Visual voicemail is a useful feature that displays a scrollable list of your messages for replay instead of listening to them all in chronological order. Furthermore, many visual voicemail solutions incorporate transcription, allowing you to read messages via text.
Visual voicemail is included in most contemporary versions of Android and Apple iOS, and most cell phone carriers offer it for free. In this article, we’ll look at the advantages of visual voicemail, how to set up visual voicemail on Android and iPhones, the features of visual voicemail and how it can help you stay connected.
What is visual voicemail?
Visual voicemail is a tool that lets you select which voicemails to replay, erase, arrange, or respond to through text or phone call. It displays a list of your voicemails in an email-like interface, complete with caller ID, phone number, duration, date, and time. It includes a dashboard for handling incoming voicemails, which leads to better productivity.
How does Visual Voicemail Work?
With visual voicemail, you can scroll through a list of your messages and listen to whichever ones you like, typically with text-based transcripts. You’re probably already utilising visual voicemail on your Android or iPhone.
Apple’s iOS first included visual voicemail in 2007, and Google added native integration with its dialer app in 2015. Visual voicemail is now common on iOS and Android.
Though transcription isn’t always perfect, visual voicemail transcription is extremely simple to use. Aside from the built-in capability on Android and iPhone, there are a plethora of third-party visual voicemail apps accessible on Google Play or the iOS Apple app store.
How to Set up Visual Voicemail on Android
Now that you know what visual voicemail is and why you need it, let’s look at how to set it up on Android:
- Start the Phone Dialer App
- In the top right-hand corner of the screen, tap the three-dot More Choices menu.
- Go to Settings > Voicemail.
- Switch on Visual Voicemail. You can also enable Voicemail transcription and Voicemail transcription analysis depending on your Android operating system.
Then, to access a list of your messages, go to the Phone app > Voicemail. You can then choose one for audio playback or read a missed call transcript. Alternatively, several third-party visual voicemail apps, such as YouMail, Google Voice, and HulloMail, are available in the Google Play Store.
How to Configure Visual Voicemail on an iPhone
Getting started with Visual voicemail is as simple as establishing your voice mailbox because it is included with iOS:
- Set up voicemail by pressing Voicemail > Set Up Now.
- Create a password for your voicemail.
- Choose a standard or personalised greeting.
Then, on iOS, simply tap the Phone app to access your visual voicemail. You can also utilise a third-party visual voicemail app for iPhones, such as YouMail or InstaVoice, which are available in the Apple iOS app store.
It’s more difficult to switch off visible voicemail on iPhones than it is on Android. There is no option to turn it off, therefore you must contact your carrier and request that it be turned off.
Features of Visual Voicemail
Visual voicemail is a feature that many modern phones and phone services have. Here’s everything you’ll need to look for in a dependable visual voicemail system.
#1. Voicemail Transcription
Voicemail transcription, in which the audio content of voicemails is transcribed into readable text, is a common feature of visual voicemail. It becomes a time-saving tool, providing users with a sense of what the voicemail contains without requiring them to listen to it and decide what action to take. This saves time when you’re on the road and need to check voicemail quickly—on either iOS or Android devices.
#2. Voicemail-To-Email
Some phone companies allow you to share voicemail information with others by emailing or texting the transcribed voicemail. This allows you to send voicemails directly to your email or to teammates who need to be kept up to date. It also allows you to send the voicemail as an attachment so that others can listen to your message.
#3. Voicemail Greetings
Custom greetings are another important feature of visual voicemail systems. Users customise their voicemail greetings to provide the appropriate tone for receiving a call. Some firms provide a variety of professional greeting alternatives to help you achieve the desired experience.
#4. Blocked Callers
A function that lets users add phone numbers to a list of callers who cannot leave a message. This is perfect for customers who receive nuisance calls and wish to regulate who can and cannot leave a message.
The Advantages of Visual Voicemail
For many people, the traditional method of checking voicemail messages can be time-consuming and inefficient. Consider the following benefits of incorporating visual voicemail into your communications stack:
#1. Enhanced Productivity
The dashboard for Visual Voicemail shows the callers’ phone numbers, location, and transcribed messages. This allows you to read messages without picking up the phone and view them alongside your emails and conversations. You no longer have to spend a substantial amount of time listening to voicemails or taking notes as you listen with visual voicemail.
#2. Easier Access
Visual voicemail allows you to access your messages from any mobile phone or device, regardless of location. If you’re pressed for time or at a meeting, you can skip listening to the audio message. You may also forward the message to an email address or respond by text message. Its adaptability enables users to resume commercial operations when the team is required to work remotely.
#3. Organise Messages Accordingly
Visual voicemail allows you to prioritise messages depending on caller information. Instead of listening to all of the messages in the order they arrived or going back and forth to find the one you want, visual voicemail lets you select your order. It allows you to prioritise callbacks and determine which ones are worthy of your time and attention. Furthermore, visual voicemail allows you to scan the most critical messages and answer them first.
#4. Increased Privacy
Unless you listen to all of your messages through headphones, there’s a chance they’ll be picked up by eavesdropping ears.
You can view your messages in text format after they’ve been transcribed, eliminating the need to dial in to hear who called and what they called about. As a result, you reduce the possibility of others hearing potentially sensitive information.
Visual Voicemail Providers
There are many business phone service providers available today, but just a few of them provide a complete set of basic voicemail functions. Let’s take a look at the best visual voicemail providers and their platforms to help you make a good choice
#1. RingCentral
RingCentral is one of our favourite corporate phone system solutions for managing communications across multiple channels, including texting, video conferencing, voicemail, and phone calls. Visual voicemail features include voicemail preview, voicemail-to-email, and voicemail greetings. Plans begin at £26.63 per user each month, with higher-tier subscriptions providing access to more complete call control tools.
#2. Nextiva
Nextiva is a cloud-based business phone system that includes visual voicemail capabilities. This supplier enables consumers to easily retrieve their voice messages via a desktop or mobile app. Users can designate voicemails as new, save voicemails, delete them, or return the call. Voicemail transcription is only accessible on the Enterprise plan, while Voicemail-to-email notifications are only available on the Essential plan.
#3. Google Voice
Google Voice is a cloud-based phone system that provides customers with a Google Workspace account with a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) option. Its visual voicemail feature automatically converts voicemails to text using Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology. All plans feature free domestic calling, call forwarding, use and activity reports, and call forwarding.
What You Should Do When Visual Voicemail Stops Working on Your Android Phone
There are a lot of cases where the visual voicemail stops working in Android phones and one of the best ways to solve the problem is by troubleshooting. The following are step-by-step procedures for troubleshooting an Android phone
#1. Allow the use of Visual Voicemail Background Data
Setting background processes for an application varies from device to device and carrier to carrier. As a result, the following technique describes how to enable Visual Voicemail background data consumption.
- Open the Settings app after unlocking your phone.
- Navigate to “Applications” or “More Settings”> “App Manager” now. This step varies depending on the phone model
- There, you’ll find a collection of system applications as well as ones you’ve downloaded to your Android phone. Scroll down to find and tap on the “Visual Voicemail” app.
- Then, select “Mobile Data.”
- Turn on “Allow background data usage.”
#2. Clear an Application’s Cache and Data
Clearing caches and data on an application aids in the resolution of a variety of pre-existing difficulties. Follow the steps outlined below.
- Navigate to “Settings” in the application drawer.
- Scroll down the settings menu and select “Apps.”
- Expand the list of apps or select the “Visual Voicemail” app.
- Now, select the “Storage” option and then “Clear Cache.
- Return to the previous screen and select “Manage Space.” Additionally, select “Clear All Data.”
#3. Reset Network Configuration
On an Android phone, a network manager is in charge of the whole network system. Sometimes network connectivity for individual programmes becomes corrupted, which can be resolved with a general reset. Learn how to reset network settings on your Android phone in the section below.
- Unlock your phone and navigate to “Settings.”
- Now, scroll down and select “General Management” or “System” settings
- Now, select the “Reset” tab, followed by “Reset Network Settings.”
- If you confirm the reset, your network settings will be reset to their defaults.
#4. Enable/disable Visual Voicemail
Toggling between Visual Voicemail and Voicemail might also help to resolve software issues.
- Launch the “Phone” application from the application drawer.
- Tap on three vertical dots in the upper-right corner, as illustrated in the image below.
- From the drop-down menu, select “Settings.”
- Now, in the call settings, select the “Voicemail” tab.
- If you haven’t already, turn on Visual Voicemail.
#5. Turn off Call Forwarding
If you’re still having problems, you may have enabled call forwarding on your line. Call forwarding forwards the call before it goes to voicemail. Follow the easy steps below to disable call forwarding.
- Open your “Phone” app and dial *73, followed by the number.
- Wait for the beeps before disabling call forwarding.
#6. Update the Visual Voicemail app
There may be issues in the application that prevent you from using the service. These minor difficulties are more likely to arise if a program or Android version is out of date. The dedicated option we would offer is to search for an app on the Google Play store and see if there is an update available. An update adds new features and resolves bugs, and it should remedy “This app is not supported” difficulties.
If the problem persists, contact the voicemail service provider for a permanent solution.
How Do You Send Voicemails?
You can send a voicemail by calling a contact and leaving a message, or you can use an app called Slydial to send a voicemail without ringing your contact’s phone. Slydial also has a number you can call without using the app.
Is Visual Voicemail a Free Service?
Basic Visual Voicemail is available for free as part of your smartphone service. Android devices on prepaid accounts are not supported. Premium Visual Voicemail allows you to read your voicemails on Android/Windows phones for £26.63 per line per month. Prepaid accounts are not eligible.
Is Visual Voicemail a Program?
The T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app (VVM) for Android allows you to listen to and view messages on your phone in any sequence. VVM is also supported by other phone models.
What is The Number For My Voicemail?
To check your Android voicemail, open your phone’s dial pad (the pad where you enter phone numbers) and hold down the number “1.” If you look attentively, you should see a small icon that looks like a tape recording beneath it.
What If I Do Not Want Visual Voicemail?
Tap on the Visual Voicemail app in your app list. When you tap Disable, the app will stop storing messages and will be deleted from your app menu. The app will stay on your smartphone and can be reactivated at any time. You will have to utilise your standard voicemail to access your messages once they have been disabled.
Conclusion
Visual voicemail is a telephone service that allows you to access incoming voicemails via a user-friendly visual interface. Visual voicemail provides the flexibility you need to carry on business conversations without interruption, thanks to greater productivity and simpler access and shareability.
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