iPhone app interface with notification bell for voicemail transcription
Manage voicemail notifications and transcriptions easily with iOS apps.

How to Check Voicemail on iPhone: A Step by Step Guide


AuthorBarış Direncan Elmas
Date2025-03-11
Reading Time5 Minutes

Knowing how to check voicemail on an iPhone is as easy as checking a text message. With so many applications and advanced features, you may sometimes forget the most essential apps. Voicemail is a computer-based system that allows you to deliver voice information. In this article, you will learn how to check voicemail on your iPhone and all you need to know about iPhone voicemail.

The blog also provides an iPhone voicemail settings guide which tells how to retrieve voicemail on iPhone. While you explore the best voicemail app for iPhone, learn the steps for setting up voicemail on iPhone. Discover applications like Transkriptor that provide voice-to-text conversion with enhanced accuracy.

What You Need to Know About iPhone Voicemail

iPhones with iOS 17 and above come with Visual Voicemail, which includes voicemail-to-text transcription. This feature is also present in the Phone app, so you can read your voicemails directly within the voicemail tab.

Visual Voicemail and Live Voicemail show a list of your messages on your iPhone. You can choose which to play and delete others without listening to them. There is also a voicemail transcription that shows your messages transcribed into text.

Setting Up Voicemail on iPhone

Setting up voicemail on an iPhone is easy. The first time you tap on Voicemail, you need to create a voicemail password. Next, you need to record a custom voicemail greeting. To set up voicemail, go to the Phone app on your iPhone.

Next, tap “Voicemail” and then “Set Up Now.” After you create a voicemail password, you can choose a custom or default greeting. If you choose the custom option, you can record a new greeting. You can also turn on Live Voicemail on your iPhone. It automatically shows a real-time transcription when someone leaves you a message. You can even pick up the call as they leave their voicemail.

Your iPhone answers an incoming call and displays the voicemail of the caller when the Live Voicemail feature is on. However, unless you answer the call, the caller will not hear you, and you will not be able to listen to them.

Key Features of iPhone Voicemail

A global survey by Statista found that 48 percent of respondents would respond and share money if they received a voicemail. If you keep the voicemail in your inbox, you can view transcriptions.

  1. Real-time Transcription: You can view a real-time transcription of the message someone leaves you as they speak in live voicemail. This feature gives you the immediate context of the call and is applicable in iOS 17 and later.
  2. Voicemail Tab: The Voicemail tab of the Phone app contains voicemails captured by your phone with Live Voicemail. You can keep your voicemails for as long as you would like.
  3. Visual Voicemail: If Visual Voicemail is on, voicemails captured by your network provider also appear in the Voicemail tab.
  4. Accessibility: If your iPhone is off or out of the network range, calls go to the voicemail of the network provider. Voicemail transcriptions allow users to read the messages in written form. This is an essential service for people with impaired hearing.
  5. Convenience: Voicemail transcripts are incredibly convenient. This is because quickly scanning the text is much faster than listening to the recording several times. You can also copy and paste the snippets of text from a voicemail transcript into other documents.

How to Check Voicemail on iPhone

To check voicemail on your iPhone, use the Phone app to listen to, delete, or share your voicemail messages. You can also check your voicemail messages when Visual Voicemail is not available. Here are the steps you can follow to check voicemail on your iPhone:

iPhone home screen showing various apps including phone and voicemail widgets
The iPhone home screen displays essential apps and widgets, including quick access to phone features and fitness tracking

Step 1: Open the Phone app on your iPhone or use Siri. Say something like, “Play the voicemail from Callum.”

iPhone voicemail screen showing an unavailable message
When visual voicemail is temporarily unavailable, the iPhone provides an option to call voicemail directly through the traditional phone system

Step 2: Tap the Voicemail tab at the bottom of the screen and then tap a message.

iPhone voicemail playback screen with transcription and controls
The voicemail playback interface features audio controls, transcription capabilities, and options to call back or delete messages

Step 3: Next, tap the play button to play the message. Tap the share or delete button to share or delete the message.

iPhone deleted voicemail screen with playback controls
The deleted voicemail screen allows users to review, recover, or permanently delete messages from the recently deleted folder

Step 4: To recover a message, tap “deleted messages.” Next, tap the message and the red undelete icon on the right.

Why Use Voicemail Transcription on iPhone?

The voicemail speech-to-text feature for iPhone enables you to keep confidential information safe. Voicemail transcription is ideal for when you need to know what people are saying in a voicemail.

Benefits of Transcribing Voicemail Messages

Whether you need to transcribe voicemail for personal or professional use, voicemail transcription has several benefits. Voicemail helps you quickly scan for important information. Here are some benefits of voicemail transcription:

  1. Improves communication: With voicemail transcription, you can prioritize responses.
  2. Streamlined Workflows: Reduce the time required to take essential information or write up calls.
  3. Increased Productivity: Businesses can analyze calls and use transcriptions to manually discover essential details.

Improved Communication

Voicemail transcription features can improve communication by giving more time to focus on what is essential. It is also easier for you to browse through transcriptions and organize recordings. You can find all the information you need faster with voicemail messages, cutting the waiting times.

Streamlined Workflows

You might spend hours transcribing calls and voicemail messages without the right tools. With the right tools and transcription features, you can drastically reduce the time required to write up calls. This eliminates the need to listen to each message separately. You can streamline your workflow with voicemail transcription.

Increased Productivity

Voicemail transcription saves time for your employees. It also helps your business onboard team members faster by allowing you to use organized playlists. It also provides ongoing training for more seasoned support team members. Voicemail transcription is particularly useful for analyzing calls and customer feedback. It allows you to use transcriptions to discover where your employees struggle when providing support.

Speech to Text for Accessibility and Time Saving

Speech-to-text technology has many benefits that help you improve daily processes. Automatic speech recognition technology saves time by delivering accurate transcripts in real time. Although most speech-to-text software has a subscription fee, a few services are free.

The subscription fee is far more cost-efficient than human transcription services. Speech-to-text technology can convert audio and video data in real time for subtitling and fast transcription. It uses natural language processing (NLP) to transform the customer experience quickly.

Tools to Enhance iPhone Voicemail Management

There are many tools for managing spam and robocalls. These allow you to respond to missed calls quickly and forward voicemail messages. Many voicemail apps are available for iPhone users.

Best Apps for Advanced Voicemail Features

Here are the best apps for advanced voicemail features:

  1. Transkriptor: Voice-to-text converter supporting over 100 languages.
  2. Google Voice: Another transcription app that sends the transcription directly to email.
  3. YouMail: A visual voicemail blocker that stops unwanted calls from reaching you.
  4. AT&T Visual Voicemail: A voicemail checker keeps the voicemails even if you change phones.
  5. Vxt: Through this app, you can send a visual representation of voicemails.

Transkriptor website homepage showing audio-to-text conversion service
Transkriptor offers advanced audio transcription services with support for over 100 languages and integration with various platforms

Transkriptor

This voice-to-text converter provides 99% accuracy in voicemail transcription. You can upload your file directly to the platform for seamless voicemail transcription. Transkriptor is ideal for anyone needing quick, reliable text versions of their voicemails. It has a rich text editor, which you can use to correct mistakes and edit speakers with slow-motion audio.

Google Voice homepage showcasing smart calling features
Google Voice provides smart voice calling capabilities across all devices with integrated voicemail management

Google Voice

This app turns your voicemail into text, so you can read it instead of calling it. The transcription goes directly to your email inbox. Along with the message, you get the time and the name of the person who sent it. You can record a custom greeting for your voicemail or use the default greeting for Google Voice.

YouMail website homepage highlighting spam call protection
YouMail offers comprehensive protection against spam calls, texts, and unwanted voicemail messages

YouMail

This is a voicemail call blocker that allows you to manage visual voicemail on your phone. This app stops unwanted calls from reaching you in the first place. The blocker identifies unknown callers by analyzing their voicemail audio fingerprints. Moreover, You can read and manage voicemail in one place.

AT&T wireless service homepage with special offers
AT&T provides wireless services with visual voicemail support and special pricing for new phone lines

AT&T Visual Voicemail

AT&T is a visual voicemail checker, which makes checking your voicemail very easy. The messages stay in the cloud until you delete them, and you can play them in any order. The voicemails are there even if you change phones. AT&T Visual Voicemail allows you to review and manage your voicemail directly from your smartphone.

VXT VoIP phone system landing page
VXT offers an integrated VoIP phone system specifically designed for recruiters and lawyers with advanced voicemail features

Vxt

With most cold calls directed to voicemail, reaching people directly has become difficult. Vxt app sends a visual representation of voicemails. While the person leaves a voicemail, you can answer the call. You can also dismiss a voicemail without checking it. The tool can integrate with tools, and you can save voicemails as tasks.

How Transkriptor Simplifies Voicemail Transcription

Transkriptor is an AI-powered audio-to-text converter that automatically transcribes your voicemails and other conversations into text. You can also transcribe a local file by uploading it from your device. Transkriptor supports 100+ languages; you can even translate your transcripts into any language you want. If you want to create written content in the language you need, Transkriptor does it.

As a user, you can review and edit the transcript within Transkriptor. Before finalizing, you can thoroughly review the edited transcript for accuracy. This ensures that the spoken content of your voicemails is ready for saving or sharing.

Transkriptor enables various export formats, such as SRT, TXT, and DOCX, to best suit your needs. This flexibility allows for easy integration of the transcripts into different applications. The Transkriptor mobile app is available on Google Play, App Store, and Chrome Web Store.

Tips for Managing Voicemail Effectively on iPhone

With so many applications, you may often forget to take time to organize the voicemails. While applications like Transkriptor enable smooth transcription of voicemails, you must manage voicemails for better usability.

Organizing and Deleting Old Messages

As a first step, you can choose a storage system that suits your needs and preferences. Many email providers, such as Gmail and Google Voice, have built-in voicemail services. These services allow you to access your voicemail from any device.

You can also sync your voicemail with your contacts and transcribe it into text. You can create folders and labels that help you sort and filter voicemails. Use different criteria to create folders and labels, such as the sender, the date, or the action required.

Once you create a folder as per a criteria, label them accordingly. You can also use color codes or symbols to mark voicemails and call archives. If you have a list of voicemails that you no longer need, put them in a separate folder and delete them altogether.

Customizing Notifications for Better Usability

When organizing voicemails, it is vital to consider data privacy and compliance. This is essential because voicemails contain sensitive or confidential information. Make sure that your storage and backup solutions provide encryption and secure access. Set up iPhone voicemail notifications to review and manage your archives for better usability. This way, you will not overlook any important message.

Conclusion

Following simple steps makes it easy to understand how to check voicemail on an iPhone. For quick and accurate transcriptions, Transkriptor stands out as a reliable tool. Transkriptor has emerged as a powerful and cost-effective system.

This enables supported voice solutions like voicemail for businesses and individual needs. With Transkriptor, you can transcribe voicemails in over 100 languages. This voicemail transcription tool ensures that your greeting is clear and pleasant.

Frequently Asked Questions

You can access your voicemail on the phone app on your iPhone. In the settings, you need to turn on the live voicemail settings. The voicemail tab on the phone app will then list all the voicemails. You can play, share, or delete your voicemail from the same tab.

To find voice messages on an iPhone, go to the Phone app. You can find voice messages on the voicemail tab. Messages are on the phone until you delete them. Your carrier may permanently erase deleted messages in some countries or regions.

If you can't check your voicemail on an iPhone, it could be because you have not set up voicemail, have a poor network connection, or there might be a problem with your carrier's voicemail service. Consider accessing voicemail through the Phone app, checking your network signal, restarting your phone, or contacting your carrier if the issue persists.