Optus voicemail not working when your mobile’s settings are misconfigured, or the feature is not activated.
However, enabling the voicemail and configuring the options involve many factors, such as voicemail number, call forwarding, dial delay, and much more, so let’s get started.
When Optus voicemail is not working, verify that the voicemail is activated and check if the correct voicemail number is used for the forwarding.
To learn how all of this is done, continue reading!
Why is Voicemail Not Working Optus?
The voicemail may not work on your device for numerous reasons, most of which involve your mobile’s settings.
So, let’s look at why the voicemail is not working before the troubleshooting.
Here’s why your Optus voicemail is not working:
That’s why your voicemail is not working. So, let’s fix the problem!
How to Fix When Optus Voicemail Not Working?
Tip: Follow the steps chronologically!
1. Activate Your Optus Voicemail
The first and fundamental step is to ensure the Optus voicemail is enabled.
Typically, the Optus voicemail won’t be activated by default on your device, even if the service is active on your plan.
Therefore, whether you’ve got an Android or iOS Optus mobile, you must ensure the voicemail is activated by dialling the voicemail number.
- Dial 1509 to activate your Optus voicemail.
There are no extra steps required. You only need to dial the aforementioned 4-digit number, and if your Optus plan includes a voicemail, the feature will get automatically enabled.
When you’re ready with the activation, reboot your Optus mobile and test whether the voicemail now works.
Note: Dial through the default “Phone” app!
2. Toggle Airplane Mode ON/OFF
A swift and effective solution is to toggle ON and OFF the Airplane feature on your Apple or Android Optus mobile.
The Airplane Mode is an option that temporarily disables all the network features on your mobile, disallowing any external links such as Wi-Fi, Cellular and Bluetooth.
Toggling ON and OFF the feature will refresh the networking settings and hopefully resolve the Optus voicemail problem.
Toggle ON/OFF Airplane Mode on Android:
- Settings → Network & Internet → Airplane Mode → ON → 10 seconds → OFF.
Toggle ON/OFF Airplane Mode on Apple:
- Settings → Airplane Mode → Toggle ON → 10 seconds → Toggle OFF.
Note: If you don’t disable the Airplane mode, you won’t be able to call, text or use voicemail.
3. Correct the Voicemail Settings
When your Optus voicemail is not working, perhaps the feature is not enabled on your device, or there is a typo in the voicemail number.
Luckily, those adjustments are very easy to correct, and to do so, you need to access the menu on your Optus mobile and locate the “Call Forwarding” option.
How to Enable & Adjust Voicemail Forwarding?
The voicemail forwarding will send callers to your voicemail when you don’t pick up.
So if your Optus voicemail is not working, perhaps your mobile’s option is not enabled or misconfigured.
Here’s how to enable and adjust the voicemail forwarding on iOS and Android:
Android:
- Go to the “Settings” of your Optus mobile.
- Then, go down and tap the “Call” section.
- Find and enter the “Call Forwarding” tab.
- Tap on the “Forward when unanswered.”
- Type “+61411000321” in the number field.
- Set the “DELAY” option to “30 seconds.”
- Tap the “Home” key to return to the home.
iOS:
- Go to the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and enter the “Phone” menu.
- In there, enter the “Call Forwarding” tab.
- Toggle on the “Call Forwarding” option.
- Insert “+61411000321” in the blank field.
- Finally, swipe up from the bottom to return.
Note: We recommend rebooting your mobile and having someone call you to check whether the Optus voicemail services work.
4. Reinsert the Optus SIM Card
The reason why you can’t receive Optus voicemail messages may be caused by an issue with the recognition of the SIM card.
If you’re out of service or the Optus SIM card causes a network problem, you won’t be able to activate the voicemail, and perhaps that’s why it’s not working.
Reinserting the SIM card refreshes the connection with the cellular, so use a pointy tool to reach inside the SIM tray pinhole and eject the card.
Use a clean cloth to clean the SIM and the tray on your mobile, and embed the card properly.
Note: When ready, verify that you’re not out of service and test the Optus voicemail.
5. Delete Interfering Applications
If you have third-party voicemail applications on your Optus mobile, they can change the way your device stores and manages your voicemail.
This is why we recommend clearing any apps that are not the default voicemail app or are potential voicemail or cellular network interference.
Some of these apps include:
- Visual voicemail applications
- Provider-specific voicemail
- Voicemail combination apps
- Voicemail-to-text messaging
- Voicemail converter apps
- Call, SMS and MMS blockers
It’s easy to erase apps on Android and iOS, so if you locate any of the aforementioned intruders, tap and hold their icon and select “Remove this App” or “Uninstall.”
When the device is clean of interfering apps, power on and off your Optus mobile and test whether your voicemail works.
Reminder: Use only the default voicemail application on your Optus mobile!
6. Dial the Correct Voicemail Number
If you’re dialling the voicemail number but can’t hear the voicemail messages or hear “the number you’ve called is incorrect,” there are two possibilities:
- The voicemail number is wrong.
- You are out of service reception.
Voicemail Number:
It’s crucial to verify that you’re using the correct Optus voicemail number in order to hear out the voicemail messages.
For a mobile, dial “321”, and for a landline, dial “133321”, then wait until you are redirected to your Optus voicemail inbox.
Service Reception:
You need to have a reception on the Optus mobile to dial the voicemail number and listen to the voicemail messages.
The easiest method to check the Optus signal strength is by looking at the cellular signal indicator at the top-right or top-left of your device’s home screen.
Note: If you don’t have at least 2 bars of signal strength, you may be unable to call, text or listen to your voicemail.
7. Reset the Mobile’s Network Settings
If nothing helps and the voicemail is not working on the Optus mobile, reset the network settings on your device.
This last-resort solution will permanently erase saved Wi-Fi SSIDs, Bluetooth connections, and cellular settings, including forwarding, APN and voicemail.
Note: Your mobile will acquire all necessary service settings automatically!
Network Reset on Android:
- Settings → Reset Settings → Network Reset → PIN → Reset.
Network Reset on Apple:
- Settings → General → Reset or Transfer [Device] → → Reset Network Settings.
The network reset may take a few minutes, and when your Optus mobile reboots, you are ready to activate the voicemail and set up the forwarding.
Then, the Optus voicemail must be working.
One More Thing!
Sometimes, your voicemail may not work because of the caller.
If the caller doesn’t have service reception, he may be unable to leave you a voicemail, so have another person call you and see.
Optus Voicemail Not Working iPhone?
If your Optus voicemail is not working on an iPhone, we recommend first attempting all the previous solutions in this guide.
If nothing helps, manually configure the Optus voicemail by calling five numbers in consecutive order through the “Phone” app.
Note: This method is applicable for iPhone and iPad only!
On your iPhone, dial the following numbers chronologically:
- **21*+61411000321#
- **61*+61411000321*20#
- **62*+61411000321#
- **67*+61411000321#
Upon calling any number, you’ll see a prompt with a grey background and confirmation text, so feel free to click “Dismiss” and continue with the next number.
When you’re ready, return to the home screen and restart your Optus mobile.
Tip: If your voicemail is not working after this solution, contact Optus Support for more help!
Quick Recap:
So, if your Optus voicemail not working, you need to ensure that the feature is activated and set up a call forwarding using the correct voicemail number.
If this is done, toggle on and off the Airplane Mode, reinsert the SIM card and reset your mobile network settings.
Follow us for more Optus networking guides and troubleshooting!
Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.