topic Re: How do I Disable Voicemail? in Get Support

How do I Disable Voicemail?

pm-smayer97 — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 11:53:55 GMT

There is a lot of information scattered throughout this forum but it is buried and hard to find.

Want to see all the info in one place? See all the possible solutions below.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

pm-smayer97 — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 23:41:19 GMT

The following is a culling of information from throughout the forum for easy reference. Bottom line is there is no way to fully turn off voicemail but the following a variety of work-arounds to restrict its use.

1) First, the instructions to block or "turn off" your VM (at the VM system level) can be found here with a picture of the VM menu system to help you navigate here.

2) And for some complementary info (to "turn off" VM at your phone level), by either redirecting calls to alternative numbers (even fake ones) and extending the ring time to discourage someone from waiting for the VM. Read about these two options here.

3) Also, note that third party apps (e.g. Truecaller), and even built into some newer phones (e.g. Pixel), you may be able to prevent callers from ever reaching your VM altogether.

Addtional info (be aware of the use of metered minutes):

You can set up voicemail via your cell phone OR via a landline BUT to be aware that if you are on a limited # minutes plan and if you use your cell phone, it will use up your limited minutes to set up your VM.

So, if you want to minimize the number of minutes used from your plan, either go into your VM via the cellphone first and do the absolute minimum set-up, then go back via a landline and continue the set-up, OR start via the landline, set everything up, then access your VM via the cellphone briefly.

Caveat (Bug and work-around):

HOWEVER, note that there is a bug in the system... once you set up your PW via the landline, you will NOT be able to access your VM from the landline UNTIL you access the VM at least once from your cell phone, again, using up some of your minutes.

(this problem ONLY exists UNTIL you access your VM via your cell phone for the first time.)

(and before anyone jumps on this, I am engaged with PM tech to resolve this bug that has been acknowledged by a manager).

NOTE: the work-around is to simply reset the VM password via the online profile. This resets the PW back to the default (your tel #). Then you can access the VM via landline again.

Note also that I am working with PM to have minutes not used up when first setting up your VM

(most people won't care about this because they have unlimited talk but for those on the $10/mo 50/50 plan or the $15/mo 100mins/unltd text, a lot of minutes can get wasted, because it takes time to learn AND set-up a new system you are unfamiliar with.).

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

Jackhyf63 — Sun, 17 Mar 2019 12:11:43 GMT

@pm-smayer97 Record an extended absence greeting and choose the "don't allow messages" (along those words).

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/How-To-Use-Your-Phone-and-Plan-Feature...

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

pm-smayer97 — Thu, 23 May 2019 09:34:51 GMT

@Jackhyf63 wrote:
@pm-smayer97 Record an extended absence greeting and choose the "don't allow messages" (along those words).
https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/How-To-Use-Your-Phone-and-Plan-Feature...

Yes, that is covered in the first link above by isolating the most relevant part of that whole article that deals with far more than just voicemail set-up.Thx.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

mimmo — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 13:16:14 GMT

@pm-smayer97 why not put all the info in the first post? Especially since self solutions are highly discouraged, and are often considered as trying to game the rewards.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

stonechucker — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 17:18:44 GMT

@pm-smayer97, ugh, the first post I can't even read. It's black text on a dark green background.

Not sure if it's a stylesheet error, or if you've designed it as such.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

srlawren — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 18:28:47 GMT

@pm-smayer97 please stop with the repeated self-solutions.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

mimmo — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:00:31 GMT

@pm-smayer97 to answer your question there is no official way to disable voicemail. there are however two workarounds that seem to do the trick.

use an enable extended absence greeting
change the call forwading number to a valid but non existent number.

how to enable the extended absence greeting and how to enable call forwading can be found in the official Public Mobile KB article

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

srlawren — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:13:43 GMT

@mimmo wrote:
@pm-smayer97 to answer your question

@mimmo you do know this what a rhetorical question, right?

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

mimmo — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:22:58 GMT

@srlawren wrote:
@mimmo wrote:
@pm-smayer97 to answer your question
@mimmo you do know this what a rhetorical question, right?

Yeah I know it was rhetorical, but even so i felt it needed a concise and to the point answer.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

pm-smayer97 — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 23:44:08 GMT

@mimmo wrote:
@pm-smayer97 to answer your question there is no official way to disable voicemail. there are however two workarounds that seem to do the trick.
use an enable extended absence greeting
change the call forwading number to a valid but non existent number.
how to enable the extended absence greeting and how to enable call forwading can be found in the official Public Mobile KB article

Thanks... you compelled me to want to clean things up a bit so I took some tips to clean up my post. I intentionally avoided pointing users to the entire article you use with information that is far more than just voicemail set up. The links I provide are culled to point to specific instructions on how to do these things step by step, for example, as per @srlawren. So those are more to the point.

Also, above include additional alternatives, which include extending the ring time before going to VM and examples of third party apps that can also be used to redirect calls so they do not go to VM. So there are actually more possibly viable solutions making the post more complete and informative.

Re: How do I Disable Voicemail?

shenny — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:09:17 GMT

dial into your voicemail and log in with your PIN.

In the main menu, press 3 (manage greetings),
then 4 (manage extended absence greeting),
then 2 (record a new extended absence greeeting) and record a message that indicates to your caller you are not accepting messages.
Then press 4 to turn on extended absence
Finally, press 5 to disallow anyone to leave you a message. Problem solved!