Access voicemail from your Samsung's Phone app or dial your carrier's voicemail number
The fastest way to listen to voicemail on a Samsung is to open the Phone app, tap the Voicemail tab at the bottom of the screen, and select the message you want to hear. Your carrier stores these messages on their servers, so you need an active cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling enabled. If you do not see a Voicemail tab, your carrier may require you to dial your voicemail number instead — usually *86 or 1-[your 10-digit phone number] depending on whether you use Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, or another provider.
Some Samsung models show voicemail differently depending on your Android version and carrier. The steps below cover the most common setup, but if your Phone app looks different, check your carrier's support page for your specific model.
Key Takeaways
- Open the Phone app, tap Voicemail, and select a message to play it — this works on most Samsung phones with Android 10 or newer.
- If you do not see a Voicemail tab, dial your carrier's voicemail number (usually *86 or 1-[your phone number]) to listen instead.
- You need either cellular service or Wi-Fi calling turned on to retrieve voicemail from your carrier's servers.
- Deleting a voicemail from your Samsung does not delete it from your carrier's system unless you confirm the deletion on the carrier's end.
- If voicemail stops working after a software update, restart your phone and check that your carrier's voicemail app is installed.
Open the Phone app and find the Voicemail tab
Start by opening the Phone app on your Samsung home screen — it is usually the green icon with a white phone symbol. Look at the bottom of the screen for navigation tabs. You should see Favorites, Recents, Contacts, and Voicemail. Tap the Voicemail tab.
Your voicemail inbox will load and show a list of messages, usually with the caller's name or number, the time the message arrived, and how long it is. Unread messages often appear at the top or have a blue dot next to them. Tap any message to play it — the audio will start when ready through your phone's speaker or connected earbuds.
If the Voicemail tab does not appear, your carrier may not support this feature on your model, or it may be hidden. Swipe left on the tab bar to see if there are additional tabs, or check your carrier's website for instructions specific to your phone.
Dial your carrier's voicemail number if the app does not show messages
If the Phone app does not display a Voicemail tab or your messages do not load, you can reach voicemail by dialing your carrier's number directly. Open the Phone app, tap the Keypad tab, and dial one of these numbers depending on your carrier:
- Verizon: *86
- AT&T: *86
- T-Mobile: *86
- Other carriers: 1-[your 10-digit phone number]
Press the green call button. Your carrier's voicemail system will answer and prompt you to enter your PIN (usually the last four digits of your phone number by default). Once you enter your PIN, you can listen to, delete, or save messages using the keypad prompts the system gives you. This method works even if your Phone app is not set up correctly.
Check that Wi-Fi calling or cellular service is active
Voicemail requires either an active cellular connection or Wi-Fi calling enabled. If you are in airplane mode or have both turned off, your phone cannot reach your carrier's voicemail servers.
Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open the full Quick Settings panel. Look for Airplane Mode — if it is on (usually shown in blue or highlighted), tap it to turn it off. Then check that either Mobile Data or Wi-Fi is enabled. If you have Wi-Fi calling available, you can also tap Wi-Fi Calling to turn it on, which lets you access voicemail over Wi-Fi even without cellular signal.
If you have service but voicemail still will not load, restart your phone. Hold the power button until the power menu appears, tap Restart, and wait for your phone to turn back on. This clears temporary connection issues that sometimes prevent voicemail from syncing.
Delete or save voicemail messages
Once you have listened to a message, you can manage it directly from the Voicemail tab. Long-press (hold your finger on) the message for one to two seconds. A menu will appear with options to Delete, Mark as Unread, or sometimes Save or Archive, depending on your Samsung model and carrier.
Tap Delete to remove the message from your Phone app's voicemail list. Keep in mind that deleting a message from your Samsung does not always delete it from your carrier's voicemail system — some carriers keep messages on their servers for 30 days or longer. If you want to permanently delete a message, you may need to dial your voicemail number and delete it through the carrier's system as well.
If you want to keep a message, tap Save or Archive (if available). This prevents the message from being automatically deleted if your carrier has a message limit.
Troubleshoot if voicemail stops working
If voicemail was working before but now shows no messages or will not load, the most common cause is a software update that changed your settings. Restart your phone first — hold the power button, tap Restart, and wait 30 seconds for it to fully boot.
Next, check that your carrier's voicemail app is installed. Open the Google Play Store, search for your carrier's name (for example, "Verizon" or "AT&T"), and look for an official voicemail or visual voicemail app. If it is not installed, tap Install. Some carriers require their own app to display voicemail in the Phone app.
If messages still do not appear, contact your carrier's customer service. They can confirm that voicemail is active on your account and reset your voicemail PIN if needed. You can usually reach them by dialing your carrier's customer service number from another phone or visiting their website.
Play voicemail through speaker, earbuds, or Bluetooth
When you tap a voicemail message to play it, your Samsung will use whatever audio output is currently active. By default, this is the phone's speaker. If you want to use earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker instead, connect them before you tap the message.
To connect Bluetooth headphones, swipe down twice to open Quick Settings, tap Bluetooth, and select your device from the list. Once connected, tap your voicemail message and the audio will play through the Bluetooth device. You can also tap the speaker icon that appears while the message is playing to switch between speaker, earbuds, or Bluetooth on the fly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does my Samsung show a voicemail notification but no message appears when I tap Voicemail?
The notification may be from your carrier's system, but the message has not synced to your Phone app yet. Wait a few minutes and pull down to refresh the Voicemail tab. If it still does not appear, dial your carrier's voicemail number (*86 for most carriers) to confirm the message exists. If it does, restart your phone and check again — sometimes a restart forces the sync.
Can I listen to voicemail without using cellular data or Wi-Fi?
No. Voicemail is stored on your carrier's servers, so you need either cellular service or Wi-Fi calling enabled to retrieve it. If you are in airplane mode or have both turned off, you cannot access voicemail until you reconnect.
What happens if I delete a voicemail from my Samsung?
Deleting it from the Phone app removes it from your Samsung's list, but your carrier may keep it on their servers for 30 days or more. To permanently delete it, dial your voicemail number and follow the carrier's prompts to delete it from their system as well.
Do I need a PIN to listen to voicemail on my Samsung?
If you use the Phone app's Voicemail tab, you usually do not need to enter a PIN — your carrier recognizes your phone number automatically. If you dial your voicemail number directly (*86 or 1-[your number]), you will be asked for a PIN, which is typically the last four digits of your phone number unless you changed it.
Why did voicemail stop working after I updated my Samsung?
Software updates sometimes change how your phone connects to your carrier's voicemail system. Restart your phone first. Then check that your carrier's voicemail app is installed in the Google Play Store — some carriers require their own app. If the problem continues, contact your carrier to confirm voicemail is still active on your account.