The most common reason is a missing voicemail SOC (Service Order Code) on your account, which often happens after you switch your SIM card, change devices, or make changes to your account. Other possible reasons include incorrect call forwarding settings or network issues that affect how your voicemail works and how messages are delivered. Before you start troubleshooting, check if there’s a known AT&T service outage or if your voicemail inbox is full. Also, confirm that your phone supports AT&T Visual Voicemail—some phones (like the Samsung S22 Ultra) aren’t compatible.
1. Force Restart the Phone
Your phone may fail to get new voicemail messages from AT&T if a network component is acting up. Force restarting your phone can reset these components to their normal state and often fixes the issue.
2. Update Your Phone’s OS to the Latest Version
If your phone’s software is out of date, it may not work properly with AT&T’s latest network settings, which can cause issues with voicemail. Updating your phone’s operating system can fix these problems by bringing everything up to date.
3. Change the Date and Time Settings on Your Phone
Incorrect date and time settings can prevent AT&T voicemail from working. Setting your phone’s date and time correctly can often solve the issue.
4. Clear Cache and Data of the Voicemail App (Android Only)
On Android phones, a corrupted app cache or outdated app data can cause voicemail to stop working. Resetting this information can often resolve the issue. (Be aware: This may erase saved voicemails, so back up anything important first.)
5. Change the Call Forwarding Options
Voicemail depends on your call forwarding settings. If these settings are incorrect, you might not get voicemails. You can check and update these settings (example for Android phones):
6. Reset Your Phone’s Network Settings to Default
Voicemail may not work if your network settings are incorrect. Resetting these settings to default often fixes the problem (but remember, this deletes saved Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth pairings).
7. Reset the Voicemail Password
Sometimes voicemail issues can happen because there’s a problem with your AT&T voicemail password. Resetting your password refreshes your access and can fix the issue.
8. Reset All Settings on Your Phone
Voicemail may not work if a phone setting is incorrect or clashes with AT&T’s requirements. Resetting all your settings restores everything to default (but keep in mind this will erase custom settings, so save anything important).
