How to Check Voicemail on Android

To check voicemail on an Android phone, open the Phone app, tap Dialpad, and touch and hold 1. This calls your voicemail service, where you can listen to your messages. If your carrier supports visual voicemail, you can also tap Voicemail at the bottom of the Phone app to see and play your messages as a list.

The steps below follow Google’s Phone app help page on how to check your voicemail. They are written for the Phone by Google app, which comes on Pixel phones and many other Android phones. Samsung Galaxy phones use Samsung’s own Phone app, so there is a separate section for them further down.

Before You Start

• Voicemail comes from your carrier. Your mobile carrier stores the messages, so the menus you hear and the features you get depend on your carrier and plan.
• Your mailbox has to be set up. If you have never used voicemail on this number, the first call usually walks you through creating a password and a greeting. See how to set up voicemail on Android.
• Android version. Google says some of these steps only work on Android 6.0 and up, and voicemail transcription needs Android 8.0 and up.
• Know your voicemail password. Your carrier may ask for the password or PIN you chose during setup. If you forgot it, your carrier is the one who can reset it.

How to Check Voicemail From a Notification

When a new voicemail arrives, Google says you can check it right from the notification. This is the fastest route for a message you just received.

1. Swipe down from the top of the screen to open your notifications.
2. Tap Voicemail.

What happens next depends on your phone and carrier. The phone either opens the voicemail list in the Phone app or calls your voicemail service. If you already cleared the notification, use one of the methods below instead.

How to Call Your Voicemail

Calling in is the method that works no matter which carrier you use. It does not need visual voicemail or any extra app.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. At the bottom, tap Dialpad.
3. Touch and hold 1 until the phone starts a call.
4. If you are asked, enter your voicemail password.
5. Follow the voice prompts to play, save, or delete your messages.

You will know it worked when the call screen appears and you hear your carrier’s voicemail greeting or menu. The keys for saving, deleting, and replaying a message are different on each carrier, so listen to the menu instead of guessing. A wrong key could delete a message you wanted to keep.

How to Turn On and Use Visual Voicemail

Visual voicemail shows your messages as a list in the Phone app, so you can pick which one to play without sitting through a phone menu. Google notes that not all carriers or countries offer it. Its list includes AT&T, Cellcom, Coriolis, Google Fi, O2, Orange, and T-Mobile, and AT&T customers should make sure their data plan includes visual voicemail.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. At the top right, tap More options (the three dots).
3. Tap Settings, then Voicemail.
4. Turn on Visual voicemail.
5. Go back to the main Phone screen and tap Voicemail at the bottom.
6. Tap a message in the list to expand it and play it.

Your voicemails now appear as a list. If you can’t find Voicemail at the bottom of the app, Google says to call your voicemail instead.

A few things to know before you change this setting:

• Turning it off deletes recordings from the app. Google says turning off visual voicemail deletes the recordings from your Phone app, though your carrier might keep a copy. Share any message you need before you switch it off.
• Carrier apps take over. If you use your carrier’s own voicemail app, Google says the Phone app’s visual voicemail turns off to avoid conflicts.
• You can share a recording. Expand the voicemail, tap Send to, and pick the app you want to use.

Visual Voicemail With Two SIMs

Google says using visual voicemail on multiple SIMs may not be supported by every device or carrier. If yours supports it, go to More options > Settings > Voicemail, tap a SIM, and turn on Visual voicemail. Tap Back and repeat for the other SIM. Each SIM’s voicemail shows in a separate tab. Google adds that you may have to turn visual voicemail on again if you change which SIM handles mobile data.

How to Read Voicemail Transcripts

A transcript is a written version of what the caller said, which helps when you can’t listen out loud. With certain carriers and devices, the Phone app can show one for each voicemail. Google lists Charter (Verizon), Comcast (Xfinity), Freedom, O2, T-Mobile on Pixel, Tracfone (T-Mobile and Verizon), and Visible (Verizon). It says transcription is only available in English and Spanish, on Android 8.0 and up, and that availability may vary by country.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap More options > Settings > Voicemail.
3. Turn on Voicemail transcription.

When you turn it on, Google transcribes both new and old voicemails. If you don’t see the option on a supported carrier or device, Google says to turn on visual voicemail first. To send a transcript to someone, tap Share and choose an app.

Be careful about switching this back off. Google says that if you turn off voicemail transcription, the recordings and transcriptions in your Phone app are deleted.

How to Check Voicemail on a Samsung Galaxy Phone

Galaxy phones use the Samsung Phone app, where the dialing tab is called Keypad instead of Dialpad. Samsung’s guide to using the Samsung Phone app gives these steps:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Tap Keypad at the bottom of the screen.
3. Dial your voicemail number, or use the voicemail icon, which Samsung says is typically on the 1 key. Touch and hold 1 to call.

Samsung notes that voicemail options vary by carrier. On Galaxy phones, visual voicemail is usually a separate app whose name and icon depend on your carrier. Samsung says to open that app, tap Continue, grant the permissions it asks for, and follow the prompts to finish setup. If you can’t find a visual voicemail app on your Galaxy phone, your carrier can tell you whether your plan includes one.

How to Check Voicemail in Google Voice

Google Voice is a separate Google calling service with its own phone number and its own voicemail. If callers reach you on a Google Voice number, those messages are in the Google Voice app, not the Phone app. Google’s steps to check your voicemail in Google Voice are:

1. Open the Google Voice app.
2. At the bottom, tap Voicemail. Unread voicemails are in bold.
3. Tap a voicemail.
4. Read the transcript, or tap Play to listen.

If a message is missing, Google suggests checking whether it was marked as spam: tap Menu at the top left, then Spam. Google also warns that Voice transcripts may be incorrect or missing.

Troubleshooting Voicemail on Android

There is no Voicemail tab in the Phone app

The tab only appears when visual voicemail is available and turned on. Check More options > Settings > Voicemail for the Visual voicemail switch. If the switch is not there, your carrier, plan, or region probably does not support it in the Phone by Google app, so call your voicemail by touching and holding 1.

Holding 1 does nothing or asks you to set up voicemail

Your mailbox may not be set up yet, or the phone may not have a voicemail number saved. In the Phone app, go to More options > Settings > Voicemail > Advanced Settings. Google says Setup is where you set up your voice mailbox, and Service controls which carrier handles your voicemails. If the number is missing or wrong, ask your carrier for the correct one.

You are not getting voicemail notifications

Google says this can happen after you switch from a phone that lists voicemail in the Phone app to one that doesn’t. You may get no notifications, or unreadable text messages from your carrier. Google’s fix has two parts:

1. Contact your mobile carrier and ask them to switch you to a basic voicemail service.
2. Open the Phone app and go to More options > Settings > Voicemail > Advanced Settings.
3. Tap Service and make sure Your carrier is selected.

Also check More options > Settings > Voicemail > Notifications to confirm voicemail notifications are allowed. Google says vibration is under Notifications > Advanced > Vibration.

You forgot your voicemail password

The password belongs to your carrier’s voicemail system, not to Android or your Google Account. Contact your carrier or sign in to your carrier account to reset it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What number do I call to check voicemail on Android?

You usually don’t need to know the number. Touching and holding 1 on the Phone app’s dialpad calls the voicemail number saved for your carrier. If that shortcut fails, your carrier can give you the direct number.

Can I check my voicemail from another phone?

Most carriers allow it, but the exact method is set by the carrier, not by Android. It commonly involves calling your own number, pressing a key during your greeting, and entering your voicemail password. Check your carrier’s support pages for the right key, because it differs between carriers.

Does checking voicemail on Android need mobile data?

Calling your voicemail is a regular phone call. Visual voicemail is different: Google tells AT&T customers to make sure their data plan includes access to it, so it can depend on your plan. Ask your carrier if you are unsure.

Why am I not getting voicemails from someone?

Make sure their number isn’t blocked. See how to unblock a number on Android. If calls go to voicemail before you can answer, you can also extend the ring time on Android.

Does Google keep my voicemail transcripts?

Google says it uses computers to transcribe voicemails in the Phone app and doesn’t associate them with your Google Account. It also says the voicemails aren’t permanently stored by Google and are stored on your phone. Donating transcripts to help improve the feature is a separate setting called Voicemail transcription analysis, and it only applies if you turn it on.

How do I delete old voicemails?

A full mailbox can stop new messages from being saved, so clear out messages you no longer need. See how to clear voicemail on Android for the steps.

Next Step

Try the dialpad shortcut once so you know your password works, then turn on visual voicemail if your carrier offers it. If the greeting callers hear is still the default one, set up your voicemail with a personal greeting.