Is your visual voicemail not working on your Android device? Having trouble accessing your Android phone’s visual voicemail? Or maybe you are not getting notifications at all. Don’t worry, there are a couple of ways that you can fix this issue.
In this article, we will discuss what visual voicemail is, the causes of visual voicemail not working, and how to fix this problem. Stay with us!
What Is Visual Voicemail?
Voicemail is a voice message that you get from a caller when you’re absent or on the line with someone else.
The visual voicemail app finds all the voicemails on a user’s phone and lists them out in an interface.
Before visual voicemail, people used to call their inboxes and then listen to their voicemails in the order that they received them. There was no option to choose which voicemails to listen to or skip.
They had to listen to spoken instructions to tell them what numbers to press on their keypads to navigate through, delete, or replay a voicemail. It was a slow process and generally, a bad user experience.
Now, visual voicemail apps compile all voicemails on a person’s number into one list. The users can then scroll through the list and pick whichever voice mail they would like to listen to.
Features like transcription can convert voicemails into text messages. This enables users to read through their voicemails instead of listening. Much better, don’t you think?
Visual voicemail has increased the productivity of many people and businesses. You save a lot of time when you can listen to your voicemails in any order.
See also: How to Delete Voicemail on Android (4 EASY Ways!)
Why Is My Visual Voicemail Not Working?
One of the main reasons why the visual voicemail app is not working on your Android phone is when you prevent it from using background data.
That is not all. Other reasons why your visual voicemail is not working include:
- Visual voicemail is not enabled on your mobile carrier.
- Mobile data on your device is off.
- The visual voice mail app needs an update.
- The user is in an area with a bad cellular connection.
- The visual voicemail app is corrupt.
- Network issues
Proven Fixes to Android Visual Voicemail Not Working Issue
Below, you’ll find all the fixes for when the Visual Voicemail is Not Working on your Android phone. Try these fixes in order until you find the one that helps you get your visual voicemail working.
Turn On Mobile Data
The visual voicemail app might not work well if your device’s mobile data isn’t turned on. Turning on mobile data is very easy.
- Scroll down from the top of your screen.
- Click on the mobile data button in the options to turn on your mobile data.
- Also, turn on the Wi-Fi button if you would rather connect to Wi-Fi.
Your visual voicemail app should work now. If it isn’t working still, please try the other fixes below.
Restart Your Device
This is usually one of the first steps to take when encountering an issue on your device. It clears your RAM and fixes temporary issues that may be causing the error.
To restart your Android Device, please follow these steps:
- Long-press the ON/OFF button on the side of your device until you get a prompt like the one below.
- Click on Restart to power off and power on the device.
Note: The interface you get may differ from the image above if you have a different Android brand. The buttons will still be the same.
Check your visual voicemail. It should work right now. If you still have the same problem, check out the fixes below. They are bound to work.
Allow Visual Voicemail Background Data Usage
To allow background data usage for the visual voicemail apps, follow these simple steps:
- Open Settings on your android device and click on the Apps panel.
- Search for the Visual Voicemail app in the list provided.
- Click on Mobile Data.
- Put on the Background Data Usage and Data Saver permission switches.
Test the Visual Voicemail app. Everything should work fine now.
Clear Visual Voicemail Cache
The “Visual voicemail not working” error could originate from low memory space. Clearing unused app cache and junk files can free up space on your Android device. It also deletes the temporary files of the app and can clear away errors.
To clear the visual voicemail app cache, follow these steps:
- Open Settings on your android device and click on the Apps panel.
- Select the visual voicemail app in the apps list and click on Storage.
- Click on Clear Cache.
You have now cleared the visual voicemail cache. If this fix still doesn’t work, try to reset the app. We’ll talk about that in the fix below.
Reset the Visual Voicemail App
Resetting the visual voicemail app will not delete your voicemails. It will only reset the app and clear all app data from it.
To reset the app, follow these straightforward steps:
- Go to Settings and find the visual voicemail app in the apps list. Click on it.
- When the App Info opens, click on Force Stop and confirm the action if you get a pop-up.
After force-stopping the app, you now have to clear its data.
- Go back to the App Info and click on Storage.
- Now, click on the Clear Data button to completely reset the app.
Now, open your voicemail app and follow the instructions that are on the screen. Test it out to make sure the problem is gone.
Reset Network Settings
If the network connectivity of your visual voice mail app is corrupt, you will have to reset your network. Resetting your network does not clear your data. It only resets your wifi and internet settings to their default mode.
Follow these steps to reset your network settings:
- Go to Settings and click on General Management.
- Click on the Reset panel.
- Select Reset Network Settings.
- Click on the Reset button to completely reset your device’s network settings.
Disable Call Forwarding
You might still be facing this issue if you have call forwarding enabled on your device. Call forwarding causes your calls to get forwarded before they reach voicemail. This is why you do not see or receive your voicemails.
To disable call forwarding on your number, open your Phone app and dial *73 or *920.
Voicemails will now go straight to your number.
Update Visual Voicemail App
It is good practice to update your apps on a regular basis. Out-of-date apps might be incompatible with your device and begin to malfunction. If your visual voicemail app is out-of-date, updating it can fix the error.
Updating your visual voicemail app is easy. Follow these steps to do so:
- Open the Google Play Store app and click on your account icon at the top right.
- Click on Manage Apps and Device.
- Click on Updates Available to check for available updates.
- If the visual voicemail app needs updates, Click on Update.
If there are no updates available, please skip to the next fix.
Uninstall and Reinstall the Visual Voicemail App
You might have a corrupted visual voicemail app. Solve that by uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
Follow these steps:
- Uninstall the app.
- Go to Google Play Store
- Search for the app and download it again.
Follow the instructions given to you to set up your visual voicemail app.
Update Your Operating System
Having an out-of-date Android version poses problems for your phone and its apps. Updating your OS regularly allows your Android device to work optimally.
To update your Operating System, follow these steps:
- Go to Settings and select Software Update.
- If there is an update available, click on Download and Install.
- Click on Download to start the software update.
Wait for the OS to install. After updating and installing, you can try the visual voicemail app. It should work fine.
Final Thoughts on Visual Voicemail Not Working on Android
As you can see, you can easily troubleshoot your visual voicemail problem in the comfort of your home with just a few steps.
We hope one of these fixes worked for your Android device and you are now able to listen to your voicemails without hitches.
Did you manage to get your visual voicemail back up? Did you find other ways to troubleshoot this issue? Leave us a comment down below.
I am so glad I found Chizara Ibeakanma’s article on ‘visual voicemail not working’. It was exactly right and helped solve my problem by following each step. I searched carrier, Android settings, the app settings, and finally a generic internet search and there’s not much info to be found so THANK YOU!
I went to countless sites with this problem of not being able to get my visual voicemail working again and none of the advice was helpful, but YOUR advice was SPOT ON!! Your advice had my visual voicemail up and running within seconds!!! Thank you so very much!! The problem was that I had turned off my data and had been using only wifi…which I often do this when I’m home, then I switch back to data only when I leave the house. I’m trying to save on my data usage. Thank you again!! 🙂