Voicemail. In a digital world of texts, snaps and other forms of communicating with friends and family, voicemail still holds its own.
Voicemail may be one of the oldest features on a cellphone, but it’s still one of the most important. Whether it’s an update from your doctor, a message from a loved one or a follow-up on a potential job opportunity, voicemail makes sure you never miss what matters.
If you’ve just gotten a new phone or switched carriers, you’ll need to set up voicemail before you can start receiving voicemail messages. Don’t worry—it’s quick and easy. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to set up voicemail on iPhone and Android in five simple steps, plus share tips, tricks and solutions to common voicemail issues.
Let’s get started.
What is Voicemail and Why it Still Matters
Voicemail is a digital throwback to those analog answering machines many of us now look back on with nostalgia. Essentially, voicemail acts as your personal cellphone answering machine. If you can’t answer your phone, callers leave a message you can listen to later. Today’s voicemail is flexible and secure, with options to:
- Record a custom greeting so callers hear your voice
- Protect messages with a password or PIN
- Access visual voicemail, which lists messages on your screen
- Use voicemail transcription to read messages as text
Voicemail is a simple, yet critical tool that helps you stay connected, even when life gets busy and you can’t answer the phone. And it works whether your device is locked or unlocked.
How to Set Up Voicemail on iPhone
- Open the Phone app
- Tap the green Phone icon, then select the Voicemail tab at the bottom right.
- Start setup
- Tap Set Up Now (if this is your first time). Otherwise, tap Greeting at the top right.
- Create a voicemail password
- Enter a secure password and tap Done, then confirm it. If you’ve previously set up voicemail, you won’t have to complete this step again.
- Choose your greeting
- Select Default to use the standard iPhone voicemail message. Select Custom to record your own greeting. Tap Record, speak clearly, then tap Stop. Listen back and tap Save if you’re happy.
- Check messages anytime
- In the Voicemail tab, tap on any message to play, delete, or save it.
Bonus Pro Tip: Some iPhones offer Live Voicemail, a feature that lets you automatically see a real-time transcription as someone is leaving you a message. To turn on Live Voicemail, go to Settings > Apps > Phone. Tap Live Voicemail and then turn it on.
How to Set Up Voicemail on Android
Note: Steps may look slightly different depending on your phone model and Android version.
- Open the Phone app
- Tap the three dots (More) in the corner, then select Settings > Voicemail.
- Begin setup
- Choose Voicemail setup or a similar option. Enter your voicemail number if required.
- Create a password
- Follow prompts to create a secure password or PIN.
- Record your greeting
- Tap Record greeting, press Start or Record, then speak clearly. Save when satisfied.
- Access and manage messages
- Return to the Voicemail section of the Phone app. Tap messages to play, delete or call back.
Bonus Pro Tip: You may also be able to access your voicemail by opening the Phone app, then pressing and holding the 1 key on the keypad to call your voicemail service.
Extra Voicemail Features You Should Know
Visual Voicemail
Visual voicemail lets you see your messages listed on-screen instead of dialing in. Just tap to listen, delete or call back.
Voicemail Transcription
Voicemail transcription converts audio messages into text so you can read them when listening isn’t possible.
Live Voicemail
Currently only available for some iPhones, Live Voicemail provides a real-time transcription of a caller’s message.
Voicemail Troubleshooting Tips
- Voicemail not setting up? Restart your phone and make sure you have a strong signal.
- Forgot your password? Reset it through your carrier’s account tools or by contacting their support. If you’re a Consumer Cellular customer, you can reach us at (888) 827-1663 or via convenient online chat.
- Not receiving voicemails? Double-check settings and update your phone’s software.
FAQs: Voicemail on iPhone and Android
How do I change my voicemail greeting?
On iPhone, open the Voicemail tab in the Phone app, tap Greeting, select Custom, then record a custom greeting. On Android, open Voicemail settings in the Phone app and select Record greeting.
What’s the difference between voicemail and visual voicemail?
Traditional voicemail requires dialing in to hear messages. Visual voicemail lets you view and play them directly from your screen.
Do I need data or Wi-Fi for voicemail?
Regular voicemail uses your cellular connection. Visual voicemail and transcription may require data or Wi-Fi.
How do I reset my voicemail password?
You can usually reset it in your account settings with your carrier or by contacting customer service.
Why can’t I hear my voicemails clearly?
If messages sound muffled, delete old voicemails to free up storage. Also make sure your phone’s software is up to date and speakers are clear of obstructions.
Stay Connected With Voicemail—and Consumer Cellular
Setting up voicemail on iPhone or Android takes just a few minutes—and it ensures you’ll stay connected and never miss important calls. With features like custom greetings, visual voicemail and transcription, you can make voicemail work the way you want.
And remember—if you’re after a better wireless experience—one with no long-term contracts and award-winning, 100% U.S. based customer service, Consumer Cellular is here for you.
Shop our flexible plan options or visit us in person today and see how much you could save.
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I need to unlock my Samsung Galaxy A10e purchased from consumer cellular. I meet the requirements to unlock it
Hi Anibal, thanks for your post! We’d be happy to see if we can get that unlocked for you. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here and we’d be happy to assist you further with this.
I’m thinking about changing carriers. I and my wife are on my son’s account with Verizon. We but have Galey J7V phones that we’ve had for a while. It may be time for us to change. We would want to keep using Verizon service though. Is this possible and what phones would you suggest? We are not gamers so text, talk and email would suit us.
Hi Robert, thanks for your question. We don’t actually use Verizon towers to provide service for our customers. We offer AT&T and T-Mobile towers to provide service, so depending on your exact location, we would connect you to the network that works best for your area. If you’d like to take a look at the phones we offer to see if there is one that best fits your needs as well as your budget, check out our website here.
I am very disappointed to see that you have resorted to a scam, i.e. advertising the 4G phone base for $44, when it actually costs $79.
Hi Donald, thank you for your post. Keep in mind that all of the phones on our website, including the ZTE Home Base are within the MSRP guidelines. We appreciate your feedback on this though and have passed your concerns along internally for you. Thank you.
I just setup my mothers Consumer Cellular voicemail. She is telling me that the number of rings before the voicemail answers is too short. Is there a way to change this setting? I have go all over the voicemail messaging menus but I don’t see anyway to change this setting.
Hi Walter, thanks for your question! We’d be happy to help with this process. Have the account holder give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here and we can walk them through this process.
I have a new Consumer Cellular Home Phone Base hooked up to my former land line. I need to adjust the phone rings on the base so the phone answering machine (voice mail) kicks in before the base. Can this be done? On the old base I hooked my phone into the phone2 slot. I couldn’t get this to work on the new unit. Is there a programing code? Where/how do I accomplish this task?
Hi Charles, thanks for your question. We’d be happy to help with this process. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance with this process.
Can’t get my android phone to accept the #1 key. Get a recording that says “The wireless person is not available, please try again” What am i doing wrong?
was given a grandpa from the family o a deceased.
can I use it and iff so how do I set it up?
Hi William, thanks for your question! We’d be happy to walk you through the process of getting that up and running for you. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 for further assistance with this.
We bought a relative the CC Z-Max 10 smart phone and added his new line to our account. He lives 100+ miles. We forgot to set up his voice mail when we took the phone. He might not be able to navigate setup himself. He is on our account and we have his info. Can we activate his VM remotely?
Hi Mike, that’s a great question. We aren’t able to set up a voicemail remotely for a customer. If you’d like to add them as an authorized user for the account, we’d be happy to walk him through that process though.
We are consumer cellular customers currently and future iPhones are rumored to be solely eSim model, I.e., no physical SIM card.. will CC support eSim only iPhones starting with iPhone 14?
Hi Larry, thanks for your question. We have not heard of any near-future plans for supporting the eSIM at this time. If that changes with regards to the new iPhone model, we will let our customers know as soon as possible.
How do I find my email password on the website? Do I need to call?
Hi Dennis, thanks for your question. We don’t have access to email passwords via our website. You would need to reach out to your email platform to reset your password.
I have Voicemail from ATT but I don’t know the PIN#. I am now a
Consumer Cellular customer. Need help.
Thank You
NNPatara
I have exactly the same problem as NNPPatara.
Hi Patrick, thanks for your question. If you need to change your voicemail PIN, you can give us a call at 800-686-4460 and change it either through the automated system, or you can also change it by speaking with an agent.
You keep telling me to activate my new phone sorry bur I can’t I haven’t recieved it yet
Hi Dexter, I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re having with your order. We’d be happy to check on the status of this for you if you’d like to give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance.
If you have a problem setting up your voice mail On Iphone be sure that in phone settings you have WIFI turned OFF. Otherwise it will not work and you will be scratching you head for days!
Hi Mary, thanks for leaving that tip! If you need any other help with the phone at all, give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance.
I just spent an hour waiting for a call back to get help in resetting my Voice Mail. I can no longer access it after replacing my phone. After 5 minutes of complying with the need for new security codes etc. (no objection to this) the called told me to dial 503 703 0986 which would allow me to reset the pass word. I soon learned this was just the normal voice mail which continued to tell me to enter the passoword which of course I could not do and without that it would not give me any other options. I have now called support again, will wait another hour, and hopefull this time they will reset the password system to the last four digits of my phone number so I can access voice mail and set up the number I actually want.??????
Hi John, thanks for your post. I’m sorry to hear about the trouble you’re having with the voicemail. I see you were able to speak with one of our agents this afternoon to help with that voicemail PIN. If there is anything else we can help with though, just let us know!
i have a new iphone SE. I need to setup the voicemail but it won’t even accept a new password. What is the procedure? Thanks
Hi David, thanks for your post. To change your password for the voicemail, you will need to give us a call at 800-686-4460 and you can change it using the automated system, or by speaking with one of our agents.
Can voicemail passwords be 4 characters?
That’s a great question, Richard. The voicemail password needs to be between 4-9 characters depending on which carrier we have you hooked up to. If you need any help with this at all, give us a call at 800-686-4460 and we’d be happy to help with that process.
Is there any way to not have a passcode to access our voicemail? It is totally not necessary!
Hi Vickie, thanks for your question. We can definitely help with getting that removed for you. Give us a call at 888-548-6490 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance with that process.
I would prefer not have a passcode to access our voicemail. Please tell me how to get rid of the password option for voicemail.
Hi Joe, thanks for your post! We would be happy to assist you with removing that passcode for your voicemail. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance.
I’m trying to set up my voicemail. Every time I press “1” it goes to voicemail, then when prompted to give my phone number it says the number is invalid. There is also a red dot on the voicemail icon that does nothing. What can I do?
Hi Josephine, thanks for your post. We’d be happy to look into this for you. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance with this.
This is a new question, not a reply to anything. Is there a grace period after purchasing a new phone during which you can return the phone if it’s unused, and in good shape?
Hi Virginia, we have a 30-day Risk-Free Guarantee return period for new customers. If you’re not satisfied with the phone, you can contact us within 30 days to return it, or exchange it.
Is there any way to change the number of rings before the phone goes to voice mail. It currently only rings 4 times.
thanks,
Carol
Hi Carol, thanks for your question. We’d be happy to help with extending that ring time for you. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance with this.
Your instructions for setting up voicemail say to tap “Voicemail” in the bottom-right corner, and then tap “Greeting” in the top-left corner. But there is no “Greeting” in the top-left corner. There’s just a message in the middle of the screen that says “To retrieve a voicemail first set a password and greeting.” Below this message, there’s a button labeled “Set Up”. When I press this button I’m prompted to “Enter a voicemail password.” But when I do so, I get an error message that says “Voicemail Unavailable. Could not authorize access.” It would be helpful if your instructions accurately reflected what the customer actually sees on the screen!
Hi Paul, we appreciate your post and for bringing this to our attention. I have passed your feedback along for going forward. I do see you were able to get in touch with our agents regarding your voicemail issues, if assistance is still needed, feel free to give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here to follow up.
Why is it impossible to set up a voicemail?
-Phone app
-Bottom right corner? Where is it , not on my iPhone
Hi Judith, if you have an iPhone we may need to enable visual voicemail on our end for you. We can do that if you give us a call at 888-345-5509 or chat with us here.
Can’t get my android phone to accept the #1 key. Get a recording that says “The wireless person is not available, please try again” What am i doing wrong?
Hi Fruit Farmer, thanks for your post. We’d be happy to look into what’s going on with your voicemail with you. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here for further assistance with that.
was give aa temp for pass word but cant get it to work need your help
I want to replace my phone, I use Consumer Cellular as provider. Looking for a phone with good speaker system, loud volume, I am very hard of hearing. Looking for T3 or T4 and M3 or M4 rating, higher is better. Would like to keep cost under $600, refurbished is OK – do you do that?
Stop cutting me off when I’m asking a question you dont like!
This article does not give the phone number to program into your phone to access voice mail.
Please edit the article to include the voicemail phone number.
Hi Paull, thanks for your comment. Keep in mind, everyone’s voicemail access pilot number is different. This comes preprogrammed in your phone for you. If you need to call your voicemail, press and hold down on the number 1 until your phone says dialing voicemail and this will take you right to it.
I forgot my voicemail password, how do I reset it?
Hi Jeff, you can reset it through our automated system at 888-373-1777.
I just replaced my Motorola phone with a samsungA13. I cannot get anything on it. I want to keep my same email. Do I need a new sims card? Are they transferred from one phone to another?
Hi Mary, thanks for your questions. Keep in mind that SIM cards don’t transfer information from one phone to another. You would want to use a microSD memory card to move that information over, or you would want to use a Gmail account to back up the old phone to and then move the information over to the new device once you sign in. You should be able to use your existing SIM to place in the device to connect it to the network and use your existing email. If you need any help with this at all, give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here and we’d be happy to walk you through it.
Please help! I am so non-literate about anything technical (perhaps because I’m an old lady). I have a Consumer Cellular flip phone that I dearly love, it’s not so hard to navigate incoming calls or message. But when I see the spool indicating a voicemail, I’m not sure what to do. Your messages say to “Press 1” and then “follow the prompts”. I am asked to enter my password, but don’t have any written down and don’t know where to go to set up a new password. This has happened in the past, and I didn’t know what to do then, either, so I ignored the spool, and after a couple of months they disappeared. This time I’d like to know. I don’t understand how to be on the screen with the number one and then “go to contacts”, can you have two screens at the same time? Thanks, Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your question! You can’t have two screens at the same time, however, if you need to reset a voicemail password, all you’ll need to do is give us a call at 800-686-4460 and use the automated system to change that, or you can also speak with an agent and we’d be happy to help change that for you.
I need to set a new voice mail password.
Hi Claire, thanks for your question! You can change that password by calling our customer service number at 800-686-4460 and then use the automated system to change it, or you can speak with one of our agents and they can help with that as well.
Occasionally I need to forward a voicemail message to a family member who is not on consumer cellular. I have tried to follow the promtps in voice mail but can not get yhe messages forwarded. Where can I get help to understand this ?
Hi JimD, thanks for your question! Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our live agents on our website here and we’d be happy to assist you further.
When I go to the voicemail option on the Phone app (I have an iPhone 11) there is no option for me to set it up. All it gives me is an option to “call voicemail” in the middle of the screen. Why is this?
Hi Lauren, thanks for your question. It sounds like visual voicemail may not be enabled on our end or that it’s having trouble. We’d be happy to look into that for you if you’d like to give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our agents here to follow up.
I bought a consumer cellular link 11 phone. Your booklet and YouTube videos are a joke. I’d like to set up voicemail but there is no explanation anywhere
Hi Russell, thanks for your post. I’m sorry to hear about the trouble that’s taking place with the phone. You can access your voicemail by pressing and holding down the number 1 until the phone says dialing voicemail. Once this is done, the automated system will prompt you through setting up the voicemail box. If you have any trouble with this, give us a call at 888-548-6490 or chat with one of our agents here to follow up.
Is there any source for how to use your service without calling you? I shouldn’t need to call you to figure out how to set the number of rings before calls go to voicemail.
Hi Ross, thanks for your question. You can also reach our agents via our chat platform here to get the code needed or go over any questions you have about the account.
I need to change my voice mail password. How can I do that?
A very strange happening. I can access my voice mail with no trouble by using the “hold down the 1” method. However, when I call the same access phone number from my contacts lists, it asks for my code. It was reset yesterday and I know its exactly what it is. When entered, a message says (more or less) that no account is recognized.
Hi PT, that’s definitely frustrating. We’d be happy to look into this for you and help get this resolved. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our live agents on our website here for further assistance.
how many digits is the PIN in setting up voicemail?
Hi David, thanks for your question! The passcode for the voicemail is generally between 4-7 digits.
How do unlock my voice mail box to change my passcode
Hi David, you can reset your voicemail password by calling our automated system at 888-373-1777. While using the self-service prompts, you can select Other Options, and then “I forgot my voicemail password”. If you have any trouble, an agent can assist over the phone as well.
I don’t know if I ever had a PIN or how to reset it.
Hi Art, I recommend giving us a call at 888-345-5509 or chatting with us here so we can make sure the voicemail service is active on your phone, and assist with the PIN.
Does your galaxy a13 5g have visual voicemail yet? It didn’t 4 months ago as I was told because it was too new but other carriers now have their visual voicemail working (ATT for one) so I’m assuming someone at CC has been working on developing the software. How will I know when visual voicemail will be out for the galaxy a13?
Where do I download a visual voicemail for my Android phone like I had with my old phone carrier? I want to see who called me to know if it is spam or a real person. I tried one and received an error message that Consumer Cellular doesn’t allow third party apps.
If you do not provide a visual voicemail, how can I use a third party app on my phone?
Hi Sabrina, thanks for your post. We don’t offer an app for visual voicemail. However, we’d be happy to look into this and go over options for that feature. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with one of our live agents on our website here to follow up.
I am trying to set up my voicemail and although I press 1 and it goes to voicemail. I don’t get any prompts. Just a message that says this person is not available and then it hangs up.
Hi Sarah, it sounds like we’ll need to make sure the voicemail feature is properly enabled on our end. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509 or chat with us here for help with that.
I am trying to set up a voice mail box for my son. It is asking for a mailbox number “specified by my system manager” Who is my system manager?
Hi Edward, it sounds like we might need to help with getting that set up. Please give us a call at 888-345-5509 or chat with us here.
Hi all. Received great help from CC. If your WIfi Calling feature is turned on, you may need to turn off that function before setting-up voice mail. This may also require restarting the phone. After set-up of the voice mail per the instructions provided, Another reboot / phone restart may be needed and then WiFi calling can be turned-on / activated. That may require entering the phone settings and restarting the WiFi calling by adding address along with an acknowledgement. It does work!
Thanks for sharing, Marc!
Does Consumer Cellular support visual voicemail transcription or to text?
Hi Terry, thanks for your questions. We do support visual voicemail, but it is not a transcription or to text for all phones. You can try an app to help with this as well.
I can’t get my voice mail set up it comescouldnt be completed phone error 1035 up
Hi Nancy, that may be something we need to look at on our end. I recommend calling us at 888-548-6490 or starting a live chat here.
I called and had my voicemail from consumer Cellular deactivated on this phone but now I need it activated again so I can set up a voicemail on this phone
Hi Patricia, thanks for your post. If you need to have your voicemail feature enabled again, we’d be happy to help you do so. Give us a call at 800-686-4460 or chat with a live agent on our website here to follow up on that.
I am getting voicemail is lock and that I need to call a system manger but I am not able to get a number could someone provide me that number?
Hi Nicholas, thanks for your post. We’d be happy to assist you with your voicemail. Give us a call at 888-548-6490 or chat with one of our live agents on our website here to follow up further.
What is the voicemail phone number that is being called? My pin isn’t recognized at the number that rings when I follow th instructions by pressing the ‘1’ keypad.
Thanks
Thank you for no response to my request for help.
Hi Pamela, I apologize for the delay in receiving a response. I see we have gone ahead and emailed step-by-step instructions for setting up the voicemail for your dad. If we can help with anything else, please let us know.