I just got a new iPhone and I’m having trouble setting up the voicemail. Every time I try, it doesn’t seem to work correctly. Can someone explain the steps or let me know if I might be missing something? I really need this to work as soon as possible for receiving important messages.
Oh wow, setting up voicemail on an iPhone not working? What a wild and unexpected twist, like Apple doing something complicated for no reason! Alright, brace yourself for this thrilling journey:
- Go to the Phone app (you know, the one that looks like a phone? Groundbreaking).
- Tap on the Voicemail tab in the bottom right.
- Now hit Set Up Now if you haven’t already spiraled into tech-induced panic.
Here’s the part where it gets ‘fun.’ You gotta create a voicemail password. Why? Because some iPhone engineer thought we should all suffer just a little. Make it something you’ll remember, like your dog’s name, unless your dog is named ‘123456,’ which is probably already taken.
- Once your brain powers through that step, choose your greeting. Default is boring, but hey, it’s functional. Or you can record a custom message to show off your dazzling personality (‘Hey, it’s me, leave a message if you must’).
If it’s STILL not working, call your carrier (ugh). It could be something no one can fix… except them. Each carrier likes to add in their own secret sauce – aka, more problems – to the voicemail system. And yes, this is specific to the U.S., because heaven forbid everything works the same globally.
So yeah, test it with a friend’s call (not one who hates leaving voicemails though). And no, Apple doesn’t tell you, but Wi-Fi Calling being on sometimes messes it up. Because of course, it does. Turn Wi-Fi Calling off in Settings > Cellular if it feels glitchy.
Let us know if you’re still spiraling in tech despair. Maybe the next-gen iPhone will just let us scream into the void instead… oh wait, that’s Twitter’s job. Best of luck surviving this riveting saga. 
Alright, let’s tackle this voicemail chaos. First off, @reveurdenuit did a solid job breaking down the basics, but let me add a little depth here and possibly disagree where necessary.
One thing they didn’t emphasize enough is making sure your carrier actually supports visual voicemail (yes, it’s 2023, but you’d be surprised). Especially if you switched carriers when upgrading your phone, voicemail may not work until they activate it on their end. This literally happened to me – called my carrier, and boom, “Oh, it wasn’t set up.” Lovely.
Now, if the “Set Up Now” button just mocks you repeatedly, try turning your iPhone off and on again (the universally accepted tech ritual). Still no dice? Reset your network settings. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This won’t nuke your data, but you’ll lose saved Wi-Fi passwords, so heads up.
And here’s where I semi-disagree with @reveurdenuit: Wi-Fi Calling doesn’t always mess things up. It’s more of a “sometimes” thing, so test without stressing, but don’t blame it unless your greeting still won’t stick after trying various fixes.
Another tip: Check to see if there’s a carrier update waiting. It’s sneaky and doesn’t appear unless you go to Settings > General > About. If it pops up, hit install. Apple and carriers love those mini updates that don’t tell you why they’re important.
Oh, pro tip: If you’re stuck in the nightmare of contacting your carrier, make sure to have a snack ready. You’ll need it while being put on hold forever because voicemail is definitely not their priority.
Hope this gives you some extra backup if the basic steps didn’t work! Keep us posted if there’s still drama, though.