How to Call Voicemail on Any Phone to Check Messages

PDF download Download Article
Call your voicemail and retrieve messages with our guide
PDF download Download Article

Just bought a brand new phone and don't know how to call your voicemail? Forgotten how to check after a long period without any messages? With a variety of different methods used by the industry's carriers, calling your phone's voicemail can be a surprisingly unintuitive process today. Luckily, the vast majority of phones use one (or more) of a few simple, common methods.

Ways to Call Your Own Voicemail

  • Call your own phone number from any phone.
  • You can also long-press the 1 in your Android or iPhone's Phone app.
  • On some mobile phones, you can dial *86, *99, or *98.
  • AT&T home phones can dial (888) 288-8893.
Section 1 of 2:

Common Voicemail Access Options

PDF download Download Article

Note that voicemail access numbers will vary from phone to phone — some phones even have more than one way to call their voicemail service. Thus, some or all of the methods below may not work for your phone.

  1. If you start to get your standard "I'm away from the phone right now" recording, try pressing * before the message ends — for many carriers, this command signals that you want to log in to your voicemail account.
    • You can usually look up your own number on most modern smartphones. To do this, navigate to your "Settings" menu, then tap "Phone" or "About phone." From here, you should see an entry labeled "My phone number" or something similar with your number listed under it.
    • Note that the instructions above are very general and will vary from phone to phone.
  2. Verizon and many other carriers use this method.
    Advertisement
  3. This method is used by XFINITY/Comcast and many other carriers.
  4. This method is used for many AT&T home phones.
  5. This is for AT&T home phones only.
  6. Some phones have the 1 button set to be your voicemail's speed dial. Simply hold the 1 button down for a few seconds, then move the phone to your ear.
    • This method is used by Verizon, T-Mobile, and others. [1]
    • Most modern cell phones have an app that can be used to access your voicemail service automatically. To use this app, simply access your app menu, scroll through your options, and tap the one that's labeled "Voicemail" or something similar.
    • By default, most smartphones' apps are arranged alphabetically.
    • On iPhone, open up the phone app and tap on the "Voicemail" option.
    • Some phones (especially the types of landline phones used in offices) have a dedicated button for calling their voicemail service. Typically, to use this, all you need to do is pick up the handset and press the voicemail button.
    9. Advertisement
Section 2 of 2:

Troubleshooting

PDF download Download Article
  1. You won't be able to receive or retrieve voicemail messages if you haven't opened your voicemail account yet. However, most modern phones will direct you to set up a voicemail account the first time you try to access your voicemail using one of the methods above. In this case, an audio recording will usually direct you through the process of choosing a password and/or recording a message for your callers — simply follow the prompts you are given to set up your account.
    • If you aren't automatically directed to set up your voicemail account when you first try to log in, your carrier may have a special setup process you need to go through, so contact your carrier's online support resources or its customer support line (see below).
  2. Unlike passwords for most online services, there isn't usually an easy "Forgot password?" option for getting your voicemail password back if you don't remember it. Typically, the easiest way to reset your password is to do so online via the account you have registered with your carrier.
  3. Note that there are sometimes (but not always) options for resetting your password via phone. These options will depend on your carrier and your service plan.
    • Many carriers allow you to call *611 to access your voicemail account settings. For example, Verizon mobile phones can reset their passwords with these steps: [2]
      • Call *611 or (800) 922-0204
      • Tap 2 to reset your password, then tap 1 when prompted.
      • Enter your billing zip code and follow the prompts for security verification.
    • Some phones also allow you to use "shortcodes" to start the password reset process. For example, T-Mobile users can call #793# (#PWD#) to do this. [3]
  4. Every major telephone service has customer service resources to help you if you have trouble accessing your voicemail.
    5. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    What number should I dial to listen to my voicemail on my phone?
    Community Answer
    Try *86, *98, or press and hold 1. Also try dialing 1. Any of these should open voicemail.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 46 Helpful 32
  • Question
    My phone is prepaid, Can I still use voicemail?
    Community Answer
    Yes, in most cases. You just need to set it up first by calling your voicemail (as described in the article).
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 10 Helpful 21
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • On some smartphones, you may see a "Voicemail" option in your "Settings" app — here, you can usually find information about how to access your voicemail.
        Thanks
        Helpful 11 Not Helpful 8
      • Note that accessing your voicemail menu may cost you airtime depending on the terms of your contract.
        Thanks
        Helpful 3 Not Helpful 9
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Leave the Perfect Voicemail Message
      9 Easy Ways to Listen to Voicemail on Any Phone
      How to
      Turn Off Voicemail
      How to
      Stop Getting Voicemail on an iPhone: Steps for All Carriers
      4 Ways to Quickly Send All Calls to Voicemail on iOS
      How to
      Delete Voicemail on Android
      8 Common Reasons Your Phone Rings Once and Goes to Voicemail
      The Best Funny & Creative Voicemail Greetings to Make People Laugh
      How to
      Check Voicemail from Another Phone
      How to
      Check and Listen to Your Xfinity Voice Voicemail
      How to
      Recover Deleted Voicemail Messages on Android
      5 Simple Steps to Save Your Voicemails From Your iPhone
      How to
      Leave a Voicemail Without Calling: Easy Workarounds
      How to
      Set Up Voicemail on a Tracfone
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-17379/
      2. ↑ http://www.verizonwireless.com/support/voice-mail-faqs/
      3. ↑ https://support.t-mobile.com/docs/DOC-4041

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To call your voicemail from your smartphone, tap the icon for your Voicemail app to be automatically connected to your voicemail box. Alternatively, try calling your own phone number and pressing * as soon as the pre-recorded greeting starts, which for many carriers, signals that you want to log in to your voicemail account. You can also try dialing *VM (*86) for most carriers, including Verizon and AT&T. If you have a T-Mobile or Sprint device, press and hold down the number 1 button for a few seconds. For more advice, including how to retrieve or reset your voicemail password from your phone, keep reading.

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 332,983 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Sharon Bint

        Feb 12, 2018

        "The *86 was appearing on my phone, telling me I had a VM and indicating *1925, but I could not figure out which # ..." more
      Share your story

      Is this article up to date?

      Advertisement