How To Fix Voicemail Not Working On iPhone

Even in this era of effortless texting, you sometimes need the help of voicemails. It is great to make sure that you do not miss anything important, even when you are unreachable. Apple knows this and has optimized iOS for voicemails in the past. Compared to other devices, iPhones make it easy to receive, listen, keep track of, and manage voicemails. However, it does not mean the voicemail system or app on iOS is perfect.

So, it is common to find voicemail not working on iPhone, thus hampering the smooth experience. However, the term voicemail not working on iPhone may have different meanings. For instance, you may have trouble opening and listening to your existing voicemails. In some other cases, your iPhone may fail to get voicemails in the first place. Either way, you do not have to worry a lot. For one, Apple has not abandoned the app yet.

Why Do You Find Voicemail Not Working on iPhone?

Even though the voicemail function on your iPhone closely works with the Phone app, outside factors might also cause problems. As a result, many situations might cause the voicemail app to stop working or lead the app into mishaps. Some of them are:

• Problems with the Phone app on your iPhone
• You may not have correctly set up voicemail on your current iPhone
• You may have recently moved to another carrier or plan
• Your iPhone cannot download voicemail due to poor connection
• You have not enabled Mobile Data on the device
• Your iPhone has Call Forwarding turned on, thus disabling voicemail
• There could be some carrier-based connection issues
• Software bugs in iOS can also render voicemail not working properly

In addition, specific problems with your iPhone may also cause voicemail to stop working. For instance, the voicemail system may not work correctly if you have a defective iPhone. Similarly, hardware issues with the device could also be responsible.

In this case, you may need an extreme solution like resetting or repairing your iPhone.

How To Fix The Voicemail Not Working on iPhone Problem?

As it happens, you can try multiple solutions to fix the voicemail not working on iPhones problem. We have talked about all these methods in this guide. We have arranged the solutions in the order of simplicity. You can find the most straightforward solution, which is also the most common. If that fix does not solve issues with iPhone voicemail, you can explore the following options. Shall we get started?

Fix #1 Check and Set Up Voicemail

We know it sounds like a no-brainer, but checking whether you have set up voicemail on your iPhone is essential. If you recently upgraded your iPhone or moved between cellular carriers, you might have forgotten to do it. First, you have to find out whether you have enabled voicemail on your iPhone. To do it,

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Phone
3. Scroll down and check if you see a button called ‘Change Voicemail Password.’

If you see the button, you have enabled voicemail on the device. If you do not, you will have to set up a voicemail account. You can do it by opening the Phone app and going to the Voicemail section. Then, you can find and follow the on-screen instructions while setting up the voicemail account.

You can get in touch with your cellular carrier if you face problems during the setup.

Once you have finished the setup, you can call your phone from another number and record a voicemail. It should appear on the list of voicemails in the Phone app.

Fix #2 Restart Your iPhone

If you have already set up the voicemail account but cannot receive or respond to voicemails, you can try a few options. The simplest option is to restart your iPhone. To restart most iPhone models running the latest iOS version,

1. Go to Settings
2. Choose General
3. Scroll down and tap Shut Down
4. Move the slider to confirm the Shut Down command

It is best to wait for a minute before you restart your iPhone. After you have restarted, you can open the iOS Phone app and check for voicemails. Because an iPhone restart forces the network features to activate again, it will retrieve voicemails.

Fix #3 Force-close the Phone app

If restarting your iPhone does not solve the voicemail not working problem, you may suspect the Phone app on iOS. Even though the Phone app usually works fine, software glitches are not uncommon. So, it makes sense to force-close the Phone app and see if it improves the situation. To force close the Phone app,

1. Open the Phone app
2. Swipe up to launch the app manager
3. Swipe up on the Phone app

Wait for a few seconds, and you have to open the Phone app. If a software glitch with the Phone app caused the voicemail not working problem, you would have a solution now.

Fix #4 Turn Off WiFi

If you live in an area with decent cellular coverage, you can try turning off WiFi to fix the voicemail not working issue on your iPhone. Some people had noticed that their voicemail service was working fine when they used the cellular connection instead of WiFi.

Therefore, you can go to Settings > WiFi > and turn off WiFi and see if the problem persists. If the voicemail service works through cellular data, you can assume that the problem lies with the WiFi connection. If so, you should confirm whether your WiFi connection prevents your iPhone from connecting to carrier services.

Fix #5 Disable Call Forwarding

Voicemail will not work on iPhone if you have turned on Call Forwarding. As you know, Call Forwarding will make sure that the call you receive on the phone will be forwarded to another number. So, your iPhone will not ring or receive voicemails. Therefore, you must disable Call Forwarding if you expect voicemail to work.

To disable Call Forwarding,

1. Go to Settings
2. Choose Phone
3. Select Call Forwarding
4. Turn off Call Forwarding

It will be a great idea to restart your iPhone after you have turned off Call Forwarding.

Fix #6 Reset Time Zone

Problems with time and date can also hamper the voicemail experience on iPhone. Therefore, it is better to set up the Automatic Time Zone feature on iPhone. This way, your iPhone can retrieve date and time information via the network.

To do it,

1. Open Settings
2. Go to General
3. Select Date & Time
4. Choose ‘Set Automatically.’

After you have set up automatic Time Zone, you can open the Voicemail app. The Voicemail not working on the iPhone problem would have gone away.

Fix #7 Install Carrier Settings Update

If you did not know, iPhone uses updates from your cellular carriers to optimize the call, internet, voicemail, and other services. Therefore, if you face the voicemail not working problem frequently, you should check for a possible software update from your cellular carrier. To do it,

1. Open Settings
2. Go to General
3. Choose ‘About.’

You can wait a few seconds, and your iPhone will check for available updates. Then, you can tap on the pop-up window to install the update. Now, you must wait while the update installs and restart your iPhone afterward.

Fix #8 Enable WiFi Calling

Do you live in an area without proper cellular coverage? In that case, your iPhone may have trouble setting up a cellular connection. As a result, you may come across the voicemail not working on iPhone error. But if you have a good WiFi connection, you can solve this problem by turning on WiFi calling.

To turn on WiFi calling,

1. Open Settings
2. Go to Phone
3. Select WiFi Calling
4. Turn on WiFi Calling

Now, whenever you are connected to a strong WiFi network, your iPhone will connect to the cellular network via WiFi. So, even when you do not have cellular coverage, you will receive calls and voicemails.

Fix #9 Contact Your Carrier

Before you repair or replace your iPhone, you should have a word with your cellular carrier. In some cases, your cellular carrier may offer a solution for the voicemail not working problem on your iPhone. It is also possible that voicemail services in your particular coverage area have some issues.

Therefore, before you spend more money on repairs or resets, it is safe to contact your cellular carrier.

Fix #10 Network Reset Your iPhone

If all these steps have not solved the voicemail problem, you should consider extreme measures. One of the first steps is resetting your iPhone’s network settings. It will ensure that changes you have made with network settings will not impact the voicemail service. To reset the network settings,

1. Go to Settings
2. Open General
3. Choose Reset or Transfer iPhone
4. Select Reset
5. Select Reset Network Settings

The reset process will ask for the iPhone passcode. After providing the passcode, it may take up to a few minutes for the iPhone to completely reset the settings. After the reset, you might have to set up the voicemail service and install some carrier settings updates.

If this step does not solve the problem, you can think about resetting the iPhone, but it won’t make much difference. Instead, you should consider getting professional support by going to an Apple service center.

FAQs

#1 How do I get my iPhone voicemail to work again?

You can get your iPhone voicemail to work again by resetting your iPhone to factory network settings. After you have reset the device, you will have to set up the voicemail account again. The process will take only a few minutes, and you can receive voicemails properly.

#2 Why is my voicemail not working anymore?

The voicemail on iPhone may have stopped working due to many issues. The list of temporary reasons includes the lack of network coverage and other connectivity issues. However, if you cannot access voicemail on your iPhone for an extended period, carrier issues may also be responsible.

Conclusion

We sincerely believe this guide helped you solve the voicemail not working on the iPhone problem. If you continue facing the situation in the future, you should consider long-term solutions like contacting your data carrier or checking the iPhone for connectivity issues. But, for the time being, the steps mentioned here will do the job.