Although it’s hard to imagine in today’s world, there will be times when you don’t have your phone on you. You might even misplace, damage, or lose your phone. This means you could miss out on some important calls. So how do you access your voicemail remotely?
It is now possible to check your voicemail without your phone. Most service providers allow you to check your voicemail from a different phone, however this might not always be the case depending on what carrier you’re with. You might also be able to check your voicemail by calling your service provider, but is there a better way?
This article will cover how to listen to your voice messages without your phone, helping you get back to your missed callers faster. In this blog post we are going to run you through a quick guide to help access your voicemail remotely.
Before you start
Before you try to check your voicemail remotely, it's necessary to mention some important considerations. Some carriers may not have the functions listed below and others might not let you have access to your voicemail from another phone. You also need to check your plan to see if your carrier will charge you for checking your voicemail from another phone. Finally, these instructions should only be used to listen to your own voicemail. You can run into major legal issues if you listen to someone else’s voicemail, so make sure you only ever use these steps for yourself.
To listen to your voicemail on another phone, you need to know what access you have to your voice messages. In most cases, you will need to have already set up a PIN for your voicemail. To do this you need to dial the number you call to access your voicemail. From there you should follow the prompts to access your voicemail settings or mailbox set-up. Continue listening to the instructions and follow the range of options to set up a Message Bank PIN. Once you have a voicemail PIN, the following method below should allow you check your voicemail without your phone.
Access Your Voicemail From Another Phone
Access to your voicemail from another phone will depend on the carrier you use. In any case, it’s worth giving this method a try.
Call Your Number
To begin, all you have to do is use any landline or mobile phone to call your number. You need to call the full number, as well as any area codes. Also make sure no one answers the phone you are calling and let it ring through.
Press the Star or Hash Key
Once you have called the number, you will likely need to press the star (*) key. Sometimes you need to press the hash (#) key (AKA pound key) instead of the star. For US users with phone carriers Sprint, AT&T, T-Mobile or US Cellular, you will need to press the star key. For Verizon, Virgin Mobile and Bell Mobile users, you will need to press the pound key. If you are located outside the US, you can check your local carriers website or call their customer service team to find out what key you should press and if this option is available to you.
Enter your Mailbox Pin
When you hear your voicemail start, that’s when you will need to press the star or pound key. Once you have called your number, reached voicemail and pressed either the star or pound key, you will then need to enter your PIN number for your voicemail message bank. As mentioned above, you will already need to know your passcode or PIN in order to hear your voicemail from another phone. If you don’t have this code then you will have to retrieve it from your carrier.
From there you will hear instructions to input your PIN. Once you enter your pin, select the hash (#) key to confirm your PIN. From there, you should be able to follow the prompts to listen to your voicemail messages.
Common Issues
Although the steps above are meant as a general guide to help you access your voicemail remotely, you can still run into some issues. These include forgetting your pin or never setting up a passcode in the first place.
Most carriers have instructions for changing voicemail pass-codes. You can usually reset your PIN by calling your carrier if you have forgotten it. Some sites also allow you to set up your voicemail PIN online. You could also try to figure out the default pin (often it’s 0000).
You might also be able to contact your service provider to have them send your voicemail messages to you digitally. However, keep in mind that this could lead to a significant amount of time spent on hold trying to talk with customer service.
An Alternative Voicemail: A Cloud Based System
As mentioned above, some phone providers and carriers charge extra for you to access voicemail from another phone. There can also be a lot of hassle involved with this process. Instead of going to the trouble of calling your own number and trying to remember your Voicemail PIN, there is an easier way to check your voicemail remotely. Using a cloud-based visual voicemail service like Vxt , means you can log into your account and access your voicemails anywhere and at any time.
A far simpler and more convenient way to access your voicemails remotely, Vxt is a voicemail assistant available on both iOS and Android . One of Vxt’s most popular functions is its voicemail to email feature , where Vxt takes a copy of your voicemail (both the audio and a transcription) and sends it to your email address where you can read it or download the audio file directly. This is a fast, automated way of accessing your voicemail and is handy if you do happen to lose your phone. Unlike alternatives, Vxt also offers integration through Vxt Web with other useful tools such as Slack , Pipedrive , Salesforce , and more, meaning you access your voicemail on your computer or on any of the apps Vxt integrates with. All of your voicemails are kept securely on Vxt’s cloud, and are easily playable or read on a phone or computer.
Visual voicemail apps like Vxt help users save time, while also providing other helpful features like smart voicemail greetings , Vxt Call , and in-app dictation . You can visit our set-up guide to see for yourself how easy it is to install and start using. Vxt is a convenient and lasting solution that makes it easy to access your voicemail remotely.