Updated November 13, 2026. Checked against Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27.
Quick answer: iPhone turns voicemail into text on its own when your carrier offers Visual Voicemail. Open the Phone app, go to your voicemails and tap a message: the transcript appears in the bottom half of the screen. To read a message while the caller is still talking, go to Settings > Apps > Phone and turn on Live Voicemail. Your language must be supported.
We make VoxNote, a call note taker. It is 1 option in this guide, flagged where it appears. Most of this page covers what is already on your iPhone.
In this guide
- The 4 ways an iPhone turns voicemail into text
- How to turn on voicemail transcription
- Why isn't my iPhone transcribing voicemails?
- Why am I getting voicemails as text messages?
- Which languages are supported?
- Voicemail to text without the Phone app
- What happens to your voicemail with call forwarding
- FAQ
The 4 ways an iPhone turns voicemail into text
"Voicemail to text" on iPhone can mean 4 different things. They come from Apple or from your carrier, and they can collide.
| Feature | When you see the text | Where | Cost | Who offers it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visual Voicemail transcript | After the message is left | Phone app, under each voicemail | Free | Apple, with a carrier that supports Visual Voicemail |
| Live Voicemail | While the caller is speaking, so you can pick up | Phone app, on the incoming call screen, then saved | Free. Apple says calling and data rates may apply | Apple, in select countries, carriers and languages |
| Voicemail Summaries | After the message, as a short summary | Phone app | Free. Usage limits may apply | Apple Intelligence on iPhone 15 Pro and later |
| Voicemail to text by SMS | After the message, as a text message | Messages app | Some carriers charge. Verizon: $2.99 a month | Your carrier |
Most people only need the first 2. The SMS option is a carrier add-on, and it often stops working once Live Voicemail is on.
How to turn on voicemail transcription on iPhone
There is no single "transcription" switch for regular voicemail. Transcripts appear when Visual Voicemail is set up and your language is supported. Live Voicemail has its own switch.
Step 1: Set up Visual Voicemail
Open the Phone app and tap Voicemail. The first time, Apple asks you to create a voicemail password and record a greeting. In the unified Phone layout, the greeting is under the filter menu: tap Voicemails, then Edit, then Edit Voicemail Greeting. In the classic layout, tap Voicemail, then Greeting (Apple Support).
If you only see a "Call Voicemail" button and no list of messages, your carrier or plan does not offer Visual Voicemail. Without it, there is no transcript to show.
Step 2: Turn on Live Voicemail
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Apps, then tap Phone.
- Turn on Live Voicemail.
When a call goes to voicemail, your iPhone shows the words as the caller speaks. The caller can't hear you unless you answer. Tap Stop to end the message without answering (Apple Support). T-Mobile notes that Live Voicemail is on by default since iOS 17, so check this switch before you assume it is off.
Step 3: Read the transcript
- Open the Phone app.
- Unified layout: tap Calls, then tap a message in Recents. To see only voicemails, use the filter menu and choose Voicemails. Classic layout: tap Voicemail, then a message.
- The transcript appears in the bottom half of the screen.
With Apple Intelligence, your iPhone can also suggest actions from the transcript, such as a reminder or a calendar event. Turn that on or off in Settings > Apps > Phone > Suggestions in Voicemail (Apple Support).
Save voicemails in iCloud
Apple says messages are kept until you delete them, or until your carrier erases them if they're not stored in iCloud. To store Live Voicemail and carrier voicemail in iCloud, go to Settings, tap your name, tap iCloud, tap See All next to Saved to iCloud, then turn on Phone & FaceTime.
Why isn't my iPhone transcribing voicemails?
Go through these checks in order. Most cases stop at check 1 or 2.
- Your carrier does not offer Visual Voicemail. Apple says voicemail, Visual Voicemail and Live Voicemail come from select carriers in select countries. Prepaid plans and smaller networks often lack it. Ask your carrier whether your plan includes Visual Voicemail.
- Your iPhone language is not supported. Live Voicemail works in 27 language and region pairs (list below). A message in another language may not transcribe, or come out as nonsense.
- Live Voicemail is off. Check Settings > Apps > Phone > Live Voicemail.
- The call skipped Live Voicemail. If your iPhone was off or out of range, the call went to carrier voicemail. Calls your carrier flags as spam are declined and never reach Live Voicemail.
- You changed your SIM or your carrier. Apple warns that voice messages may be deleted when you change your SIM card. Set up Visual Voicemail again and test with a new message.
- Siri or the device language changed. Several guides report that voicemail transcripts often stop when Siri is turned off or the device language changes. Apple does not document this, but it costs nothing to check Settings > Siri.
- The message was too short or too noisy. Very short or noisy messages often get no transcript, or words shown in lighter grey. Treat grey words as guesses and play that part.
- Still nothing? Update iOS in Settings > General > Software Update, restart your iPhone, then call your carrier to reset voicemail on their side.
You can still listen without Visual Voicemail. Tap Voicemail and follow the instructions, or call your own number from another phone, press * or # depending on your carrier, and enter your voicemail password.
Why am I getting voicemails as text messages?
That is a carrier service, not an Apple feature.
Carrier voicemail to text add-ons
Verizon's Voicemail to Text for iPhone costs $2.99 a month, works in English and Spanish, and sends each transcript as a text message. These texts don't count against your messaging allowance. Verizon also says that when Live Voicemail is on, it overrides Voicemail to Text, so you won't get text transcripts for messages that come through Live Voicemail (Verizon). You can add or remove it in My Verizon, under Products & plan perks.
How to stop voicemail text messages
- Verizon: remove Voicemail to Text for iPhone in My Verizon.
- T-Mobile: T-Mobile says its Voicemail to Text may not be compatible with Live Voicemail on iPhone. For duplicate notifications, it offers a free voicemail to text block that you add in your T-Mobile account or through support (T-Mobile).
- Other carriers: ask them to remove voicemail to text from your line.
Keep Live Voicemail on and you still get transcripts in the Phone app, without the duplicate texts.
Which languages does iPhone voicemail transcription support?
Apple's feature availability page no longer has a separate entry for voicemail transcription. Its list for Live Voicemail is the best guide (iOS feature availability):
- English: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Singapore, South Africa
- French: Canada, France
- Spanish: United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain
- Others: German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Cantonese (3 regions) and Mandarin Chinese (3 regions)
Voicemail Summaries cover 19 of these, including English, French (Canada and France), German and Spanish, plus Traditional Chinese. They need Apple Intelligence on an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max or iPhone 16 model or later.
Voicemail to text without the Phone app
Google Voice
Google Voice gives you a second number with its own voicemail. In the Google Voice app, open Menu, then Settings, and turn on Voicemail transcripts. On voice.google.com, under Settings > Voicemail, you can also turn on Get voicemail via email. Google warns that transcripts "may be incorrect or missing" (Google Voice Help).
The catch: it only transcribes messages left on your Google Voice number, not your carrier number. Personal Google Voice numbers are only offered in the US.
Share the audio to a transcription app
Open the voicemail, tap Share, and send the audio file to a transcription app or service. It works for a single important message. It is slow if you do it every day.
A call note taker that takes the message itself
Some call apps answer for you and transcribe the message in their own app. VoxNote is one of them, and the tradeoff matters, so it has its own section below. For apps that record and transcribe whole calls, see our best call recording apps for iPhone.
What happens to your voicemail with call forwarding
This one is ours. VoxNote is an iPhone app that takes notes on your phone calls on the number you already have. Calls you receive reach it through call forwarding, which you set up with your carrier. Calls you make are dialed from the VoxNote app.
The tradeoff first. While call forwarding to VoxNote is on, your iPhone's own voicemail no longer receives those messages. VoxNote takes them. That also means Apple's Live Voicemail does not apply to those calls. Turn forwarding off and your iPhone voicemail works as before. Our call forwarding FAQ explains how forwarding works and how to turn it off.
What VoxNote does with a missed call:
- When a forwarded call is not answered or the line is busy, VoxNote answers. It plays your own greeting, or a spoken default in English or French.
- It records a message of up to 5 minutes.
- The message arrives in a Voicemail inbox in the VoxNote app, with a transcript, a short title and a "New voicemail" notification.
- You can play the audio for 30 days.
What it does not do: voicemails get a transcript and a title only. There is no summary, no follow-up email draft and no CRM sync for a voicemail. Calls you answer get the full treatment: a summary, the full transcript and a follow-up email draft.
Voicemail is on for every VoxNote user, on every plan, in the current App Store version. Plans start at $16.99 a month, or $159.99 a year (about $13.33 a month), with a 7-day free trial (pricing).
Who it is for: people whose calls matter more than their voicemails, such as brokers, advisors and contractors. If you only want free transcripts of the occasional voicemail, the built-in feature is enough. For a side-by-side with Apple's own call recording, see iPhone call recording vs VoxNote, and our guide on how to record a phone call on iPhone.
FAQ
Can I turn a voicemail into text on my iPhone?
Yes. When your carrier supports Visual Voicemail and your language is supported, the iPhone transcribes each voicemail for free. Open the Phone app, find your voicemails and tap a message. The transcript appears in the bottom half of the screen. With Live Voicemail on, you also see the words while the caller is still speaking.
How do I turn on voicemail transcription on iPhone?
Regular voicemail transcripts have no switch: set up Visual Voicemail in the Phone app and they appear on their own in supported languages. Live Voicemail has a switch. Go to Settings, tap Apps, tap Phone, then turn on Live Voicemail. If you see no list of messages at all, ask your carrier about Visual Voicemail.
What is the difference between Visual Voicemail and Live Voicemail?
Visual Voicemail shows your messages as a list in the Phone app, so you can play them in any order, with a transcript under each one. Live Voicemail shows a real-time transcript while the caller is leaving the message, and you can pick up the call. Both depend on your carrier, country and language.
Why does my iPhone say "Transcription not available"?
Usually the language isn't supported, the message was very short or noisy, or your carrier doesn't offer Visual Voicemail. Check Settings > Apps > Phone > Live Voicemail, then confirm your iPhone language is on Apple's list. Several guides also report that turning Siri off or changing the device language can stop transcripts.
Is iPhone voicemail transcription free?
Yes. Apple's transcripts and Live Voicemail cost nothing extra, though Apple notes that calling and data rates may apply. Carrier services that send transcripts by text message can cost money. Verizon's Voicemail to Text for iPhone is $2.99 a month. Voicemail Summaries are free on iPhones that support Apple Intelligence, and usage limits may apply.
Which languages does iPhone voicemail transcription support?
Apple lists 27 language and region pairs for Live Voicemail. They include English in 10 regions, French (Canada, France), Spanish (United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Brazilian Portuguese, Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese. Apple no longer lists voicemail transcription as a separate feature, so use the Live Voicemail list as your guide.
How do I stop getting voicemails as text messages?
The texts come from a carrier service, not from Apple. On Verizon, remove Voicemail to Text for iPhone in My Verizon. On T-Mobile, add the free voicemail to text block in your account or ask support. On other carriers, ask them to remove it. Keep Live Voicemail on to still read transcripts in the Phone app.
Can I get my voicemails sent to my email?
Not automatically with the iPhone's built-in voicemail, though you can tap Share on a single message to send it. Google Voice can email voicemail transcripts for messages left on a Google Voice number: on voice.google.com, go to Settings > Voicemail and turn on Get voicemail via email. Some carrier and business phone services offer email delivery too. Ask your carrier what your plan includes.
Does voicemail transcription work with call forwarding?
Not on your iPhone. Forwarded calls never reach your iPhone's voicemail, so Apple's transcripts and Live Voicemail don't apply to them. The service you forward to handles the message. With VoxNote, which we make, a missed forwarded call gets a VoxNote voicemail with a transcript and a title in the VoxNote app. Turn forwarding off to go back to iPhone voicemail.