• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Help Visual Voice Mail on our Captivates

gunny5821

Android Enthusiast
Aug 4, 2010
501
29
Richmond, VA (USA)
Hello ALL,

I need some help in finding this feature. Per this information, we should have "Visual Voice Mail" on our Captivates (See Below):

Advanced Features: Visual Voicemail-Yes, Listen To Your Voicemail Messages In Any Order and Easily Manage Your Inbox Without Calling In.

So, my question is, how do we do this. I went throught the users manual and could not find this feature listed.

Thanks!
 
There's no visual voicemail from AT&T like on the iPhone. All you get from AT&T is oldschool voicemail for the Captivate. However, visual voicemail is available from Google Voice. You can set up Google Voice as just a voicemail system (you don't have to get a GV number). I've been using it since day 1 and it works great.


How do you set it up without getting GV number?
 
Upvote 0
To me this is not visual voice mail. The iPhone has visual voice mail and it works like this. The voice mail goes to your phone instead of the AT&T site. You have the contact info displayed and the time and duration of the voice mail. So you click the voice mails Contact info and listen to the message. you can than save it, again on your phone, or delete it.

Thats visual voice mail. The other method that google is using is more like a transcription than a visual voice mail. So does that help clarify what visual voice mail is? According to AT&T and the phones description, it has visual voice mail. If you go to wirefly.com and select the Captivate and scrowl down to the following:


Advanced Features
  • Bluetooth Stereo Headset (A2DP)-Yes, Stream Stereo Music To and From Compatible (A2DP) Bluetooth Devices
  • Bluetooth Wireless Technology-Yes, Bluetooth v3.0 To Connect Wirelessly To Other Devices Including Car Kits, Headsets and More
  • Google-Yes, Android 2.1
  • GPS Services Support-Yes, Integrated GPS Supports Location-based Services Like Google Maps
  • PC Synchronization-Yes
  • Visual Voicemail-Yes, Listen To Your Voicemail Messages In Any Order and Easily Manage Your Inbox Without Calling In
So, I ask again, how do we do this?
 
Upvote 0
To me this is not visual voice mail. The iPhone has visual voice mail and it works like this. The voice mail goes to your phone instead of the AT&T site. You have the contact info displayed and the time and duration of the voice mail. So you click the voice mails Contact info and listen to the message. you can than save it, again on your phone, or delete it.

Thats visual voice mail. The other method that google is using is more like a transcription than a visual voice mail. So does that help clarify what visual voice mail is? According to AT&T and the phones description, it has visual voice mail. If you go to wirefly.com and select the Captivate and scrowl down to the following:


  • Visual Voicemail-Yes, Listen To Your Voicemail Messages In Any Order and Easily Manage Your Inbox Without Calling In
So, I ask again, how do we do this?
I don't think you really know how Google Voicemail works.

Google Voicemail, for the most part, works just like it does on the iPhone. Trust me, I came from a 3G and 3GS. You get an *audio* recording listed, who called, what time, etc. and you can play any message back in any order, save it to phone or desktop, etc. The transcription is just a feature *on top* of the regular visual voicemail features. I don't even bother having that feature turned on since it's not very accurate.

The only difference is that the audio file is pushed to the iPhone whereas the audio from Google Voice is stored on Google's servers. But you access them essentially the same way on both platforms. On the iPhone you go into the voicemail tab, on Android you open the GV app and all your messages are listed there. There is no "calling in".
 
Upvote 0
If you go to wirefly.com ...

there's your problem. it's a different company's website that's selling you the phone and they're putting up false information.

at&t says they have it for the blackberry, though.
AT&T Visual Voicemail - Wireless from AT&T

google voice is just about the same. i like the transcription so i don't have to listen to the message, but i do miss the iOS style of visual vm. (the ONLY thing i miss from my iphone.)
 
Upvote 0
The only difference is that the audio file is pushed to the iPhone whereas the audio from Google Voice is stored on Google's servers. But you access them essentially the same way on both platforms. On the iPhone you go into the voicemail tab, on Android you open the GV app and all your messages are listed there. There is no "calling in".

It would be nice if the sound file was pushed to your phone, but you can always call-in still if you have cell phone reception but not a strong data connection (can you "call in" with iPhone visual voicemail?).

The transcription is actually really useful. Even though it's not 100% accurate, usually it's close enough to give me the general idea of the message before listening to it.

And it's possible to put the Google Voice icon right on your dock for easy access, replacing the regular voicemail button. Launcher Pro even gives a sexy icon for it.
 
Upvote 0
The only difference is that the audio file is pushed to the iPhone whereas the audio from Google Voice is stored on Google's servers.

Are you sure in the Android app, when it's sync'ed, it's not storing a local copy of the audio file? I just switch into Airplane mode, turned off WiFi and went into GV where I have about 10-12 transcribed VMs and I can still play back any of them (and I'm assuming airplane mode + no wifi = no wireless at all).

I love this service BTW. Getting a pretty close transcription via email, the full recording all via a nicely packaged app, plus the ability to hop onto any computer and via the web get the same is outstanding. I think it's _better_ than the iPhone VVM.
 
Upvote 0
To me this is not visual voice mail. The iPhone has visual voice mail and it works like this. The voice mail goes to your phone instead of the AT&T site. You have the contact info displayed and the time and duration of the voice mail. So you click the voice mails Contact info and listen to the message. you can than save it, again on your phone, or delete it.

Ummmm..... that's exactly how Google Voice works. Only with Google Voice you also have the option to read a transcription of the voicemail if you so desire.
 
Upvote 0
Are you sure in the Android app, when it's sync'ed, it's not storing a local copy of the audio file? I just switch into Airplane mode, turned off WiFi and went into GV where I have about 10-12 transcribed VMs and I can still play back any of them (and I'm assuming airplane mode + no wifi = no wireless at all).

I love this service BTW. Getting a pretty close transcription via email, the full recording all via a nicely packaged app, plus the ability to hop onto any computer and via the web get the same is outstanding. I think it's _better_ than the iPhone VVM.
I'm not sure that it isn't stored locally as well. Sounds like it is from your description!

And I agree, I also think it's better than the iPhone's VV because I can access it from my desktop, transcribe it, email it, etc.
 
Upvote 0
so, google voice definitely stores the voice file on the phone that can be accessed when reception is poor/or-no-reception? If this is the case, i'm forwarding my AT&T voice mail to google voice. Please let me know.

I once tried setting up google voice to manage voice mail but it didn't go so smoothly. So, let me understand this features...

When i miss a call and it goes to voicemail, it would then go to google voice mail and not At&T voicemail?

When i press the voice mail button, i would really be calling my google number to check my voicemail?

Most important, the voice clips from google would be saved to my phone (i'm jumping in joy on this one if its true)?

I typically use my gvoice number for ringing multiple phones and the speach-to-text feature.

thanks
 
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones