How to Clear Voicemail on Android

To clear voicemail on Android, open the Phone app, tap Voicemail, touch and hold a message, tap any others you want to remove, and tap Delete (the trash can). If your Phone app has no Voicemail tab, touch and hold 1 on the dialpad to call your mailbox and press the delete key the recorded menu announces after each message.

Which route you use depends on your carrier, not just your phone. This guide covers the Phone by Google app, carrier voicemail apps, Samsung Galaxy phones, standard call-in voicemail, and Google Voice. It follows Google’s Phone app voicemail help and Samsung’s support pages, checked in October 2026.

Before You Start

Android phones handle voicemail in two different ways, and it helps to know which one you have.

• Visual voicemail shows your messages as a list on the screen, so you can pick the ones to play or delete. It appears in the Phone app’s Voicemail tab or in a separate voicemail app from your carrier.
• Standard voicemail is the mailbox your carrier runs. You call it, listen to a recorded menu, and press keys to save or delete messages.

Google says not all carriers or countries offer visual voicemail in the Phone app. Its help page lists AT&T, Cellcom, Coriolis, Google Fi, O2, Orange, and T-Mobile, and notes that AT&T customers need a data plan that includes visual voicemail. Google also says some steps only work on Android 6.0 and up.

Warning: treat a deleted voicemail as gone for good. Some carriers keep deleted messages for a short time, but that is not something to count on. If a message matters, save a copy first using the steps in the next section.

Save a Voicemail Before Deleting It

Google documents a way to share a voicemail recording from the Phone app, which gives you a copy outside your mailbox.

1. Open the Phone app and tap Voicemail at the bottom.
2. Tap the voicemail to expand it.
3. Tap Send to.
4. Tap the app you want to use, such as your email app or a cloud storage app.

Open the copy in the other app and make sure it plays before you delete the original. If you only have standard voicemail, the recorded menu normally offers a save option, but that keeps the message in the mailbox and does not free any space.

How to Delete Visual Voicemail in the Phone App

These steps are for Phone by Google, the dialer on Pixel phones and many other Android phones.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. At the bottom, tap Voicemail. Your messages appear as a list, newest first.
3. Touch and hold the first message you want to remove. It is highlighted and the app switches to selection mode.
4. Tap each other message you want to remove. To clear the whole mailbox, select every message in the list.
5. Tap Delete (the trash can).
6. If a confirmation box appears, read it and confirm.

The selected messages disappear from the list. To delete just one message, you can also tap it to expand it and look for a trash can or a More options (three dots) menu with Delete.

Google’s help page describes the Voicemail tab but does not spell out the delete buttons, so the exact labels can differ between app versions. If you do not see a trash can after selecting a message, check the three-dot menu.

If There Is No Voicemail Tab

If your carrier supports visual voicemail but the tab is missing, turn the feature on:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. At the top right, tap More options.
3. Tap Settings, then Voicemail.
4. Turn on Visual voicemail.

If the switch is not there, your carrier or phone probably does not support visual voicemail in the Phone app. Google’s advice in that case is to call your voicemail instead, which is covered below.

How to Delete Voicemail in a Carrier Voicemail App

Some carriers provide their own visual voicemail app instead of using the Phone app’s tab. Google notes that when you use your carrier’s voicemail app, the Phone app turns its own visual voicemail off to avoid a conflict. So if the Voicemail tab is empty or missing, look in your app drawer for an app with Voicemail in its name.

The layout of these apps is up to each carrier, so use this as a general pattern rather than exact steps:

1. Open the carrier’s voicemail app.
2. Touch and hold a message, or open the app’s menu and choose an edit or select option.
3. Select the messages you want to remove. Some apps offer a select all option.
4. Tap Delete or the trash can, and confirm if asked.

Some carrier apps have a deleted messages or trash folder. If yours does, open it and empty it as well. Other apps keep their own deleted items too, so see how to empty the trash on Android for photos, files, and email. For the exact buttons, check your carrier’s help pages for the app.

How to Delete Voicemail by Calling Your Mailbox

This method works on any Android phone with a voicemail service, including phones that have no visual voicemail. It also deletes messages directly from the carrier’s mailbox, which makes it the one to use when the mailbox reports that it is full.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. At the bottom, tap Dialpad (called Keypad on Samsung phones).
3. Touch and hold 1. The phone calls your voicemail service.
4. If the call screen hides the number keys, tap Keypad to show them.
5. Enter your voicemail PIN or password if the system asks for one.
6. Listen to the menu. After a message plays, the recording tells you which key deletes it.
7. Press that key. Repeat for each message you want to remove.
8. Tap End call when you are finished.

Do not guess the delete key. Samsung’s voicemail deletion guide points out that the prompts and option numbers are set by each mobile network provider and can differ between services. Pressing the wrong key could save a message you meant to remove, or remove one you meant to keep.

If holding 1 does nothing, voicemail may not be set up yet, or your carrier may use a different voicemail number. See how to set up voicemail on Android, or ask your carrier for the right number.

How to Delete Voicemail on a Samsung Galaxy Phone

Samsung’s own instructions for Galaxy phones use the call-in method: open the Phone app, long press 1 to call voicemail, tap Keypad, listen to the options, press the number linked to deleting the message, and tap End call when you are done.

Samsung adds that voicemail settings and options vary by network provider, and that some carriers do not offer voicemail at all. Many Galaxy phones sold by US carriers also come with a visual voicemail app or tab. If yours has one, the carrier app steps above apply.

How to Delete Google Voice Voicemail

Google Voice is a separate Google calling service with its own number and its own voicemail inbox. Messages left on a Google Voice number are managed in the Voice app, not in the Phone app. Google’s Google Voice help gives these steps:

1. Open the Voice app.
2. At the bottom, tap Voicemail.
3. Tap a voicemail to select it, then tap More options. To delete several, touch and hold the first voicemail, then tap more items.
4. Tap Delete.
5. Tap the box next to I understand, then tap Delete.

Google warns that after you delete a voicemail from Google Voice, you will not be able to access it again. If you only want it out of your inbox, the same help page describes an Archive option that hides a voicemail without deleting it, and archived items can be restored.

How to Confirm Your Voicemail Is Cleared

• Check the list. Reopen the Voicemail tab or your carrier’s app. The deleted messages should no longer be listed.
• Call the mailbox. Touch and hold 1 and listen to the message count the system announces.
• Test it. If callers were hearing that your mailbox was full, call your number from another phone and leave a short test message.

There is no dependable undo. Google Voice says outright that deleted voicemails cannot be accessed again. For carrier voicemail, any recovery window is up to the carrier, so contact them quickly if you deleted something by mistake.

If Your Mailbox Still Says It Is Full

The list on your phone and the mailbox at your carrier are not always the same thing. Google notes, for example, that turning off visual voicemail deletes the recordings from your Phone app, but your carrier might keep a copy. Work through these checks in order:

1. Delete by calling voicemail. Touch and hold 1 and remove any messages the menu still reports, including saved ones.
2. Listen for a deleted messages option. Some mailboxes hold deleted messages until you clear them or end the call.
3. Check every voicemail app. If you use a carrier voicemail app or Google Voice, clear messages there too.
4. Check both SIMs. On a dual-SIM phone, each line has its own mailbox. Google says visual voicemail for different SIMs is shown in separate tabs.
5. Wait, then test again. A carrier mailbox may take a little while to update after you delete messages.
6. Contact your carrier. They run the mailbox and can check or reset it from their side.

If the Voicemail Notification Will Not Go Away

Sometimes the mailbox is empty but the voicemail icon stays in the status bar. Samsung says the notification normally disappears once you have listened to all your new messages, so start by calling voicemail and making sure nothing is marked as new.

If it is still there on a Galaxy phone, Samsung’s voicemail notification guide suggests clearing the cache and data for the calling apps.

Warning: Samsung notes that clearing data resets the Phone app and removes your recent calls list. It does not remove your contacts. Try Clear cache on its own first.

1. Open the Settings app and tap Apps.
2. Tap the sort icon, then tap Show system apps.
3. Tap Call settings, then Storage.
4. Tap Clear cache. If the icon remains, tap Clear data.
5. If the problem persists, repeat the steps for the Phone app.

On other Android phones the menu names differ, but app storage is usually found under Settings > Apps. If the icon is still present after that, Samsung says to contact your network provider to check your voicemail account settings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete all my voicemails at once on Android?

With visual voicemail, yes: touch and hold one message in the Voicemail tab, tap the rest to select them, and tap Delete. Some carrier voicemail apps add a select all option. With standard call-in voicemail, you normally delete messages one at a time using the key the menu announces.

What number do I press to delete a voicemail?

It depends on your carrier. Samsung’s support page says the voicemail prompts and option numbers are determined by each mobile network provider. Call voicemail by holding 1 and listen for the delete option after a message plays, or ask your carrier.

Can I get a deleted voicemail back?

Do not count on it. Google Voice states that a deleted voicemail cannot be accessed again. Carrier mailboxes vary, so contact your carrier right away if you deleted a message by mistake. For anything important, use Send to in the Phone app to save a copy before deleting.

Why are my voicemails not showing in the Phone app?

Your carrier may not support visual voicemail in the Phone app, visual voicemail may be turned off, or a carrier voicemail app may be handling your messages instead. Check Settings > Voicemail in the Phone app, and if there is no Voicemail tab, call your mailbox. Our guide on how to check voicemail on Android covers each way to listen.

I have two SIMs. Where are my voicemails?

Google says visual voicemail on different SIMs is displayed in separate tabs, and that it may not be supported by every device or carrier. Turn it on for each SIM under Settings > Voicemail in the Phone app. Google also notes that if you turn off a SIM, the cached voicemail data for that SIM is deleted.

Does turning off visual voicemail delete my messages?

Only from the app. Google says turning off visual voicemail deletes the recordings from your Phone app, but your carrier might keep a copy. To clear the carrier’s copy, call your voicemail and delete the messages there.

How do I reset my voicemail greeting or PIN?

Call voicemail by touching and holding 1 and listen for the settings or personal options in the menu. If you have forgotten the PIN, your carrier can reset it.

Next Steps

Once the mailbox is clear, a quick check every few weeks keeps it from filling up again. If callers reach voicemail before you can answer, see how to extend ring time on Android. And if it is your texts that keep disappearing, here is how to stop your Android phone from deleting old messages.