This article was co-authored by Josef Storzi and by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA. 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.
There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work.
This article has been viewed 576,819 times.
Did you miss that phone call? Luckily, voicemail exists for moments like that so you can listen to what your caller wanted to get in touch with you about. So how do you check your voicemail for those missed calls? Most people have voicemail accounts through their cell phones or landline phones, but things can get a little complicated when you don't have access to a phone or if you recently switched voicemail systems. This wikiHow article teaches you how to check your voicemail in different ways.
Things You Should Know
- If you're using an iPhone or Android, you can usually tap the "New Voicemail" notification to check it.
- Call your own phone number then enter your PIN or passcode to listen to your voicemail.
- Go online if your phone service has an online area for voicemail.
Steps
Checking on Android (From Notifications)
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1Swipe down from the top of your screen. This displays your notifications. If you have any unread voicemail, you'll see an icon at the top-left corner of your screen in the Status area.
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2Tap the New Voicemail notification. It looks like a reel-to-reel tape. Your phone will dial the voice mailbox so you can see or hear your new voicemail.[1]
Checking on Android (Calling)
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1Open Phone. Tap the green app icon featuring a white telephone receiver.
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2Tap the Keyboard or Dialpad tab. It's in the row of tabs at the bottom of your screen along with Recents and Contacts.
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3Press and hold 1. This key may also feature a voicemail icon (which looks like cassette tape eyes).
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4Enter your PIN or passcode. When you created your account, you were prompted to create a PIN so no one else could access your voicemail.
- Contact your cell phone provider (like AT&T or Verizon) if you are unable to remember your code. They might be able to reset it for you over the phone and help you with any other problems. Conducting an internet search for your particular provider should bring up a customer service number to call.
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5Listen to your voicemail messages. After you enter your PIN correctly, you'll be able to hear your messages. There is usually a menu of options that you can choose from to decide what to do with the message, but each menu varies between carriers.
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6End the call when you're done. Simply press the red "End Call" icon to hang up and end the call.
Checking on Android (Visual Voicemail)
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1Open the Phone app. If your cellular phone service offers visual voicemail, you can see a list of your voicemails and listen to them individually. Tap the green app icon featuring a white telephone receiver at the bottom of the screen to get started.
- Visual voicemail is available for AT&T (depending on your plan), Cellcom, Coriolis, Google Fi, O2, Orange, and T-Mobile.
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2Tap the Voicemail icon. It's to the left of the "Start Call" icon (which looks like a telephone receiver) on the Keypad tab.
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3Tap a voicemail message to listen.
Checking on iPhone (From Notifications)
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1Open the Notification Center. If you're on the Lock Screen, swipe up. On any other screen, swipe down from the top center (you don't want to open Control Center instead).[2]
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2Tap the Voicemail Notification to listen to it. It'll open in the Phone app so you can listen to your new voicemail.
Checking on iPhone (Visual Voicemail)
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1Open the Phone app. This app icon looks like a green square with a white telephone receiver in the middle. If your carrier supports visual voicemail, you can view your voicemail messages as a list and listen to them individually.
- Alternatively, you can ask Siri to "Play the voicemail from Jane Doe" if you have the AI assistant set up.
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2Tap the Voicemail tab. It's at the bottom-right corner of he Phone app with Keypad, Contacts, and Recents.
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3Tap the voicemail that you want to listen to. If voicemail transcription is available, you'll see a transcription of the message.
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4Tap the Play icon to listen to the voicemail message. The Play icon looks like a sideways triangle.[3]
- You can tap the trashcan icon after you've listened to the message to delete it. There's no way to undo this, so make sure you're ok with getting rid of that voicemail!
- If you're lucky, there's a Deleted Messages area that you can access to tap Undelete on messages that you don't want to delete. However, many countries and regions delete messages permanently, and undoing deletions is impossible.
- Tap the blue circle with the telephone receiver to call that number back.
Checking on iPhone (Calling)
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1Open Phone. Tap the green app icon featuring a white telephone receiver.
-
2Tap the Keyboard tab. It's in the row of tabs at the bottom of your screen along with Recents and Contacts.
-
3Press and hold 1. This key may also feature a voicemail icon (which looks like cassette tape eyes).
-
4Enter your PIN or passcode. When you created your account, you were prompted to create a PIN so no one else could access your voicemail.
- Contact your cell phone provider (like AT&T or Verizon) if you are unable to remember your passcode. They might be able to reset it for you over the phone and help you with any other problems. Conducting an internet search for your particular provider should bring up a customer service number to call.
-
5Listen to your voicemail messages. After you enter your PIN correctly, you'll be able to hear your messages. There is usually a menu of options that you can choose from to decide what to do with the message, but each menu varies between carriers.
-
6End the call when you're done. Simply press the red "End Call" icon to hang up and end the call.[4]
Checking Voicemail from Another Phone
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1Call your phone number from any phone. If you don't have it memorized, you may have to look it up. Many phones have your cell phone number saved in the contacts automatically as 'Me'.
- On iPhone, you can also look up your phone number by going to the Settings app and clicking Phone. [5]
- On Android, go to Settings > About Phone. Your phone number will be listed here next to "Phone number."
- You can also call a landline phone to hear voicemails when you're not near your phone.
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2Press # when you hear your voicemail greeting. This prompts the voicemail service that you want to access your voicemail instead of leaving a message.
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3Enter your pin or passcode when prompted. Voicemail is locked for privacy reasons but the code should be something that you created. Once you have verified your identity, you should be allowed to access your voicemail.
- Contact your cell phone provider if you are unable to remember your code. They might be able to reset it for you over the phone and help you with any other problems. Conducting an internet search for your particular provider should bring up a customer service number to call.
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QuestionHow do you set up voicemail on an iPhone?Josef StorziJosef 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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QuestionRetrieve voicemail passwordwikiHow Staff EditorThis answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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QuestionHow do I empty my voicemail?Community AnswerYou can empty your voicemail on your phone by hitting delete. After you hit that, you will see that at the bottom it says delete all. Press that and it will clear all of your messages. This is for an iPhone.
References
- ↑ https://support.google.com/phoneapp/answer/2811844?hl=en
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/view-and-respond-to-notifications-iph6534c01bc.
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/check-voicemail-iph3c99490e/ios
- ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/check-voicemail-iph3c99490e/ios#:~:text=Check%20your%20messages%20when%20Visual%20Voicemail%20isn%E2%80%99t%20available
- ↑ http://osxdaily.com/2013/04/20/how-to-find-an-iphones-phone-number/
- ↑ http://businesshelp.comcast.com/help-and-support/voice/phone-business-class-voice-mail-overview/
- ↑ https://support.vonage.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/965/~/vonage-voicemail
- ↑ http://customer.xfinity.com/help-and-support/phone/get-voicemail-while-traveling/
- ↑ http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/voice-mail-faqs/
About This Article
If you’re using a cell phone, you can usually access your voicemail through your phone app. On an iPhone, tap the voicemail button, which is located in the lower right corner of the screen in the phone app. From there, you can tap on individual voicemail messages to listen to them or view a transcription. On an Android phone, open your phone app and tap and hold the 1 key. You may be prompted to enter a PIN or passcode to listen to your messages. You can also access your voicemail on Android phones by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping on a New Voicemail notification. This will prompt your phone to dial the number for your voicemail inbox. With any kind of cell phone, you can check your voicemail by dialing your own phone number, then hitting either * (asterisk) or # (pound), depending on your carrier, and entering your voicemail password. If you use a landline, there’s usually a number you can dial to listen to your voicemail messages. For instance, Comcast, Xfinity, and cable phones allow you to access your voicemail by dialing *99, while AT&T phones use *98. If you have phone service with Vonage, dial *123, followed by the PIN you set for your voicemail. Some modern landline phones have a voicemail button that will automatically dial your mailbox for you. Most phone service providers let you check your voicemail online as well as over the phone. For example, the Xfinity, Verizon, and Cox Mobile websites will all allow you to listen to your messages when you log in and navigate to your online voice mailbox. If you use AT&T, download the Voicemail Viewer app to your smartphone and access your messages that way. For ways to check your messages online with Xfinity, Verizon, or AT&T, read on!