If you haven’t yet done it, set up voicemail on your phone. Do so even if you plan on using another voicemail service, such as Google Voice. That’s because carrier voicemail remains a valid and worthy fallback option when those other services don’t work.
Even if you believe your voicemail to be set up and configured, consider churning through these steps, just to be sure:
Open the Phone app.
Touch the Action Overflow icon and then choose the Settings command.
On some phones you need to touch the Menu icon to access the Settings command.
On the settings screen, choose Call Settings.
On the call settings screen, choose Voicemail or Voicemail Service.
Choose My Carrier, if it isn’t chosen already.
Or, if it’s the only option, you’re set.
When the My Carrier option is chosen, the phone number listed for voicemail is your carrier’s voicemail service. You can confirm that number by choosing the Setup or Voicemail Settings command on the voicemail screen.
After performing the steps in this section, call the carrier voicemail service to finish the setup: Set your name, a voicemail password, a greeting, and various other steps as guided by your cellular provider’s cheerful robot.
If your Android phone features speed dial, long-pressing the 1 key on the dialpad connects you with your carrier’s voicemail service.
Some versions of the Phone app feature a Voicemail icon on the dialpad. Use it to quickly connect to your carrier’s voicemail service.
Your phone may also feature a Voicemail app, which you can use to collect and review your messages.
Complete your voicemail setup by creating a customized greeting. If you don’t, you may not receive voicemail messages, or people may believe that they’ve dialed the wrong number.
