Disabling Voicemail

[jounbug19]

I just want to disable voicemail I don't want to  see any calls going to the telus voicemail number 1-647-580-4001.That's not my phone number and I don't want to dial it if I don't dial it, nor have my phone dial it if I don't answer a call. I've tried the solution of setting up an Extended Absent Greeting and it is not working. I  just don't want any voicemail. It cost me 39 minutes trying to get rid of voice mail but I know I did not spend that much time interacting with the voicemail system so something is wrong with the voicemail system. I want to be  able to disable voicemail and call-forwarding. The option to deselect those features on my phone does not allow the deselecting of those features, I can only see them as a dimmed out "read only" enabled. Thank you.

[Dinisarnaldo]

@HALIMACS, you didnt read what jounbug19 wrote: He said that he tried that code and it doesnt work so do you have any other option how to disable voicemail?

I have the same problem as jounbug19, I dont waste time listening voice mail but some people thinks that I am, somehow, that I am obligated to hear voice mail messages. I dont hear and I am not obligated to so I want to eliminate that possibility, and yes, I am asking to do not have a service which I dont want to.

Thanks!

[Clinto]

Thank you Tanias!

This totally worked, no more calling to check voicemails. I left an Extended Absence Greeting saying to text or email me then selected the option to Block Leaving Messages.

The only slight claraification to the instructions provided by Tanias is call your voicemail then run through the numbered steps provided.

[Tanias]

Newbie here -

The Extended Absence Greeting has worked for me. Nobody can leave a message. A voice says “Thank you for calling, goodbye” then hangs up 🙂

To set it up, from the voicemail main menu:

3 to “Manage your greetings”

4 to “Manage your Extended Absence Greeting”

2 to record an extended absence greeting (can be a few seconds of silence)

4 to turn on Extended Absence Greeting

5 to block callers from leaving a message

(I also disabled voicemail notifications, but that may be overkill)

[computergeek541]

---

@will13am wrote:

@jounbug19 , what phone are you using?  Generally you should be able to go to the phone app and set all the call forwarding options to off.  In this configuration, unanswered and missed calls will never route to voicemail.  

---

There's something stange going on with the call forwarding at Public Mobile. In theory, disabling all call forwarding should prevent calls from going to vociemail, but I've noticed that my phone is reporting that all forwarding is now disabled (after retreiving the current settings from the network).  The vociemail deposit number is no longer there.

[dust2dust]

Maybe the selected solution was premature.

These are the call forwarding options on my Samsung.

The $15 plan had been previously known to not take minutes for forwarding. But with some recent glitches maybe something else happening.

[jounbug19]

esjliv yes #21# works if I enter a different forwarding number, enable  it and the press #21#21 it gets disabled.

[jounbug19]

esjiliv, I've been a customer just a couple of day. Yes, call that reach the voice mail will increase minutes use, but it seems like they are counting all calls to voice mail if the voice  mail call interacts with the voice mail for more than 5 seconds. Currently, if I found up every single call (all of them have been to voice mail or interacting with the voicemail) the total time used is 54 minutes, but the total minutes used is 50 minutes. Most of  the calls are 6 to 10 seconds. 4 of them are  under 5 seconds I think it  is only those ones that aren't counted.

[HALIMACS]

Yes, we've been down this path before @dust2dust  (or have we???)  🤔 😉

I'm just not that much into experimentation to know whether it works - that's all.   If it was for a purpose I may need it for, then perhaps I would, but otherwise, just not important to me.   I may give it a shot when I get access to a second device, we'll see.

Shall I update this thread of the outcome to satisfy everyone's curiosity?

Thing is, since my personal is also a Samsung device, you've already said it doesn't work on yours.   I'd like to try it on a different make device to see if I get a similar result.

[dust2dust]

@HALIMACS- I'm just suggesting trying things out to know for oneself.

The OP could also choose the extended absence greeting and toggle the no messages option. But they seem to want to leave it ringing. Cellphone services don't do that. So here he is.

[hTideGnow]

Hi @HALIMACS the stop voicemail trick works.

But there are reports saying call forwarding not working since the voice problem,. so it is not a good time to test today 

[HALIMACS]

@dust2dust     No VoIP app.  No curiosity whether it works or not.  If others want to experiment, fill their boots.  If I ever got to the point of wanting no voicemails, I might. 

Thing is, I don't see the point of trying to stop voicemails.   

OP suggested they don't want people saying "why don't you check your messages" 

Thing is, even if the OP could stop voicemails from coming through, what's stopping those same people from saying to the OP, "didn't you noticed my missed call"

At the end of the day, if they don't want people leaving voicemails, they COULD change their number and only supply it to people who they know won't bother leaving them voice messages.

[dust2dust]

@HALIMACS- What, unlike everybody else here, you don't have a voip app on hand? 🙂

@jounbug19- I'm not certain from your writing whether you're looking at the usage details, or the front page counter.

All activity will show in the usage details. Click the spinner refresh icon lower down on the front page each time you test something. Give the counter a moment or three to register any usage.

Adding - on mobile one thumb typing

[softech]

@jounbug19 Voicemail minutes are "free"  If you see it counted, please open. ticket with PM support to have it fixed 

1. Please open ticket via Chatbot (need access to My Account): At https://publicmobile.ca/chatbot.

Start by typing "Submit a ticket", then click "Contact Us", Then click "Other", then click "Click here to submit a ticket ↗" 

2. If you have trouble with Chatbot or you don't have access to My Account: Private message CS Agent at: 

    https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

**Monitor your Community inbox (envelope icon on the top right) after the ticket is opened.  CS Agent will reply to you there

[esjliv]

@jounbug19  - Unless you are forwarding your Public Mobile phone number. Then that WILL deduct outgoing minutes. Is your phone set to Call Forwarding?

Remove it by entering Dial '#21#' in your phone dialer.

More on call forwarding here: https://www.publicmobile.ca/en/on/get-help/articles/call-forwarding

[esjliv]

@jounbug19 - The 45 minutes to 47 minutes you are seeing under your My Account main TAB?

This area below?

The amount of 'mins used' should certainly not increase when someone calls our voicemail. I just tested it myself, and I started with 34 minutes, called my voicemail with another line. I see the call to my voicemail access number in the detail usage, BUT there the mins used has NOT increased. It is still 34 minutes used.

How long have you been a customer with public mobile approximately; or rather how long have you been in the $15 limited minute calling plan?

[jounbug19]

Telus's voice mail number is read only and can't be changed. The option to turn call forwarding under supplementary services is not there. The forwarding  number can be changed but it doesn't forward but still sends it to Telus's voice mail number. If anyone just reaches the voice mail and doesn't leave a message, PM  counts it as a  call to Telus voice mail and yes minutes to  get deducted.

[will13am]

---

@jounbug19 wrote:

wil13am I have a s10+, android 12 update to Jan1, 2023 with latest UI

Under phone, 3 dots on top left settings, there is Voicemail which lists voice mail number as +16475804001.Trying to change it leads to a message that says "Failed to read data. That number can't be changed".

Under settings, supplemental services there  is call forwarding, the first part is Always forward There is the section "always forward" and that is set to +16475804001. I can change it but the change does not work. I tried changing it to my landline and it still calls voicemail at +16475804001. And not only that, soon as I heard the voicemail message just now, and and hung up immediately (so I was on the voicemail for maybe 2 to 3 seconds) I logged in to my account and PM counted it as 9 seconds but increased the used minutes from 45 minutes to 47 minutes. PM either has a bug or it's stealing minutes.

---

Under those call settings you can turn them off individually.  When I select a forwarding feature, I have the option to turn it off.   Ignore Telus in the background, I am a Public Mobile customer. I don't know why but in some screens, my phone identifies the service as Public Mobile and in some screens it's Telus. 

 

 

[jounbug19]

That's not what I'm getting. Calling from landline to my PM and getting voicemail which I  hang up  on adds used  minutes and deducts remaining minutes.

[hTideGnow]

hi @jounbug19 for all of use forwarded calls to VM do not count

please submit ticket with CS agent

at : https://publicmobile.ca/chatbot.

First type Contact,
then select the only choice there: "Contact..",
from the list of , choose "Other"
finally click link the blue link about submit a ticket
Another page will open and just follow: .

After ticket is submitted, make sure to check your Community Inbox(top right corner envelope icon) periodically for response from PM

If you have problems submitting a ticket, you can open ticket by private message (but this can take longer):

         https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/notes/composepage/note-to-user-id/22437

[jounbug19]

I don't see the "Calls 'redirected' to your voicemail (i.e. the ones you don't answer and are call-forwarded by PM's systems to the local voicemail system) DO NOT COUNT toward any minutes available for minute limited plan holders." happening. I checked my account before  and after making a call from my landline to my PM number. Before I  made  the call from my landline there was 45 minutes used. When I made the call from my landline to my PM number, I did not answer  the call and on  the landline I  heard the voicemail pickup after 6 rings and soon  as the  voicemail message started, I  hungup, not leaving  any message. I  then checked my call lo logs and it had  the call  as outgoing call to 1 (647) 580-4001 with a  duration of 00:09and the used minutes  increased  from 45 minutes to 47 minutes. I have not made one all yet all these 47 minutes have all been from the voicemail  and  trying to  get it disabled.

[hTideGnow]

Hi @jounbug19 that settings supposed to work.  Bit some customers already posted saying the call forward settings seem to be not working since the voice trouble couple days ago.  I think it is best to submit a ticket with CS agent so they can check

[jounbug19]

wil13am I have a s10+, android 12 update to Jan1, 2023 with latest UI

Under phone, 3 dots on top left settings, there is Voicemail which lists voice mail number as +16475804001.Trying to change it leads to a message that says "Failed to read data. That number can't be changed".

Under settings, supplemental services there  is call forwarding, the first part is Always forward There is the section "always forward" and that is set to +16475804001. I can change it but the change does not work. I tried changing it to my landline and it still calls voicemail at +16475804001. And not only that, soon as I heard the voicemail message just now, and and hung up immediately (so I was on the voicemail for maybe 2 to 3 seconds) I logged in to my account and PM counted it as 9 seconds but increased the used minutes from 45 minutes to 47 minutes. PM either has a bug or it's stealing minutes.

[HALIMACS]

I did not @dust2dust 

perhaps I may when I can get another device to call it and test.

[dust2dust]

@HALIMACS- Did you try the options? Iirc my Samsung does not clear the call forwarding numbers. I'm in the US and it won't do anything anyway...roaming or not.

[DWNB]

These numbers don’t do anything. “Can’t be completed as dialed”

[HALIMACS]

Ok @will13am , that's awesome! 

Prompted me to look and, low & behold,  found choices under Supplementary Services in Phone Settings.

@jounbug19 , have a look there and see if your device offers similar settings. 

[will13am]

@jounbug19 , what phone are you using?  Generally you should be able to go to the phone app and set all the call forwarding options to off.  In this configuration, unanswered and missed calls will never route to voicemail.  

[HALIMACS]

@jounbug19 

I understand.

1. PM bills by the second.    So if you make 100 separate calls EACH of 1 second duration, that'll use up your 100 minute allotment, even though the total call time would equal 1 minute and 40 seconds.
2. Calls 'redirected' to your voicemail (i.e. the ones you don't answer and are call-forwarded by PM's systems to the local voicemail system) DO NOT COUNT toward any minutes available for minute limited plan holders.   

[softech · Accepted solution]

@jounbug19   the calls that landed on voicemail because you didn't pick up won't count towards your minutes. They will be shown in the usgae history, but not count

If you call your voicemail from your phone to check VM, yes, it would be counted

You can call form another line to your number to check VM, those calls won't be counted

[jounbug19]

HALIMAC,from what I can tell from my call logs calls directed to my voicemail do count towards minutes, even when I call and from another number to my PM and hangup during the voicemail message, there about 7 seconds counted as a call. Also, PM does not count the total number of  minutes and seconds correctly. According to PM, the following numbers are all of my call times and according to PM they total 45 minutes while in fact they total 34 minutes and 20 seconds (27 on the minute column and 440 seconds in the second columm (=7 minutes and 20 seconds). There is a 9 minute and 40 seconds in extra time added in the total that does not exist in the log.

5:10

0:10

1:19

4:45

0:36

0:07

0:07

0:04

0:04

0:07

5:23

3:15

0:28

1:28

0:26

0:10

0:27

0:06

1:28

0:23

0:32

7:45