How to turn off voicemail
Voicemail is a forward of the calls you miss, set up by your phone company. On most networks, dialing ##004# clears that forward and voicemail goes with it; on Verizon, *73 clears forwarding and Verizon itself switches voicemail off. To get voicemail back, dial **004*, your voicemail number, then # (Verizon: call Verizon), or ask your phone company.
Rather have calls answered than recorded? Vicem is an AI that answers the calls you miss when you forward them to it, and tells you who called and why.
Updated Checked on October 14, 2026
On an iPhone
- Live Voicemail: go to Settings › Apps › Phone and turn off Live Voicemail.Apple, iPhone User Guide: Set up Voicemail
- Apple: with your iPhone off or out of range, calls go to your phone company’s voicemail.Apple, iPhone User Guide: Set up Voicemail
- Apple: voicemail comes from select phone companies, so the code to switch it off is theirs.Apple, iPhone User Guide: Set up Voicemail
On Android and Pixel
- Google: with your phone off or out of coverage, your phone company’s voicemail answers.Google, Phone app Help: Take a Message
- So the same phone company code works: type it in the Phone app and press call.3GPP TS 22.030, the shared network standard
- On a Pixel, Take a Message answers missed calls too. Turn it off in Phone › Settings › Take a Message.Google, Phone app Help: Take a Message
Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T
- Verizon: *73 turns off call forwarding, Verizon says.Verizon, Call forwarding: everything you need to know
- Voicemail off on Verizon: ask about its Blocked Voicemail feature. On iPhone, Live Voicemail must be off.Verizon, Apple iPhone: Turn Live Voicemail On / Off
- T-Mobile: ##004# resets every forward, T-Mobile says.T-Mobile, Self-service short codes
- T-Mobile, one case at a time: ##61# no answer, ##62# phone off, ##67# busy.T-Mobile, Self-service short codes
- AT&T: dial ##004#, the network-standard code for missed-call forwards.3GPP TS 22.030, the shared network standard
- AT&T says call forwarding overrides your wireless voicemail.AT&T, Use call forwarding
Every US phone company’s turn-off page
EE, Vodafone, O2, Three
- EE: text VM OFF to 150. Text VM ON to 150 to turn it back on.EE, Use voicemail
- Vodafone: call 1210 to turn voicemail off completely.Vodafone UK, How do I manage call diverts?
- Vodafone: ##002# cancels every call divert.Vodafone UK, How do I manage call diverts?
- O2 and Three: dial ##002#, the network-standard code, or check with your phone company.3GPP TS 22.030, the shared network standard
Rogers, Bell, TELUS
- Rogers: conditional forwarding won’t work while voicemail is on, Rogers says.Rogers, Codes for call forwarding
- Bell: forwarding to voicemail is a choice in your phone’s Call forwarding menu.Bell, How to use call forwarding on my mobile phone
- Rogers, Bell and TELUS: dial ##004#, the network-standard code, or check with your phone company.3GPP TS 22.030, the shared network standard
Get voicemail back
- Most networks, not Verizon: dial **004*, your voicemail number, then #. Ask your phone company for that number.3GPP TS 22.030, the shared network standard
- Vodafone: call 1211 for the standard voicemail service.Vodafone UK, How do I manage call diverts?
- EE: text VM ON to 150.EE, Use voicemail
- Bell: to restore voicemail after forwarding, choose Deactivate All.Bell, How to use call forwarding on my mobile phone
Instead of voicemail
Forward the calls you miss to Vicem, an AI with its own number.
- An AI answers, takes the message and tells you.
- Works on any phone.
- Works when your phone is off.
- Junk calls and texts are handled without interrupting you.
How Vicem answers missed calls
Start free trialWhat do people ask?
Does turning off voicemail cost anything?
None of the phone companies here list a charge for switching it off. EE says voicemail messages can cost outside the EU, so some people switch it off abroad.
Will callers hear a busy tone?
It depends on your phone company. With no voicemail, an unanswered call rings out, then the caller hears a network message or the call ends. A call you decline can sound busy.
Why did my voicemail turn off after I dialed ##002#?
##002# clears every forward on your line, and voicemail is one: the forward of the calls you miss. To get it back, dial **004*, your voicemail number, then #, or ask your phone company.
Can I turn off voicemail for some callers only?
Not with the phone companies here: voicemail takes every missed call or none. Vicem answers the calls you miss, says it’s an AI and tells you who called and why.