Visual Voicemail is nearly a perfect multimedia feature on iOS devices. Whenever someone doesn’t answer your voice call and you’re pressed for time, you can leave them a voicemail, and they can do the same for you. In recent times, a group of people have been complaining about issues with this feature. If you’re one of them, I’d like to show you a few workarounds to resolve the issue. As these diagnostic methods have worked for me, it might be a good idea for you to try them out as well. Check out 12 ways to fix voicemail not working on iPhone.
Before diving into the nitty-gritty of voicemail troubleshooting, let’s start with a basic but crucial step: ensuring your carrier even offers voicemail services. You might be surprised to learn that not all carriers provide voicemail features. So, before you start tinkering with your iPhone settings, let’s make sure you’re not chasing a unicorn.
For this, visit your carrier’s official website or contact their customer support to verify if voicemail is included in your plan. Or else, here’s the straightforward way. Check out all the carriers across the United States and Canada that support Visual Voicemail on iPhone devices.
If voicemail is not part of your plan, consider upgrading or exploring alternative carrier options.
2. Make Sure Cellular Data is Enabled
You know that little “G,” “4G,” or “LTE” symbol at the top of your iPhone screen? It’s not just for show; it’s your lifeline to the digital world. If your voicemail isn’t working, you might want to double-check that your cellular data is switched on. For this, swipe down from the upper right corner of your screen to bring up Control Center. Check whether the Cellular Data switch is on. For iPhones with Touch ID, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center.
As a troubleshooting method, try turning it off and back on. Then, try sending a voicemail to check if it works or not.
3. Set Up Visual Voicemail on iPhone
Visual voicemail is like the modern-day voicemail superhero. It lets you see your voicemail messages and pick and choose which ones to listen to first. But, you need to set it up before you begin using it on your device. Here are simple steps to set up voicemail on your device.
1. Open the Phone app on your iOS device.
2. Then, tap the Voicemail button at the bottom right corner.
3. Tap the Set Up button and follow the on-screen instructions.
Once set up, test it out by sending a voicemail to someone who doesn’t answer your calls.
4. Turn ON/OFF Airplane Mode in iPhone
If you’re encountering voicemail issues, a simple yet effective trick is to toggle Airplane Mode on and off. This action can quickly refresh your network connections, thereby resolving the issue. Here are quick steps to turn on and off the mode. Visit the Settings app > toggle on the switch for Airplane Mode. Wait a few seconds and tap the same button to switch it back off.
Alternatively, launch the Control Center and flick the Airplane switch on. After a minute, switch it back off and then try using the voicemail feature once the network connection is restored.
5. Restart iOS Device
When in doubt, reboot it out. Sometimes, your iPhone just needs a little breather to get back on track. This age-old trick can effectively clear out any lingering glitches or issues affecting your voicemail. Check out these simple steps to restart your iPhone. Once your device is back on, try the Visual Voicemail feature on your device. It should operate without issues.
6. Empty Voicemail Storage on iPhone
Getting voicemails daily can overcrowd your voicemail inbox, just like emails and messages. The overflowing of a voicemail box can result in various voicemail-related problems, such as difficulty receiving new messages. That’s why Regularly decluttering your voicemail storage is essential.
Here are easy steps:-
1. Launch the Phone app and go to the Voicemail option.
2. Swipe left on voicemail messages that you no longer wish to keep.
3. Finally, hit Delete to remove them from your device.
Once you’ve deleted a significant number of voicemail messages, you’ll have no problem sending and receiving them.
7. Update Carrier Settings on iPhone
Outdated carrier settings can sometimes lead to compatibility issues and disrupt your voicemail service. Your carrier provider occasionally releases carrier updates and it’s crucial to install them. Here’s how to quickly update your carrier settings on your iPhone.
1. Head over to the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and then visit the General option.
3. Go to the About section, the first option.
4. If a carrier update is available, a pop-up will prompt you to install it.
Once updated, reboot your device once again. Then visit the Phone app and try sending a voicemail to check if the issue has been resolved.
8. Update iOS Version on iPhone
For the best performance of your device, including voicemail functionality, you must maintain an up-to-date iOS version. The regular iOS updates can address underlying issues affecting voicemail with bug fixes, security improvements, and improved performance.
Here are easy and quick steps to install the latest iOS version on your device. After updating your iPhone, check if the voicemail functionality is working correctly.
9. Try Disabling Call Forwarding Option
Sometimes, voicemail issues can stem from misconfigured call forwarding settings, and resolving this can be a game-changer. You can use this method to ensure that your calls and voicemails are directed to your iPhone.
How to disable call forwarding:
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and visit the Phone settings.
3. Then, select the Call Forwarding option.
4. Finally, toggle off the switch for Call Forwarding.
Once turned off, try using the visual voicemail. There should be no problems using it now.
10. Turn On Wi-Fi Calling
Wi-Fi calling allows you to make and receive calls over a Wi-Fi network instead of relying solely on cellular coverage. It may not directly affect the voicemail functionality. But it can be a good idea to turn it on and check if the voicemail issue gets resolved.
1. Open the Settings app and visit Phone settings.
2. Then, go to the Wi-Fi Calling option.
3. Finally, enable the toggle for Wi-Fi Calling on iPhone and confirm the action.
After turning it on, test the Visual Voicemail functionality to make sure it works.
11. Reset Network Settings
This is the last option we can try on our own. If voicemail problems persist and are related to network connectivity, resetting network settings can often resolve the underlying issues. It might seem like a big step, but it can often clear up those stubborn voicemail issues.
1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Navigate to the General settings.
3. Now, tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
4. Then, select Reset.
5. Lastly, tap the option, Reset Network Settings.
All your saved Wi-Fi networks and configured Cellular networks will be reset to their default settings. Set them up again so that you can use voicemail.
12. Contact Carrier Provider and Apple Support
In many cases, we can’t fix an issue with your device by ourselves. So, we can contact Apple Support for assistance. But before doing that, we must ensure the problem isn’t caused by a carrier or cellular network. In this case, it’s worth contacting your carrier provider for assistance. Visit their contact page on their website for more information. If you prefer, you can schedule an appointment by visiting a nearby store.
If they are unable to resolve the issue, you can visit the Apple Support website, where you can choose a method of contacting them. Discuss your voicemail issue with them in detail so it can be fixed as soon as possible.
Try Normal (Carrier) Voicemail Service on iPhone (Conclusion)
When Visual Voicemail is not supported by your carrier or you can’t fix the issue yourself, switching to another carrier or contacting Apple Support might be your only option. Alternatively, you may want to use regular voicemail instead of Visual Voicemail for sending and receiving messages. Still, the above-mentioned fixes will take care of the problem right away. But make sure to avoid flooding your voicemail storage and restarting your iPhone for a temporary voicemail glitch.
