Set Up and Access Your Voice Mail on an Android Phone

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Set up voicemail and visual voicemail on Android or Samsung Galaxy

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: October 19, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Setting Up Voicemail
|
• Setting Up Visual Voicemail
|
• Changing Your Notification Settings
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• Video
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• Q&A

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If you just switched to Android from an iPhone or switched to a new mobile carrier, you probably need to set up your voicemail. Luckily, it’s really easy to do so. This wikiHow article teaches you how to set up your voicemail on an Android phone using the Google Phone app or Samsung Galaxy Phone app.

Quickly Set Up Your Voicemail

Press and hold the 1 key in the Phone app to access your voicemail. The first time, you will be guided through the setup process. You can enable visual voicemail in the Settings menu of the Phone app if your carrier supports it. Some carriers have their own dedicated visual voicemail app.

Steps

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Setting Up Voicemail

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1. 
   1
   Open your Android’s Phone app. It usually looks like a phone receiver at the bottom of the home screen. Standard Android phones (i.e., Google Pixel phones) use the Google Phone app. Samsung Galaxy phones have the Samsung Galaxy Phone app. Both work very similarly.
2. 
   2
   Open the keypad. It’s the tab that has an icon that resembles 10 tiny squares. It’s at the bottom of the screen.
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3. 
   3
   Press and hold the 1 key on the keypad. This is how you dial your voicemail.

   • On some devices, you may see a Voicemail icon instead. It usually has an icon that resembles two circles with a line connecting them at the bottom.
4. 
   4
   Follow the setup prompts. When you call your voicemail for the first time, you will hear an automated voice guiding you through the setup process. This process may be different depending on which mobile carrier you have. Most likely, you will need to set up a PIN, which you will type on your phone’s keypad. You will also be given the option to record a voicemail greeting. You can record your own greeting or use the default greeting.

   • Once you are done setting up your voicemail, tap the End Call button to disconnect. When you dial your voicemail number (via the 1 key or Voicemail icon), you will be prompted to enter your PIN to listen to your voicemail messages.
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Setting Up Visual Voicemail

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1. 
   1
   Open the Phone app. You can use visual voicemail to check your voicemail in a list format and tap individual voicemails to play to them. Make sure you have your regular voicemail setup.

   • Not all mobile carriers support visual voicemail. Some mobile carriers have their own separate visual voicemail app that you are required to use. These will usually come pre-installed on your phone, but you can also download and install them from the Google Play Store.
2. 
   2
   Turn on Visual Voicemail. If you have a dedicated Visual Voicemail app on your phone from your carrier, the Visual Voicemail function in the Google Phone app will generally be turned off to avoid conflicts. You can use the following steps to enable visual voicemail in the Google Phone app.

   • Open the Phone app.
   • Tap the icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner.
   • Tap Settings.
   • Tap Voicemail.
   • Tap the toggle switch to turn on Visual Voicemail.
     • If you’re not able to turn this on, your carrier most likely doesn’t support visual voicemail or requires you to use their visual voicemail app.
   • Tap Turn On.
3. 
   3
   Tap the Voicemail icon. It generally looks like two circles and a line connecting at the bottom. It may be at the bottom of the screen or below the keypad.

   • Alternatively, on a Samsung Galaxy, you can tap the menu icon (⋮) in the upper-right corner and then tap Visual Voicemail.
4. 
   4
   Tap Continue. It’s generally at the bottom of the screen.
5. 
   5
   Enter your PIN (if prompted) and tap Ok. This completes setting up your Visual Voicemail. From now on, when you tap the Voicemail icon in the Phone app, you will see your voicemail messages listed. You can tap them to play them.
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Changing Your Notification Settings

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1. 
   1
   Open the Settings menu in the Phone app. To do so, tap the icon with three dots (⋮) in the upper-right corner (Samsung Galaxy), or the icon with three lines (☰) in the upper-left corner (Google Phone). Then tap Settings.
2. 
   2
   Scroll down and tap the Voicemail option. It’s towards the bottom of the menu.
3. 
   3
   Tap Notificaitons. It’ll be one of the options in the Voicemail menu.
4. 
   4
   Enable notifications. If you want to receive push notifications when you receive a voicemail, tap the toggle switch next to “Allow Notifications.”
5. 
   5
   Select if you want to receive an alert. If you want to receive an audio alert, tap the radio option next to “Alert.” Otherwise, tap the radio option next to “Silent.”
6. 
   6
   Enable Show as a pop-up. If you want to see a pop-up on your screen notifying you that you have a voicemail, tap the toggle switch next to “Show as Pop-up.”
7. 
   7
   Select a sound for your notifications. If you want to change your notification sound, tap Sound and then select an audio clip from your phone. Alternatively, you can select Silent at the top as well as adjust the volume of the sound.
8. 
   8
   Enable or disable vibration. If you want your phone to vibrate on the notification, tap the toggle switch next to “Vibrate.”
9. 
   9
   Select if you want notifications to show on your lock screen. If you want to show a voicemail notification on your lock screen, tap Lock Screen at the bottom. Then you can select “Show Content,” “Hide Content,” or “Don’t allow notifications.”
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How do I change my voicemail back to English?

  

  Community Answer

  When you call it, hit the star key to get to the main menu, then hit "4" for mailbox options, then hit "7" to change it to English.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 13 Helpful 22
• Question

  I can't activate voicemail.

  

  Lucy Dover

  Community Answer

  If you try calling 121 on your phone by using the phone app, you should be able to access voicemail.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 12 Helpful 23
• Question

  I forgot my PIN. How do I find it?

  

  David Reynolds

  Community Answer

  Contact your financial institution or the service provider for guidance. They often offer online or phone-based methods to reset your PIN, typically requiring identity verification. Avoid attempting to guess your PIN repeatedly, as this may lead to account locking for security reasons.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 4 Helpful 6

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