Why Does Voicemail Matter?
When you are in two minds about whether to answer a call from a number you do not recognise, having voicemail set up puts your mind at rest. Even if you do not pick up, anybody with genuine business will leave a message. Because you can listen to the message and then decide whether to call back, you reduce the risk of dealing directly with a fraudster or a nuisance caller.
Voicemail is, in effect, a gatekeeper for your phone. It is a dependable feature that filters out suspicious calls, so it is well worth setting up. In recent years, moreover, the number of people who dislike using the phone has grown to the point where there is a name for it - phone anxiety. Set up voicemail and you no longer have to force yourself to answer numbers you do not know, which lightens the mental load considerably.
Kinds of Voicemail on a Smartphone
Voicemail on a smartphone comes in two broad kinds. Understanding how each works, and what each is good for, makes it easier to choose the service that suits you.
The carrier voicemail service
This is the service provided by mobile carriers such as Docomo, au and SoftBank. Because the message is recorded on the network side, on the carrier's own server, voicemail keeps working even when your phone is switched off or out of range. That is its single greatest advantage.
- Docomo: the Answering Service, 330 yen a month. Stores 20 messages, kept for 72 hours
- au: Answering Service EX, 330 yen a month. Stores 99 messages, kept for one week
- SoftBank: Answering Service Plus, 330 yen a month. Stores 100 messages, kept for one week
- Low-cost SIM providers: some do not offer it at all, so always check before signing up. A few point customers to a substitute app such as Smart Voicemail instead
At 330 yen a month the cost comes to about 4,000 yen a year, but set against the risk of being caught by a fraud call it is an investment that pays for itself comfortably.
Visual Voicemail on the iPhone
The iPhone has a Visual Voicemail feature that works together with the carrier voicemail service. Your messages appear as a list, and playing the one you want is a matter of tapping it. It does away with the tiresome old routine of dialling 1417 and following the recorded guidance, and being able to check your messages without calling back at all is a considerable advantage.
From iOS 17 onwards there is also Live Voicemail, which displays a real-time transcription while the caller is still recording their message. If reading it convinces you that this is a call worth taking, you can pick up even while the recording is in progress.
How to Set Voicemail Up
On an iPhone
- Open the Phone app
- Tap the Voicemail tab at the bottom right
- Tap Set Up Now (the first time only)
- Record your greeting, or use the default message
If you have not subscribed to your carrier's voicemail service, the feature is unavailable. Where no Voicemail tab appears on the settings screen, you need to sign up with the carrier first.
On Android
- Open the Phone app
- Tap the menu at the top right, the three dots, then Settings
- Go to Voicemail, then Voicemail settings
- Check the voicemail number, which differs from carrier to carrier
On Android the location of the settings screen can vary with the model and the manufacturer. If you cannot find it, try searching for "phone" or "calls" from within the Settings app.
Voicemail on a landline
With a landline there are two arrangements: handsets with an answering machine built in, and forwarding services such as NTT's Voice Warp. The built-in type costs nothing extra but does not work unless the handset has power. The NTT service type carries a monthly charge, but because recording happens on the network side it does not depend on the state of your handset.
How to Check Your Messages
iPhone
Open the Phone app, go to the Voicemail tab and tap a message to play it. Where transcription to text is supported, you can take in the content without listening to the audio at all. That is a genuine convenience in places such as a train, where playing sound is awkward but a transcript still tells you what the message says.
Android
When the voicemail notification arrives, tap it to play the message. Alternatively you can check from the Phone app under Voicemail. On some models the arrangement instead involves calling the voicemail centre: dial 1417 on Docomo, 1417 on au, or 1416 on SoftBank.
Tips for Your Greeting
For the greeting - the message played to your callers - keep the following points in mind.
Do not give your name
Saying "This is [name]. I am unable to take your call at present" hands your name to the fraud gangs. Record a greeting that leaves your name out, along the lines of "Tadaima denwa ni deru koto ga dekimasen. Message o o-nokoshi kudasai" (I am unable to take your call at present. Please leave a message). Once they know your name, a later call that addresses you by it - "It is [name], isn't it?" - makes you far more inclined to trust the caller.
Keep it short and simple
A long greeting irritates the caller. Keep it to something in the region of 10 to 15 seconds. "Tadaima denwa ni deraremasen. Hasshinon no ato ni message o o-nokoshi kudasai" (I cannot take your call at present. Please leave a message after the tone). That alone is quite enough.
Invite them to leave a message
Telling callers to leave a message after the tone is what prompts anybody with real business to do so. Without that one line, callers hesitate - am I supposed to leave something on this? - and sometimes simply hang up.
Putting Voicemail to Work Against Fraud
Voicemail is one of the most effective defences there is against fraud calls. It is easy to assume that phone etiquette demands that you answer promptly, but where an unknown number is concerned, not answering is the best defence available.
- Do not answer calls from numbers you do not know; let them go to voicemail
- Listen to the message and judge whether the business is legitimate
- Fraud calls usually leave no message at all
- No message left means it was probably not important
- If a message has been left, search the number before you call back
National Police Agency figures show that around 80 percent of the victims of organised fraud were caught after answering the call in person. Use voicemail as your first line of defence and you cut the risk of dealing with a fraud call directly by a wide margin. For more, see our article on why voicemail stops fraud.
Adjusting the Number of Rings Before Voicemail
The number of rings before voicemail answers can be changed in your carrier settings. The default is often five to seven rings, about 15 to 20 seconds, but if your priority is defending against nuisance calls, shortening it to three rings, about 10 seconds, is the better choice. The shorter the ringing period, the sooner the call switches to voicemail rather than being answered by mistake.
Conversely, if you want to give yourself time to reach the phone, you can extend it to seven or ten rings. On Docomo you change the ringing period by dialling 1419. Equivalent changes are possible on au and SoftBank.
Summary
Voicemail is the feature that gives you the reassurance of not having to answer numbers you do not know. Subscribe to your carrier's voicemail service, and record a greeting that leaves your name out. Send unknown numbers to voicemail, check the message, then decide whether to call back. That is the safest way there is to use a telephone. Considered as a way of cutting the risk of fraud sharply for 330 yen a month, voicemail is one of the best-value crime-prevention measures available.