Is your Verizon voicemail notification not working? It can be frustrating when you miss an important message due to voicemail notification errors.
There are a lot of reasons why your voicemail notifications can fail. If you rely on them quite a bit, you want to fix it as soon as possible.
Don’t worry because we got you!
To fix your Verizon voicemail notifications, you want to get rid of any software issues by rebooting your phone. You can also try disabling the call forwarding feature on your phone so any missed calls go to voicemail.
Now, before we get to the full solutions, let’s look at the different causes so you have a better understanding of the error.
Top Causes of Verizon Voicemail Notification Not Working
Verizon visual voicemail notifications not working is a common issue. You find that people leave voicemails on your phone, but you don’t receive alerts for these.
This can be frustrating, especially when urgent voicemails are left and you are not aware.
✅ Poor Internet Connection
You are using visual voicemail apps to notify you when you have messages. Without a stable network, apps can’t work properly, resulting in a missed voicemail.
✅ Voicemail App Issues
Your voicemail app may not be up to date. There are temporary bugs and glitches that cause the voicemail notification to malfunction.
✅ Call Forwarding Is Activated
You may have enabled call forwarding. Instead of getting into your voicemail, your calls are directed to another number.
✅ Notification Settings Are Disabled
You may have turned off notifications for your visual voicemail app. This prevents the app from requesting permission to send you voicemail notifications.
Now, we can tackle the complete steps for fixing visual voicemail notification errors.
Complete Steps on How to Fix Voicemail Notifications Error
Before we proceed to more advanced methods, let us start with a simple solution.
Restarting your phone should fix your voicemail notification problem. It ensures that it’s not a temporary hiccup.
To do this, hold the power button and select Restart. It will put an end to all background processes that may be interfering with your voicemail app’s ability to push notifications.
1. Switch to a Reliable Internet Connection
Restarting your phone should usually resolve temporary software issues. It’s one of the first troubleshooting steps that you want to try to get your Verizon voicemail notifications to work again.
However, if it doesn’t work out, a poor internet connection can also cause it.
To fix this, you’re going to need to find a reliable internet connection to use. It’s possible that your WiFi is down so you will need to switch to your mobile data.
If you have access to fast and stable WiFi, you can also switch to that.
Here’s how to switch your device’s internet source:
iPhone:
- If you have access to WiFi, go to Settings.
- Select the Cellular option.
- Toggle the switch to Off.
- Go back to WiFi.
- Toggle the switch to On.
Android:
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings.
- Locate the WiFi icon and tap on it.
- If you have WiFi nearby, your phone will automatically switch networks.
Note: After switching connections, you can wait for a minute or two for your voicemail notifications.
2. Check Your Voicemails Manually
If your voicemail notifications don’t come in after changing connections, an option that you have is to check it manually.
The only downside to this solution, though, is that you need to be expecting an incoming voicemail.
Although it helps to check your voicemail periodically, it’s still an advantage if you’re consistently receiving your notifications.
Here are the steps on how to check your Verizon voicemail:
- Open the phone app on your device.
- Type in *86 and press dial.
- Listen to the prompts and enter your voicemail password.
- Choose the Listen to Voicemail Messages option.
- Check your messages.
Note: The prompts can vary depending on your Verizon plan so listen to them carefully.
3. Reset the Voicemail App on iPhone
If you’re expecting voicemail notifications, it’s likely that you have the Verizon Visual Voicemail app installed on your phone.
After all, it’s the app that’s responsible for letting you know if messages have hit your voicemail.
When your Verizon voicemail notification not working on your iPhone, you will need to take a closer look at the app.
There can be software issues that might be causing it and resetting the app will resolve it.
Here are the steps on how you can reset the Visual Voicemail app on iPhone:
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Go to General.
- Select iPhone Storage.
- Scroll down and find Visual Voicemail.
- Wait for the process to complete.
Pro Tip: After offloading the app, you will need to tap its grayed out icon to get it to work again.
4. Reset the Voicemail App on Android
The Verizon Visual Voicemail app is also available on the Android platform.
If you’re experiencing issues with your Verizon voicemail notification not working on Android, you can also choose to reset the app.
Resetting it on Android is different on iPhones. On Android systems, you’re going to need to force-stop the app and remove all the temporary files that can cause errors.
Here’s you can reset the Visual Voicemail app on Android:
- Go to the Settings app of your device.
- Select Apps or App Manager.
- Scroll down to find Visual Voicemail and tap on it.
- Tap on Force Stop.
- Go to Storage and select Clear Cache and Clear Data.
Note: You will need to sign in again the next time you open the app after you reset it.
5. Cancel Call Forwarding on Your Verizon Line
When none of these previous solutions resolve your problem, you want to look at your Verizon account settings.
A particular configuration that can mess up your voicemail notifications is call forwarding.
If this setting is turned on, incoming calls will not be directed to your voicemail since they are routed to your call forwarding number.
You want to make sure this is disabled so your calls will land on your voicemail inbox.
Here’s how to disable call forwarding on your Verizon account:
Verizon online account:
- Visit the Verizon website at verizon.com.
- Sign in to your account.
- Select your phone from the device list.
- Scroll down to the Call Forwarding option.
- Uncheck Forward All Calls, then click Save.
Verizon app:
- Launch the Verizon app on your phone.
- Tap on the Menu icon on the top right of your screen.
- Go to Devices and select your phone.
- Tap on Call Forwarding.
- Uncheck Forward All Calls, tap Save.
Note: You can also enter *73 in the call forwarding field so your calls will go to voicemail.
6. Change Your Phone’s Notification Settings
Finally, when all else fails, there’s a good chance that your device’s notification settings have been changed.
It could be software that you installed or someone can inadvertently change it.
You want to check on your phone’s notification settings and ensure that it’s activated for the Visual Voicemail app.
Here’s how to change your phone’s notification settings:
iPhone:
- Go to your phone’s Settings.
- Tap on Notifications.
- Scroll down and choose Visual Voicemail.
- Activate the notifications for the app.
Android:
- Open your phone’s Settings.
- Go to Apps and Notifications.
- Tap on App Notifications.
- Select Visual Voicemail.
- Toggle the switches to activate the notifications.
Note: You can also go to the Visual Voicemail app and find its Notification Settings and activate it there.
These steps should get your voicemail notifications activated. A solution that you can perform as a last resort is to reset your device’s network settings.
Doing this will allow your phone to reconnect with Verizon and can potentially fix the error.
Bottom Line
You know the various causes and fixes to Verizon voicemail notifications not working. All you need to do is follow these troubleshooting steps and have it running in no time.
You can also contact Verizon customer support if you run into more problems while fixing this one.
Read Next: Verizon Phone Goes Straight To Voicemail?
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.