How to Listen to Your Voicemail Messages on Your iPhone

Remember the little cassette tape in the answering machine on the kitchen counter? You'd walk in, see the red light blinking, and press the button to hear who called while you were out. Your iPhone has that same answering machine tucked inside it — it just doesn't blink at you the same way.

Here's how to find those messages and listen to them, one at a time, at your own pace.

Where to Find Your Voicemail

Start on your Home screen — that's the screen with all the little squares (called "apps"). Find the green square with a white telephone shape on it. That's the Phone app, and it's the same one you use to make calls.

Tap it once to open it up.

Along the bottom of the screen you'll see a row of small words: Favorites, Recents, Contacts, Keypad, and Voicemail. Tap the word "Voicemail" on the far right.

That's your answering machine.

Playing a Message

You'll see a list of messages, newest at the top. Each one shows who called (if the number is in your contacts) or just the phone number, along with the date and how long the message is.

Tap once on the message you want to hear. It will open up and show a play button — a small triangle pointing to the right. Tap that triangle, and the message starts playing.

If it's hard to hear, hold the phone up to your ear like a regular phone call, or look for a little speaker icon on the right side of the screen and tap it to make the sound come out louder.

Want to hear part of it again? There's a bar underneath that shows how far along the message is, like the progress of a song on the radio. You can drag the little dot backward with your finger to replay a section.

Getting Rid of Messages You're Done With

Once you've listened, you may want to clear the message out — just like erasing the tape.

Find the message in your list and place your finger on it, then slide it to the left. A red "Delete" button will appear. Tap that, and the message is gone.

If you delete one by accident, don't fret. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the voicemail list and you'll see "Deleted Messages." Tap there, find the message, tap it, and choose "Undelete." It goes right back where it was.

A Small Note About Setup

If this is your very first time opening voicemail on your iPhone, it may ask you to set up a greeting and a password. The greeting is what callers hear when they reach your voicemail — you can record your own voice ("Hello, you've reached Margaret, please leave a message") or use a standard one the phone provides. Just follow the words on the screen; it walks you through it step by step.

You only have to do this once.

Try It Today

Open your Phone app right now and tap "Voicemail" at the bottom right. Even if you don't have any new messages waiting, you'll know exactly where to look the next time someone leaves you one. Next time your phone shows you missed a call and the caller left a message, you'll walk right to it — no blinking red light required.

Need a hand with your technology? We're here to help. Give PorchSwing a call or book an appointment, and we'll walk you through it at your own pace — no rush, no jargon.