What it is
Two legs
The provider answers on a landline, then sends the call on to your mobile.
How it is builtCall forwarding
Two calls
glued together.
If you are scared for someone inside, call Prisoners’ Families Helpline on 0808 808 2003.
A landline that rings a mobile is often a divert. Since 11 August 2026, that glue is what prisons are told to restrict.
Checked against the published rates.
The check
Three things to know.
The rule
Since 11 August
Prisons are told to restrict “numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services”.
The sentenceWhat to do
Ask in writing
Does this number take the call and send it on? A useful answer is yes or no.
How to tellWhat it is
That is a divert.
You are given a UK landline number. When they dial it, the provider answers on that number. Then it sends the call on to your mobile. Two legs. Two lines.
It works. It is how most of these products are built. We have checked 7 companies. BluePhone, Call From Prison, Cellphone Rocks, FoneSavvy, NeatPhone, PhoneSavvy, Second Ring work this way. That is recorded, dated, on each comparison.
The rule
What prisons are told to restrict.
The words
0800 numbers as social contacts, and “numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services”.
The reason
Who they reach, not what a family pays. A divert can get round a bar.
Exceptions exist
They sit in a manual we have not read. This page cannot name them.
Since 11 August 2026, paragraph 7.9 tells prisons to restrict those numbers.[3, 7.9]
How to tell
Ask, in writing.
Ask the company: “Does this number take the call and send it on to another line?” A fair question. A useful answer is yes or no, not a slogan.
If they talk about an app, wifi calling, or a platform in the middle, treat that as a pass-on unless they show you otherwise. If the number lives on your SIM as a second line, and the call ends there, that is the other build.
ringyard is the second build. That does not make it approved. The prison still checks it, like any other landline.[1]
If it stops
Start with a wrong digit.
Then a number that was never live. Then a move. A divert being spotted is one cause, not the first.
Only the person inside can ask the wing what happened to that number. There is no inbound line for you.[1]
Questions
The short answers.
Can I use call forwarding for prison calls?
You can buy a number that works that way. Since 11 August 2026, prisons are told to restrict numbers linked to call diversion and re-routing services. Such a number can be refused when it is put forward, or taken off the list later. There are exceptions. They sit in a manual we have not read.
Why do prisons restrict forwarded numbers?
The published reason is contact control. A diverted number can be used to reach someone the prisoner is barred from calling. The concern is who they reach, not what a family pays.
What if my forwarded number already works?
Approval is not permanent. Do not panic-switch a number that is ringing. Ask the provider, in writing, whether it forwards. Ask the person inside to check the list is still live. If it stops, they should ask the wing. The helpline is 0808 808 2003.
Is ringyard call forwarding?
No. The landline number sits on the phone you carry. A call to it is a call to you. Nothing is passed from one line to another. The prison still checks it. Nobody can promise a yes.
Sources
Check us.
[3]Interception, monitoring and security of prisoner communications policy framework
HM Prison and Probation Service / Ministry of Justice — issued 11 August 2026. Read 2026-08-26.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/interception-monitoring-and-security-of-prisoner-communications-policy-framework[1]Staying in touch with someone in prison
GOV.UK — current guidance. Read 2026-08-23.
https://www.gov.uk/staying-in-touch-with-someone-in-prison
A landline that does not pass the call on.
The number lives on the phone you have. One leg. The prison still checks it. Nobody can promise a yes.
No term. Stop in one tap.
If you need this next