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About this sound

✦ AI

The classic phone announcement that a call has been forwarded, voiced by Jane Barbe. Creators use it for pranks, voicemail jokes and fake phone scenes.

This short clip is the familiar automated telephone voice telling the caller that their call has been forwarded, delivered in the calm, measured tone Jane Barbe made famous on American phone systems. It is brief, clear and instantly recognisable, with no music or background noise to distract from the message. Heard on its own, it sounds official and slightly impersonal, which is exactly why it works so well as a joke: listeners expect a real person to answer, then realise they have been sent somewhere else. The pause after the announcement leaves room for a reaction, a cutaway or a punchline.

Jane Barbe was the American voice actor whose calm recordings guided callers through the AT&T phone system for decades, and her intercept messages became some of the most familiar sounds in American telephony. Lines like this one were designed to tell callers plainly that a number had changed or a call had been redirected, without any human operator. As those recordings spread onto phones, videos and soundboards, the forwarding announcement took on a second life as a prank, because listeners still recognise it instantly as an official system voice.

Pro Tip for Usage

✦ AI

Drop it right after someone dials, then cut to silence or a confused face instead of adding music. Keep it at full volume so it sounds like a real system message, and do not layer another voice over it.

Use Cases

✦ AI
  • Prank a friend with a fake forwarded call.
  • Open a comedy sketch with a missed connection.
  • Fake a voicemail greeting in a short video.
  • Interrupt a scene with an unexpected phone redirect.

Frequently Asked Questions

✦ AI
What does "Your call has been forwarded" mean?
It is an automated telephone message telling the caller that their call is being sent to another number instead of the one they dialled. It usually plays when a phone is busy, switched off, or set to forward calls elsewhere.
Who is the voice behind the sound?
The voice is Jane Barbe, the American recording artist known for AT&T telephone system messages. Her calm, clear delivery made her one of the most recognised voices on American phones, especially for automated announcements and intercept recordings.
Why do creators use this sound in pranks?
Creators use it because it sounds official and instantly familiar, so viewers believe a real phone system is speaking. That believability makes the reveal funnier when the call goes nowhere, the person is ignored, or a sketch takes an unexpected turn.

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