Voicemail may not be as popular today as it once was, but it’s still a useful feature. Come to rely on this handy feature to catch your missed messages, and it’ll be frustrating when it suddenly stops working.
If you notice your iPhone’s voicemail is on the fritz, there are a number of bugs and settings that could be the culprit; luckily, there are several solutions available to you. So if your iPhone voicemail is not working, here’s how to fix it.
1. Verify that Voicemail is set up on your iPhone
Before we proceed with the means to fix your voicemail, it’s of utmost importance to know if voicemail is set up in the first place.
Some iOS updates may change or reset your configuration and cause new issues.
Therefore, before you proceed, open the Phone app and tap the Voicemail tab to ensure that voicemail is set up.
You can also go to Settings → Phone → and make sure you see Change Voicemail Password.
Next, let’s try calling your voicemail directly to verify that it’s set up correctly.
- Open Phone → Make sure you are on Keypad.
- Press and hold the number 1 for a few seconds.
If this isn’t doing the trick, go ahead with the following fixes.
2. Force close and reopen the Phone app
First, let’s try to force close the Phone app. Sometimes, a quick restart is all it takes to get the software working properly again.
On iPhone X and later, swipe up until you see the apps in task view, then swipe up again on Phone. On iPhone 8 and earlier, double press the home button, then swipe up on Phone.
If you’re not sure, check out our guide on how to figure out what iPhone model you have.
- Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
- Swipe up the Phone app and get back to the Home screen.
After that, relaunch the app. This may fix the issue of voicemail not working on your device.
3. Toggle Cellular Service on and off
You can turn off and then turn Cellular Service back on from Settings or Control Center.
Launch Settings → Cellular → Toggle off Cellular Data → After 30 seconds, toggle it back on.
If voicemail still is not working on your iPhone, Airplane Mode is a similar solution that may get the job done.
4. Switch Airplane Mode on and off
You can do this from either Settings or the Control Center.
- On iPhone X or later, swipe down from the top right of the screen (where the battery indicator is). On iPhone 8 or earlier, swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the plane icon to turn Airplane Mode ON and disable all connections.
- After about 30 seconds, tap the same plane icon to toggle Airplane Mode off.
This will most likely fix the issue of your iPhone’s voicemail not working. However, if you’re still out of luck, restarting your phone may be the answer.
6. Restart your iPhone
“Just turn it off and back on again.” You may have heard this as a joke, but it’s actually advantageous to regularly reboot your devices.
Since you’re having issues with voicemail, we recommend restarting your iPhone—it might fix your voicemail problem.
Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to force restart an iPhone.
6. Check for a Carrier Settings update
Open Settings → General → About → If there is an update, you will see a pop-up. → Tap Update.
Sometimes, an update is all your iPhone needs to get voicemail up and running again. Especially if you see other reports of your situation with a quick search online for your carrier.
7. Disable Wi-Fi on your iPhone
Some people found success in fixing their voicemail woes when they temporarily disabled Wi-Fi on their iPhone. Give it a go yourself.
To turn off Wi-Fi, go to the Control Center and tap the Wi-Fi icon. Now try using voicemail.
You can also head to Settings → Wi-Fi → and toggle it off. If voicemail is still not working on your iPhone, you may need to clear out your voicemail inbox.
8. Empty Voicemail inbox
Like the messaging app, voicemail stops working once full, preventing you from getting new messages. Delete older or unimportant voices to create space for new ones.
If you want to delete voicemails individually,
- Open the Phone app → Go to Voicemail.
- Swipe a Voicemail from right to left.
- Tap Delete to remove it.
However, if your issue is a full inbox, deleting multiple voicemails at a time is a good bet. Here’s how:
- Open the Phone app → Go to Voicemail.
- At the top right corner of the screen, tap Edit. Now, select the voicemails you wish to clear out.
- At the bottom right corner of the screen, tap Delete.
Now that you have sufficient space in your voicemail, you can be sure it isn’t the issue. However, if it’s still not working, your service could be the problem.
10. Enable Wi-Fi Calling
If you are in a poor network zone and your cellular data still doesn’t work, you might have to enable Wi-Fi Calling on your iPhone to download voicemails faster.
- Go to Settings → Phone → Tap Wi-Fi Calling.
- Enable Wi-Fi Calling on This iPhone → Tap Enable when prompted.
However, Wi-Fi calling isn’t available with all carriers. If your carrier doesn’t support it, you won’t see this option in the specified Settings.
10. Reset Time Zone and set Date & Time automatically
For most users, it’s recommended to let your device automatically set the time. To make sure that your time zone and similar settings are correct:
- Go to Settings → General.
- Tap Date & Time → Toggle on Set Automatically.
11. Ensure call forwarding is off
Call forwarding redirects your phone calls to another line, not on your device. This can prevent your iPhone from capturing incoming calls and recording a voicemail appropriately. If active, disabling call forwarding will fix an iPhone voicemail that does not work.
- Go to Settings → Phone.
- Tap Call Forwarding.
- Toggle off Call Forwarding.
12. Reset iPhone voicemail password
Here’s another way to fix your iPhone voicemail that isn’t working—try changing your voicemail password.
You can do so by logging in to your carrier’s website or contacting customer service for assistance. Some network providers also let you do so via their mobile app.
Additionally, you may reset your voicemail password from Settings.
- Go to Settings → Phone → Change Voicemail Password.
- Enter the new password.
If you forgot your current voicemail password, you’ll have to contact your wireless carrier.
13. Update your iPhone
Since Apple releases iOS updates often, your iPhone’s software might become outdated. And this can break some device functionalities, including native ones like the voicemail.
To install your iOS updates, proceed to Settings → General → Software Update.
As we mentioned earlier, it’s also important to update your carrier settings. Carrier service providers deploy updates to fix any underlying issues. If you don’t install the settings update, it may affect your Voicemail services.
14. Access Your Voicemail the Alternative Way
It could be that your Voicemail tab just isn’t working the way it’s intended to. However, you can still access your voicemail through the Phone app by dialing your own number.
- Open the Phone app.
- Dial your own phone number. Your carrier will prompt you to enter your voicemail password. Enter the password and listen for instructions.
- If you would like to skip a message, tap the # key.
While this isn’t actually a fix for your iPhone’s voicemail not working, it is a way to hear an important message in the meantime.
15. Reset Network Settings
If you still can’t get the Voicemail to work after going through the previous steps, you can try resetting your iPhone’s Network Settings to default. This should be your last resort, as you might lose relevant internet connection setups, including Wi-Fi and VPN settings.
To reset your network settings via the highlighted steps below:
- Go to Settings → General.
- Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Select Reset → Reset Network Settings.
- Enter your passcode.
- Tap Reset Network Settings.
Resetting your Network Settings won’t remove contacts, photos, or stored files, but you will need to enter your Wi-Fi password again, so be sure to have it on hand.
16. Contact your carrier
If resetting your Network Settings didn’t yield positive results, it’s time to give your carrier a call or visit them for more information. There may be an issue specific to your device that they can provide more information on as to why your iPhone’s voicemail is not working.
17. Contact Apple Support
Apple Support is the last resort. You can contact them online or make an appointment at the nearest Apple Store.
These were some solutions to fix voicemail not working on your iPhone. I hope one of these solutions was able to solve your problems. Have any questions or other potential solutions? Let us know in the comments.
Read more:
- How to fix ‘Visual Voicemail is Currently Unavailable’ error on iPhone
- iPhone going straight to Voicemail? 12 Ways to fix it!
- How to turn off voicemail on an iPhone
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