How to set up your voicemail on every major US carrier

A proper setup will prevent you from missing important messages

It’s not always possible for you to answer every incoming call on the phone. At times, you might be busy, in meetings, or simply not in the mood for talking. However, you shouldn’t miss any important messages and check your voicemail once you are free. Each carrier has its own hoops to go through to set up voicemail. Here are the step-by-step instructions to set up your voicemail on every major carrier in the US.

How to set up voicemail on AT&T

AT&T users must set up their voicemail within 60 days of activation, otherwise, the carrier will remove it from account.

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Press and hold 1 or tap on the Voicemail key.
3. Choose your preferred language.
4. Set up a 7 to 15-digit password and save it in a password manager.
5. Choose your preferred voicemail greeting.
6. Go through the brief voicemail tutorial.

Don’t hang up before the tutorial completes; otherwise your phone will play the same tutorial again the next time you try to check voicemail.

When you switch from an old phone to a new one on AT&T, you need to tap and hold '1' in dialer or press the Voicemail key to enter current voicemail password. AT&T will transfer your existing messages and voicemail greeting to your new phone.

How to set up voicemail on Verizon

You can set up voicemail for your Verizon account from your phone or someone else’s. Follow the steps below once you have a phone.

1. Dial *86 on your phone. If you are using another phone, you need to dial your 10-digit mobile number.
2. To interrupt the system greeting, press the Pound key (#).
3. Follow the instructions to select your preferred language. For English, you can press 1 and hit the # key to confirm.
4. When asked, enter the 4-7 digit password and press the # key. Don't enter repeating digits (e.g., 3333) or consecutive digitals (e.g., 5678).
5. Record your name and confirm the signature by pressing the # key.
6. When prompted, say the greeting and tap on the # key.

If you forget your voicemail password, you can easily reset it using the My Verizon app. You can also refer to the official Verizon support page, and go through the mentioned steps.

How to set up voicemail on T-Mobile

T-Mobile has made it quite straightforward to set up voicemail. Open the dialer app and follow the steps below.

1. Press and hold 1.
2. Enter your password if prompted (if you are setting up voicemail for the first time, simply enter the last four digits of your mobile number).
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your password.
4. Record your name, greeting, and you are good to go.

If you are an existing T-Mobile customer and switching to a new phone, you can follow the first step and enter your existing voicemail password to restore your messages and greeting.

What about MVNOs?

MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) is a carrier that doesn’t have its own infrastructure for the wireless network. Instead, these operators rely on major carriers like AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon to provide coverage and other services. These MVNOs are often more affordable than the Big Three.

If you are using MVNOs like Visible, Consumer Cellular, Tello, Google Fi, Simply Mobile, Xfinity Mobile, etc. (basically any carrier except the top three mentioned above), the steps to set up voicemail will vary for each.

Other voicemail options

Your wireless carrier doesn’t limit your account to basic voicemail only. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon offer visual voicemail, voicemail to text, and enhanced voicemail with more message storage, storage duration, and doubles the message length from standard 2 minutes to 4 minutes. The offerings vary based on your phone and carrier. You'll need to check the voicemail comparison chart on your carrier’s website to learn the differences.

Just chat instead

When is the last time you checked your voicemail? If you're like many people, you probably send texts or talk with friends through various chat apps. If you're addicted to WhatsApp, you'll be happy to know that the app finally supports message reactions.