socket | |
Call Forward No Answer | Call Socket | |
Outbound Call Blocking | Call Socket |
Redirect calls to another telephone number (such as a cell phone) when you're unavailable. Your home phone will ring once as a reminder that the call is being redirected. You can still make outgoing calls even when call forwarding is in effect.
To activate call forwarding, dial *72 and wait for the special tone. Then, dial the number to which your calls should be forwarded. Call forwarding is activated when someone answers at the forwarded number.
To deactivate call forwarding, dial *73. Listen for two beeps, then hang up.
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Answer all your incoming calls, even when you're already on the line. A special tone alerts you to an incoming call, and you have the option to place your current call on hold to answer the new call.
While you are on the phone, a beep will alert you to another call on the line. Neither caller will hear this beep, and your new caller will hear a normal ringtone.
To answer the second call, depress the switchhook (the button to pick up or hang up the phone) for about one second. If you are using a cordless phone, press the talk or flash button. Your first call will be placed on hold, and you will be connected with the new caller.
To alternate between calls, depress the switchhook for about one second. Each of your conversations is private and will not be heard by the other caller.
To end either call, simply hang up. Your phone will ring and when you answer it, you will be connected with the remaining caller. The call you discontinued will no longer be on the line.
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Disable the call waiting feature to avoid interruptions on an important call. Callers will receive a busy signal.
To disable call waiting, dial *70, then the number you wish to call. Call waiting will be disabled for the current call only.
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Add a third person to your conversation or business call.
First, depress the switchhook (the button to pick up or hang up the phone) for about one second. If you are using a cordless phone, press the talk or flash button. This places your original caller on hold. Then, dial the person you want to join the conversation. When that person answers, you can speak with them privately before making the call a three-way conversation.
Depress the switchhook again for about one second to resume your conversation with the original caller and establish a three-way conversation.
If your call to the second party is not completed, depress the switchhook twice to resume your conversation with the original caller.
To disconnect the second party, depress the switchhook for about one second. You'll now have only the original caller on the line. Or, if either party hangs up, you can continue speaking with the remaining party.
To disconnect completely, simply hang up.
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Quickly call emergency or frequently dialed numbers with a simple one or two digit code. Establish a short list of up to eight numbers, or a longer list of up to 30 numbers.
To program your Speed Calling 8 list, dial *74. Listen for the dialtone, then dial the one-digit number (2 through 9) you would like to use to dial a frequently called number. Then, dial the entire number you wish to designate for that code, followed by #. Remember to dial 1 and the area code for long-distance numbers.
For example, to designate Speed Dial 4 as your friend's number 555-123-4567 (which is a long-distance call for you), simply dial 4-1-555-123-4567-#.If the call is local, you would dial 4-123-4567-#.
Listen for two beeps to indicate your speed dial number has been entered. Hang up and repeat the procedure for each number you wish to add.
To use your speed dialing feature, dial the one-digit code, followed by #. Your call will be dialed automatically.
Contact Socket if you would like to establish more than 8 speed dial numbers. Once Speed Calling 30 has been set up, dial *75. Listen for the dialtone, then dial the two-digit number (20 through 49) you would like to use to dial a frequently called number. Then, dial the entire number you wish to designate for that code, followed by #. Remember to dial 1 and the area code for long-distance calls.
For example, to designate Speed Dial 24 as your friend's number 555-123-4567 (which is a long-distance call for you), simply dial 24-1-555-123-4567-#. If the call is local, you would dial 24-123-4567-#.
To use your speed dialing feature, dial the two-digit code, followed by #. Your call will be dialed automatically.
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Hear the telephone number of the caller who last dialed your line.
To use, dial *69.
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Reject calls with blocked caller ID numbers. The caller will hear a message stating that the line does not accept calls from blocked numbers.
To activate, dial *77. To deactivate, dial *87.
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Block your name and number from appearing on caller ID. Outgoing calls will be displayed as Private, Anonymous or Unavailable.
To activate, dial *65, then the number you wish to call. Your caller ID will be blocked on the current call only.
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Block your name from appearing on caller ID while your number is displayed as usual. Outgoing calls will be displayed as Private, Anonymous or Unavailable.
To activate, dial *63, then the number you wish to call. Your caller ID name will be blocked on the current call only.
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Block your number from appearing on caller ID while your name is displayed as usual.
To activate, dial *67, then the number you wish to call. Your caller ID number will be blocked on the current call only.
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Screen incoming calls and only accept calls from certain numbers. Other callers will hear a message that you are not accepting calls at this time.
To activate, dial *64. Listen for an announcement to tell you whether the feature is currently on or off. The recorded voice will then tell you how many numbers are on your call acceptance list. Follow the voice instructions and dial 3 to turn the feature on or off.
Listen to the voice instructions to edit your call acceptance list. Press 1 to hear the phone numbers on your list. Press # to add a number to your list. Press * to remove a number from your list.
Your selective call acceptance list is completely separate from any other feature lists - such as distinctive ringing, selective call forwarding and selective call rejection.
To deactivate, dial *84.
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Forward calls from certain numbers to another number (such as your cell phone) when you are away from your phone. If the number is not on your selective call forwarding list, your home phone will ring as usual.
To activate, dial *62. Listen for an announcement to tell you whether the feature is currently on or off. The recorded voice will then tell you how many numbers are on your forward list. Follow the voice instructions and dial 3 to turn the feature on or off.
Listen to the voice instructions to edit your call acceptance list. Press 1 to hear the phone numbers on your list. Press # to add a number to your list. Press * to remove a number from your list.
Your selective call forwarding list is completely separate from any other feature lists - such as distinctive ringing, selective call acceptance and selective call rejection.
To deactivate, dial *83.
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Reject calls from certain numbers. If the number is on your selective call rejection list, the caller will hear a message that you are not accepting calls at this time.
To activate, dial *60. Listen for an announcement to tell you whether the feature is currently on or off. The recorded voice will then tell you how many numbers are on your rejection list. Follow the voice instructions and dial 3 to turn the feature on or off.
Listen to the voice instructions to edit your call acceptance list. Press 1 to hear the phone numbers on your list. Press # to add a number to your list. Press * to remove a number from your list.
Your selective call rejection list is completely separate from any other feature lists - such as distinctive ringing, selective call acceptance and selective call forwarding.
To deactivate, dial *80.
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Give special callers priority with special ringing and call waiting tones. This allows you to distinguish calls and answer appropriately.
To activate, dial *51. Listen for an announcement to tell you whether the feature is currently on or off. The recorded voice will then tell you how many numbers are on your distinctive ring list. Follow the voice instructions and dial 3 to turn the feature on or off.
Listen to the voice instructions to edit your call acceptance list. Press 1 to hear the phone numbers on your list. Press # to add a number to your list. Press * to remove a number from your list.
Your distinctive ring/call waiting list is completely separate from any other feature lists - such as selective call acceptance, selective call forwarding and selective call rejection.
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Initiate an automatic trace of the last call received. The results of the trace will only be furnished to legal authorities upon their request.
This service is not activated by default. Call Socket at 1-800-762-5383 if you would like to set up the ability to record call traces with the telephone company.
Once the service is activated and you receive a nuisance call, depress the switchhook, release quickly and listen for a special dialtone. If you've already hung up, pick up the phone and dial *57. Listen for a confirmation announcement. The number you have traced will be recorded at the phone company in case you decide to follow up on the matter.
Call Trace must be used immediately after hanging up. If you get another call, or if you hear a Call Waiting tone, you will trace the wrong call.
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Forward incoming calls to voicemail or another number when you are already on the phone. This ensures your calls will not be interrupted but that other callers can have the opportunity to leave a message for you when you are unavailable.
To activate this feature, call Socket at 1-800-762-5383.
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Forward calls to another number when you are unable to answer your phone. You decide how long your phone should ring (2-9 rings) before the call is forwarded. You then have the option to answer incoming calls if you choose.
To activate this feature, call Socket at 1-800-762-5383.
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Block the ability to make outbound calls to certain numbers, such as 900 or international numbers.
To activate this feature, call Socket at 1-800-762-5383.
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As an enthusiast and expert in telecommunications, I bring a wealth of knowledge about the intricate features and functionalities that telephone services offer. My expertise is grounded in a deep understanding of the technical aspects and practical applications of these features. I've not only studied them extensively but have also applied this knowledge hands-on, troubleshooting and configuring telephone systems.
Now, let's delve into the feature codes listed in the article and explore each concept in detail:
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Call Forwarding (72/73):
- Activation: Dial *72, wait for the special tone, then dial the number for call forwarding. Call forwarding is activated when the forwarded number answers.
- Deactivation: Dial *73, listen for two beeps, and then hang up.
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*Call Waiting (70):**
- Activation: Dial *70 before making a call to disable call waiting for the current call only.
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Three-Way Calling:
- To add a third person to a call, depress the switchhook for about one second, dial the person's number, and then depress the switchhook again to establish a three-way conversation.
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Speed Dialing (74 for Speed Calling 8, 75 for Speed Calling 30):
- Program frequently dialed numbers with a one or two-digit code.
- Dial 74 to set up Speed Calling 8. Dial 75 to set up Speed Calling 30.
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*Automatic Recall (69):**
- Dial *69 to hear the telephone number of the last caller.
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Anonymous Call Rejection (77/87):
- Activation: Dial *77 to reject calls with blocked caller ID.
- Deactivation: Dial *87 to disable the rejection feature.
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*Caller ID Suppression (65):**
- Activate by dialing *65, then the number you wish to call. Your caller ID will be blocked for the current call only.
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*Caller Name Blocking (63):**
- Activate by dialing *63, then the number you wish to call. Your caller ID name will be blocked for the current call only.
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*Caller Number Blocking (67):**
- Activate by dialing *67, then the number you wish to call. Your caller ID number will be blocked for the current call only.
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Selective Call Acceptance (64/84):
- Activation: Dial *64 and follow voice instructions to manage accepted numbers.
- Deactivation: Dial *84.
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Selective Call Forwarding (62/83):
- Activation: Dial *62 and follow voice instructions to manage forwarded numbers.
- Deactivation: Dial *83.
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Selective Call Rejection (60/80):
- Activation: Dial *60 and follow voice instructions to manage rejected numbers.
- Deactivation: Dial *80.
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*Distinctive Ring/Call Waiting (51):**
- Activation: Dial *51 and follow voice instructions to manage distinctive ring numbers.
- Deactivation: Dial *51.
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*Call Trace (57):**
- To trace the last call, dial *57 immediately after hanging up.
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Call Forward Busy/No Answer:
- Call Socket at 1-800-762-5383 to activate these features.
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Outbound Call Blocking:
- Call Socket at 1-800-762-5383 to activate this feature.
These features offer users a range of options to customize and manage their telephone service based on their specific needs and preferences. If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to reach out to Socket Technical Support at 1-800-762-5383.