Voicemail Emergency Services!

[Alternative]

I am in the UK with O2 MVNO giffgaff whose voicemail number is 111. When I dial 111 on my Nexus One I get Emergency Services instead of my voicemail! This has started happening since the recent Google update. It looks as though Google have made the phone translate 111 into 112 or 999. This is really embarrasing and Emergency Services are getting very fed up with me. I put my giffgaff SIM in an old Ericsson phone and got my voicemail as intended. Any ideas please?

Nigel

 

[yakboy]

They should have a landline call'able equivalent number for people to remotely check their voicemail. This shouldn't have the same issue being a full number.

I'm afraid I don't know what it is for O2 and certainly not for O2 MVNO giffgaff???

Hope this helps at all.

 

[Rusty]

Could you not just use 901 for O2 voicemail like everyone else?

 

[Alvintc]

Same problem for me (901 does not work as the network, giffgaff, uses O2's backbone not their actual systems).

I've put a note on the google forums as well in case they have any good ideas!

 

[Alternative]

Got a response from Google Android Support:

Hello Nigel,
Thanks for your reply. We have investigated this issue and would like to inform you that the list of numbers the phone recognizes as "emergency numbers" has recently been expanded from just 911 and 112 to a much more comprehensive list: 911, 112, 999, 000, 08, 118, 111, 120, 122, 110, 119, 995, and 0800
If any of these numbers are dialed, the phone flags the call as an emergency call, at which point the carrier typically ignores the number actually dialed and instead connects to the default Emergency Services number for that carrier.
For now, users who typically dial a 111 short code to access voicemail will not be able to do so. Instead, you should either use your full voicemail access number (typically just calling your own number from your
phone) or use Google Voice for voicemail.
Sincerely,
The Google Team

Doesn't really help ,but at least it confirms what is happening!

Nigel

 

[Alvintc]

Got a response from Google Android Support:

Hello Nigel,
Thanks for your reply. We have investigated this issue and would like to inform you that the list of numbers the phone recognizes as "emergency numbers" has recently been expanded from just 911 and 112 to a much more comprehensive list: 911, 112, 999, 000, 08, 118, 111, 120, 122, 110, 119, 995, and 0800
If any of these numbers are dialed, the phone flags the call as an emergency call, at which point the carrier typically ignores the number actually dialed and instead connects to the default Emergency Services number for that carrier.
For now, users who typically dial a 111 short code to access voicemail will not be able to do so. Instead, you should either use your full voicemail access number (typically just calling your own number from your
phone) or use Google Voice for voicemail.
Sincerely,
The Google Team

Doesn't really help ,but at least it confirms what is happening!

Nigel

08 and 0800?! do they understand that means no free-phone numbers in the UK?

Is there any way to get in contact with them again to explain how unworkable that list is?

Regards,
Alvin

 

[Alternative]

Good point Alvin, I will replay to them forthwith!

Nigel

 

[Rusty]

Or you could try dialling an 0800 number and seeing if you get who you should be, or the cops...

 

[MartinS]

08 and 0800?! do they understand that means no free-phone numbers in the UK?

Is there any way to get in contact with them again to explain how unworkable that list is?

Regards,
Alvin

You have to dial 800 to phone free phone from a mobile and not 0800.