AT&T Visual Voicemail Issues

[cb2367]

TL;DR version:
Visual voicemail issues for the past year. Carrier suggesting I switch to iPhone to eliminate the Android platform for troubleshooting. Looking to see if anyone else has experienced the issues in the detailed post below.

Full post:
For close to a YEAR now, I've had multiple issues with visual voicemail. I will either get a notice that there is a new message (voicemail icon in the notification area), but the message isn't in the visual voicemail app. The other scenario is I have a new message notification and it's in visual voicemail, but when I try to access the message I get "please wait while message is downloaded." It never does download despite being in several different places over the course of several days or being on or off WiFi.

Through troubleshooting, AT&T has either openly stated that they have removed my voicemail from the account and re-added it or they have "refreshed everything" from their end. Either way, I'm up to 5 times now that I have lost all my messages in the visual voicemail. They tell me to go to the voicemail settings and reset the voicemail password. They tell me that after they did their "refresh." I never did that, but then just before they signed off for the night, they told me to press and hold 1 to reset the password..... I already knew that this calls the voicemail. I don't know if there's a menu option to reset the password, but if you press and hold 1 it calls voicemail and you have to enter a password before you even get to the menus.

I've been using Android for a very long time (I think since FroYo) and have never had any issues until now. I've been with AT&T for about five years. This voicemail issue first started in Nov. 2021 with the S21 Ultra. After various failed troubleshooting efforts, AT&T allowed me to change phones to the S22 Ultra to eliminate the problem of the phone.

All was good with the S22 Ultra, but eventually the voicemail issue returned. A couple more "refreshes" later followed by AT&T support suggesting I do a factory reset (that would then be six times of losing my messages). Now it is being suggested to switch to the iPhone so that now the platform is eliminated as the problem. The more I think about this, I don't think this is going to work out. Unless AT&T is willing to provide me with a charger, screen protector, a case, and potentially the equivalent of Android Auto Wireless adapter for the iPhone; there is just too much involved with a change to iPhone at this point.

I've forwarded my issues to the AT&T office of the president. It seems like maybe they are beginning to correlate my report with other similar reports (I posted on their forums and someone on Verizon with an S20 reported having voicemail issues) and they claim they are working with Samsung on fixing this. I contacted Samsung but they claim to have no knowledge of this and refer me back to the carrier.

I had a "stuck" voicemail (message not dowloading to listen to). I changed the SIM card and that fixed the problem. OS just updated to Android 13 and I happened to get a new voicemail message last week -- back to the same problem again!

 

[Mr Bojangles1]

For your voicemail pin, if you've never set one then it's most likely the last 4 digits of your phone number. That's the best way to clear out the troublesome voicemails. You can try clearing the data and cache for your voicemail app as well.

Ive always had problems here and there with the visual voicemail apps so I don't even mess with them anymore.

 

[mustang7757]

TL;DR version:
Visual voicemail issues for the past year. Carrier suggesting I switch to iPhone to eliminate the Android platform for troubleshooting. Looking to see if anyone else has experienced the issues in the detailed post below.

Full post:
For close to a YEAR now, I've had multiple issues with visual voicemail. I will either get a notice that there is a new message (voicemail icon in the notification area), but the message isn't in the visual voicemail app. The other scenario is I have a new message notification and it's in visual voicemail, but when I try to access the message I get "please wait while message is downloaded." It never does download despite being in several different places over the course of several days or being on or off WiFi.

Through troubleshooting, AT&T has either openly stated that they have removed my voicemail from the account and re-added it or they have "refreshed everything" from their end. Either way, I'm up to 5 times now that I have lost all my messages in the visual voicemail. They tell me to go to the voicemail settings and reset the voicemail password. They tell me that after they did their "refresh." I never did that, but then just before they signed off for the night, they told me to press and hold 1 to reset the password..... I already knew that this calls the voicemail. I don't know if there's a menu option to reset the password, but if you press and hold 1 it calls voicemail and you have to enter a password before you even get to the menus.

I've been using Android for a very long time (I think since FroYo) and have never had any issues until now. I've been with AT&T for about five years. This voicemail issue first started in Nov. 2021 with the S21 Ultra. After various failed troubleshooting efforts, AT&T allowed me to change phones to the S22 Ultra to eliminate the problem of the phone.

All was good with the S22 Ultra, but eventually the voicemail issue returned. A couple more "refreshes" later followed by AT&T support suggesting I do a factory reset (that would then be six times of losing my messages). Now it is being suggested to switch to the iPhone so that now the platform is eliminated as the problem. The more I think about this, I don't think this is going to work out. Unless AT&T is willing to provide me with a charger, screen protector, a case, and potentially the equivalent of Android Auto Wireless adapter for the iPhone; there is just too much involved with a change to iPhone at this point.

I've forwarded my issues to the AT&T office of the president. It seems like maybe they are beginning to correlate my report with other similar reports (I posted on their forums and someone on Verizon with an S20 reported having voicemail issues) and they claim they are working with Samsung on fixing this. I contacted Samsung but they claim to have no knowledge of this and refer me back to the carrier.

I had a "stuck" voicemail (message not dowloading to listen to). I changed the SIM card and that fixed the problem. OS just updated to Android 13 and I happened to get a new voicemail message last week -- back to the same problem again!

Make sure not using any VPN

 

[cb2367]

No VPN being used.

As for the PIN comment - I don't have a PIN setup but the password is saved as my phone number. I have to enter this each time.

Hoping for some kind of solution. Something changed on the network to cause this issue to start, but nobody at AT&T can seem to figure out what changed. Tbhey have kind of eluded to the fact that the shutdown of the 4G has caused some connectivity issues. Sometimes they say that the "limited connection" I have at work and at home may be causing this and then they will say even though there is limited coverage, it shouldn't affect getting messages.

 

[mustang7757]

This happens on both WiFi and mobile data ? Meaning u turn on off test and same turn other off and test

 

[B. Diddy]

As an aside, it's unbelievable to me that AT&T would throw up their hands and suggest you switch to iPhone. Maybe you should just switch away from AT&T, see how they feel about losing a customer.

 

[donm527]

I recently noticed on my unlocked AT&T phone that Visual Voicemail app was no longer working.

Just ran a Factory reset for another issue... I see Visual Voicemail was able to set up and work again.

So just an FYI that a Factory reset will fix it.