Do you groan inside when you realize you have to check your phone for new voicemail messages? The bad news is that we can’t stop voicemails from coming, and you need the ability to hear messages from your doctor, auto shop, and other important services. The good news is that voicemails are easier than ever to check, thanks to the latest modern features. Here’s how to make it as painless as possible for a variety of phones, including mobile phones, iPhones, and Android devices like the Samsung Galaxy.

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How to check your voicemail on Android

While Android phones can look slightly different based on manufacturer and OS, these steps should broadly work for any newer Android model. You don’t have to “call in” to your voicemail anymore, as many easier options are available. We suggest these steps:

  1. Download a visual voicemail app from the Google Play Store. Plenty are available, but one of our favorites is YouMail, which offers a free version that includes all the important features. YouMail can also block some obvious spam calls, which can cut down on phishing attempts and unnecessary voicemails.
  2. Set up YouMail on Android by choosing Activate.
  3. Follow the sign-up process. Sign in with your Gmail account or create a new account and password, and give the app the permissions it needs to access your voicemail. Get ready to enter your carrier information.
  4. YouMail does a quick test call to Verify activation, and then you’re good to go. You can also record a personal greeting at this point, which is always nice to include.
  5. When a call comes in on your Android, you can let it go to voicemail whenever you want. When ready, open YouMail to view your current voicemails in an interface that looks a bit like checking your email. Visual voicemail services like this try to transcribe the voicemail into text when possible. It’s not always accurate, but it’s a timesaver if you can tell what voice messages are about at a glance. View, listen, and delete messages in this voicemail box. Each message’s phone number or contact displays so that you can call back.

If you don’t want to download another Android app for voicemail management on your phone, use a shortcut. After you get a call and know they left a voicemail (but you didn’t listen right away), swipe down from the top of your homescreen to view all your notifications. Find the notification that you got a voicemail, and tap it. This takes you to the audio of the voicemail, where you can listen to specific voicemails. You don’t get voicemail transcriptions, but you save time without calling into the service.

How to check voicemails on an iPhone

If you use an iPhone, iOS has your back regarding voicemail. There’s a built-in visual voicemail service that helps you save, transcribe, and check voicemails that you get. After you set up voicemail and set your voicemail greeting, here’s how to access it.

  1. Select the Phone icon in the lower-left corner of your homescreen.
  2. Look at the bottom menu in the Apple Phone app. On the right, you’ll see the Voicemail section with the icon of a recording tape. Select it.
  3. You’ll see all saved voicemails on your iPhone from your recent phone calls. The voicemails you haven’t listened to have a blue dot next to them. Select any new messages to open them.
  4. The iPhone voicemail shows a transcript (this takes a few seconds to show up on new voicemails), a play button, a speaker button, and an option to call the voicemail number back immediately. There’s also a red trashcan button to delete the voicemail. Use these options to manage your voicemails.
  5. Swipe left on any voicemail in the iPhone inbox screen to delete it. iOS has limited voicemail space, so delete them when possible.

How to check voicemail on a landline

A black landline phone on a table next to a notepad and white flowers.

What if you still have a landline home phone with a voicemail service or a similar VoIP setup that uses a traditional phone system? Checking voicemail on these services varies between services and carriers, so we can only give some broad suggestions, but it usually works like this. Set up voicemail first if you haven’t done so, then:

  1. Dial your voicemail service on your phone. For landlines, it’s typically *98 or *99. Look up your carrier to find specific instructions. You may have to set up a voicemail PIN or voicemail password to enter at this time.
  2. You’ll encounter an audio menu for your voicemail. Listen for what number to press to hear the latest messages. It’s typically 1 on the dial pad.
  3. If you have different kinds of messages to listen to, you may run into another audio menu asking you to choose what kind of messages to access. Choose the option for the latest voice messages if necessary. On AT&T, for example, this is 1.
  4. Once you’ve learned the number pattern to enter, you can enter it quickly to save time when checking voicemails. If you are on a different phone or using a new service provider, these steps may not work the same way.