A communication event processing method includes obtaining, by a first terminal, a use status of the first terminal and a use status of a second terminal. The method includes determining either the first terminal or the second terminal as a communication event receiving terminal according to at least one of the use status of the first terminal or the use status of the second terminal. The method includes sending, by the first terminal, a communication event transfer start instruction message to a server when the communication event receiving terminal is the second terminal and a communication event receiving terminal determined last time is the first terminal, where the communication event transfer start instruction message is used to instruct the server to forward, to the second terminal, a received communication event to be sent to the first terminal.