How To Create A Voicemail Box

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This wikiHow teaches you how to set up Visual Voicemail on your iPhone. Visual Voicemail is just a fancy name for how your iPhone displays and manages your voicemail messages--kind of like an email inbox. Nearly all mobile providers in North America and Europe support Visual Voicemail, as well a growing number of providers in other countries. If your provider doesn't support Visual Voicemail on the iPhone, check with your carrier to see if they offer their own voicemail app. If they don't, you can still use your iPhone's built-in voicemail tools to listen to and manage your messages.

1

Open your iPhone's Phone app. It's the green-and-white phone icon on your home screen.^[1]
2
Tap Voicemail . It's in the bottom right corner of the screen.^[2]
- If tapping Voicemail initiates a call, you'll need to follow the spoken instructions from here to finish setting up your voicemail. This means that your provider doesn't support Visual Voicemail.
3
Tap Set Up Now . If this is the first time you're setting up the voicemail, you'll need to click "Set Up Now."^[3] This option should appear in the middle of the page.
- If you don't see this option, your voicemail is already set up; you can record a greeting by tapping Greeting in the top left corner of the screen. This usually happens when you transfer information from an existing phone to a new phone.
4
Enter an existing password or create one now. The option varies depending on whether you've already set up voicemail through your provider:
- If you've already set up voicemail through your cellular provider, you'll be prompted to enter it now. Type the password and tap "Done" to connect your existing voicemail to Visual Voicemail. Any messages in your existing voicemail box will be transferred to your iPhone after setup is complete.
- If you've never set up your voicemail, you'll be prompted to create a password. Enter a new password, tap Done enter it again, and then tap Done again to confirm.
5
Tap Custom to record a greeting. If you'd rather choose the default pre-recorded greeting, you can select Default instead. Otherwise, create your own greeting:^[4]
- Tap Record and say your greeting.
- Tap Stop when you're finished.
- Tap the play button to hear a preview.
- If you don't like your greeting, tap Cancel to get rid of it, and then tap Custom to try again.
- Tap Save when you're happy with your greeting.

1
Open the Phone app. It's the green-and-white phone receiver icon on the home screen.
- You can see how many new messages you have by looking at the little red number on your Voicemail icon.
2
Tap Voicemail . It's at the bottom-right corner. As long as your carrier supports Visual Voicemail, you can access your voicemails by tapping the Voicemail button. You will be able to browse through all of your voicemails and choose which ones you want to listen to.^[5]
- If tapping this button dials your provider's voicemail line, follow their prompts to retrieve your voicemail.
3
Tap a voicemail message. You'll see the time and date at which the voicemail was received, the phone number or contact's name, and the options to play, listen, call back, or delete.
- If your carrier supports Visual Voicemail, you'll also see also see a transcript of the message below the controls.
4
Tap ► to listen to the message. It's the sideways triangle at the bottom left corner of the message. Tapping this will begin playing your voicemail message.
- Tapping the speaker icon will play the message through your iPhone's external speaker instead of through the phone receiver.
5

Tap the trash can to delete a message. If you want to delete multiple messages, tap the back button to return to the voicemail list, tap Edit at the top-right corner, select messages to delete, and then tap Delete at the bottom.
6

Tap the blue phone receiver to call the caller back. This immediately returns the call, so only tap this button if you're ready to talk to the caller.
7

Edit your greeting. If you want to change your greeting, just tap Greeting at the top-right corner of your voicemail inbox to select the default greeting or create a new custom greeting.
8
Change your voicemail password. If you ever need to reset your password, you can do so in your Settings:
- Open your iPhone's Settings app, which is the gray gear icon on the home screen.
- Scroll down and tap Phone.
- Tap Change Voicemail Password.
- Enter and confirm a new password.

1
Restart your iPhone. Restarting your device can solve a lot of minor problems you may be having. To do so:
- Hold down the Power button on the top or side of your phone.
- Slide the slide to power off switch at the top of the screen right.
- Wait for a minute.
- Hold down the Power button until you see the white Apple logo appear on your iPhone's screen.
2
Update your iPhone to the latest version of iOS. There may be a bug that's causing your voicemail problems, and a more recent version of iOS may have fixed the problem. You can check for updates in the "General" section of the Settings app, or you can use iTunes.
- Also check for any Carrier Updates, which can be found by tapping About in the General section of the Settings app.
3
Call your carrier if you can't access your voicemail inbox. There are several issues that may occur when setting up your voicemail, especially if you are upgrading from a much older device. Contacting your carrier's Customer Service line can help you reset your voicemail settings, change your password, and get your visual voicemail setup. Common carrier customer service lines include the following:
- AT&T - (800) 331-0500 or 611 from your iPhone.
- Verizon - (800) 922-0204 or *611 from your iPhone.
- Sprint - (888) 211-4727
- T-Mobile - (877) 746-0909 or 611 from your iPhone.
- Boost Mobile - (866) 402-7366
- Cricket - (800) 274-2538 or 611 from your iPhone.
4
Reset your iPhone's Voicemail password. If you need to change the password for Visual Voicemail on your iPhone, you can do so from the Settings app.
- Tap Settings → Phone → Change Voicemail Password.
- Enter your new Visual Voicemail password.
- Tap "Done" to save your new password.

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Question

How do I activate voicemail on my iPhone?

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Josef Storzi is an Apple and Mobile Phone Repair Specialist and the Owner of Imobile LA, a mobile phone repair company based in Los Angeles, California. Josef specializes in repairing screens, charging ports, batteries, water damage, speakers, and microphones on all mobile phone brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Nokia, and Sony. He also specializes in tablet, laptop, and computer repairs as well as the pros and cons of recent mobile software updates.

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Expert Answer

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Open the phone app and click on voicemail. If you're setting up voicemail for the first time, click set up now. Enter a voicemail password, then select whether you would like to use the default voicemail recording or record a custom one.
Question

My phone says "no voicemail" even though I have messages. What is the problem?

The Visual Voicemail system will only work if your carrier allows it — and it may charge extra for the feature. If it worked before and doesn't work now, make sure you have a good data connection and try Settings: General: Reset: Reset Network Settings.
Question

While setting up voicemail, my phone asks me to enter my number, then says it doesn't recognize it. What do I do now?

Your carrier may have a mistake when activating your phone. If you have AT&T, call 611 and follow the automated prompts to get a password. Hold down Home and Power to soft reset your iPhone, then use this password to access your voicemail. If this password stops working or if you have a different carrier, call the carrier's customer service to get a permanent password.
Question

I am no longer notified when I receive a voicemail. How can I turn notifications back on?

If you can listen to voicemail but don't get notifications, your cell carrier is probably at fault. First, connect online and go to Settings:General:About to check for a carrier update. If there's no update, call your carrier's customer service number and ask to talk to someone who knows about Message Waiting Indicators (MWI). Note that you can only get notifications when you have a cell data connection, not just WiFi.
Question

How can I change the number of rings before voicemail?

Contact your carrier's customer service and request the change. On some models, you can access these settings as follows: call *#61# and write down the Voice Call Forwarding number (including + signs). Return to the dial pad and call *61* followed by that number, followed by *30# if you want it to take 30 seconds to reach voicemail. (You can enter any number instead of 30.)
Question

My voicemail button is greyed out, please help.

Exit the phone app. Tap Home twice then swipe up on the phone app to close it completely. Perform a soft reset by holding down the Home and Power buttons at the same time, until the Apple logo appears. Wait for the phone to finish starting up, then try your voicemail again. If this doesn't work, contact your service provider.
Question

When I try to record a voicemail, it just goes back to the default...

Turn off your WiFi and try again. If this doesn't work, delete all your voicemail messages and try again, with your WiFi still turned off.
Question

Nothing happens when I press the voicemail button. What do I do?

Your phone may be programmed with the wrong voicemail number (not the same as your phone number). The easiest fix is probably to ask an Apple Store employee to reset it. If you'd like to do it yourself, call your carrier to ask for your voicemail number, then look up instructions on how to program the voicemail number on your iPhone model.
Question

I just bought a new iPhone and it asks for a mailbox number when I hit the Voicemail button. Please advise.

Your carrier sets the mailbox number. It's often the last four digits of your phone number, or 0000. If these don't work, try resetting it through your carrier user website, or by calling your carrier. If your Visual Voicemail is disabled, make sure to mention this so they give you the right type of mailbox.
Question

Can you set up to play a message but NOT allow a message to be left? Example: "You've reached my cell phone where you cannot leave a message. Please call my office instead".

Your carrier can disable your voicemail for you, but it might not let you set the message. Try linking your phone number to a third-party voicemail service instead, such as YouMail or Google Voice.

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wikiHow Video: How to Set Up Voicemail on an iPhone

If you are not getting the Visual Voicemail option, ensure that your cellular data is turned on for the Phone.

About This Article

Article SummaryX

To set up voicemail on an iPhone with Verizon or Sprint, start by tapping Voicemail in your Phone app. If this initiates a call, follow the spoken instructions to set up your voicemail. Otherwise, tap the "Set up now" option and enter a password that's between 4 and 6 characters long. After you've entered your password, select Done and re-enter your password to confirm it. Once you reach the voicemail greeting page, tap Custom if you want to record a greeting message, then press Record to start. After you've recorded your message, tap Save to store it. If you're having problems with your voicemail, try restarting your phone, which can sometimes resolve minor issues you're having. For tips on how to set up a voicemail with T-Mobile or AT&T, keep reading!

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