The T-Mobile voice message service, commonly known as Voicemail, is a standard feature included with all T-Mobile voice lines, allowing callers to leave an audio message when you are unavailable.
Accessing and managing your T-Mobile voicemail is straightforward and can be done either through a traditional phone call (by dialing 1) or, more conveniently, through the Visual Voicemail app.
Here is the complete guide to setting up, checking, and managing your T-Mobile voice messages.
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Setting Up Your T-Mobile Voicemail for the First Time
You must complete a one-time setup process from the device associated with your T-Mobile phone number before you can receive or check messages.
Step-by-Step Setup
- Dial Your Voicemail: On your T-Mobile phone, press and hold the 1 This automatically dials your voicemail number (or you can dial 123).
- Enter Password: If prompted for a password, enter the last four digits of your 10-digit phone number. This is the default password.
- Create New Password: Follow the prompts to create a new password. T-Mobile requires a password of 4 to 7 digits. Choose one that is easy for you to remember but hard for others to guess. (Optional: You can disable the password prompt when checking from your T-Mobile phone by dialing #PWO# or #796#.)
- Record Greeting: When prompted, record your personal greeting and name. This is the message callers will hear before leaving a message. Press # to finish and confirm the recording.
Your voicemail is now active and ready to receive voice messages.
- Checking Your Voice Messages
T-Mobile offers two ways to check your voice messages, depending on your device and preference.
Method A: Traditional Phone Call Access
This method is universal and works on all phones, including non-smartphones:
- Press and hold the 1 key on your phone’s dialer.
- Your phone will connect you to the voicemail menu.
- If checking messages while roaming internationally, dial the full T-Mobile Voicemail number: 1-805-637-7249. You will be prompted to enter your 10-digit phone number and then your voicemail password.
Method B: T-Mobile Visual Voicemail (Recommended)
Visual Voicemail eliminates the need to call in and navigate the menu by presenting your voice messages as a list you can manage directly on your phone’s screen.
- iPhone: Visual Voicemail is built directly into the native Phone app. Open the Phone app and tap the Voicemail tab at the bottom to see your list of messages.
- Android: You may need to download the T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app from the Google Play Store (or the app may be pre-installed on T-Mobile branded devices). Launch the app to view and manage your messages.
Visual Voicemail Benefits:
- Listen to messages in any order.
- Tap to listen, call back, or text the sender instantly.
- Voicemail-to-Text (VTT): A premium upgrade feature that transcribes your voice messages into text format, allowing you to read them like a text message.
- Managing Voicemail Settings and Messages
Once inside your voicemail system (by holding down 1), you can access the settings menu by pressing the * key.
| Key | Menu/Function | Available Options |
| * (Star Key) | Access Mailbox Settings Menu | Menu for Greetings, Passwords, Mailbox Options |
| 1 | Listen to Messages | 1-Replay, 7-Delete, 9-Save |
| 2 | Send a Message | Send a direct voice message to another T-Mobile user. |
| 3 | Create/Manage Greeting | 2-Record a new greeting, 1-Play current greeting. |
| 7 | Delete Message | Permanently deletes the current message. |
| 9 | Save Message | Saves the message to your mailbox for later access. |
| # | Skip/Next Message | Move to the next message in your queue. |
Saving Messages Permanently
Voicemail messages are automatically deleted after a set amount of time (often 30 days) if they are not explicitly saved.
- Traditional: While listening to the message, press 9 to save it.
- Digital: Use the Visual Voicemail app to download the message as an audio file (typically .mp3 or .amr) to your phone’s memory or SD card, or use the T-Mobile website to download or forward the audio file via email.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the full T-Mobile voicemail number?
If the “hold 1” method fails, or if you are calling from a non-T-Mobile phone, the T-Mobile voicemail center number is 1-805-637-7249 (or 1-805-MESSAGE).
My phone doesn’t show a notification for a new voice message. What should I do?
This is usually a notification sync issue. Try the following troubleshooting steps:
- Restart your phone.
- If using Android, clear the cache and data for the T-Mobile Visual Voicemail app in your phone’s Settings > Apps menu.
- If all calls are going directly to voicemail, reset your call forwarding settings by dialing ##004# and pressing Send.
Can I forward a T-Mobile voice message to another person?
Yes. When listening to a voice message via the traditional phone call menu, press 2 to forward the message to another phone number. If using the Visual Voicemail app, you can usually tap and hold the message to bring up an option to Forward to Email or send as a shareable file.
