Remember Answering Machines? They’re (Sort Of) Back!

There was a time—not too long ago—when answering machines were the height of modern convenience.

You’d come home, see that little blinking light, and know someone had something very important to say.

Like your cousin Cheryl, reminding you for the third time that the potluck starts at 2, not 2:30. Or a telemarketer trying to sell you a hot tub shaped like a swan.

Even better? If you were home, you could actually hear the message as it was being left.

That gave you a moment to decide: Do you pick up? Or do you pretend you’re not home and hope your neighbor Earl doesn’t ask you to dog-sit again?

It was glorious.

Well, guess what? That old-school magic is back—only this time, it’s baked right into your smartphone.

Thanks to new tech features, your phone can now show you what someone’s saying in a voicemail while they’re saying it. You don’t even have to lift the phone to your ear.

It’s like having your own personal call screener—minus the curly phone cord and cassette tape.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how it works on iPhones, what AndroidAndroid is a type of operating system—like the brain of a device—that runs on many smartphones a... More users can do instead, and why this might just be the best thing to happen to voicemail since… well, ever.

Ready to screen calls like it’s 1989? Let’s go!

📱 iPhone’s Live Voicemail: The Answering Machine Revival

There’s something deeply satisfying about dodging a call without the guilt. And thanks to a clever little feature called Live Voicemail, your iPhone can now do the heavy lifting for you.

Here’s how it works: when someone calls and you don’t answer, your iPhone picks up the call for you and starts transcribing their message right there on your screen—as they’re speaking.

If it sounds important, you can jump in and answer the call while they’re still talking. If it sounds like spamSpam refers to unsolicited or unwanted messages, often sent in bulk, typically via email, text messa... More, you can let it roll straight to voicemail and go back to your crossword puzzle in peace.

It’s kind of like having a super polite but nosy butler screen your calls in real time.

🛠️ How to Turn It On (Or Check If It’s Already On)

If you have an iPhone running iOSiOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its iPhone, iPad, and iPod ... More 17 or later, Live Voicemail is usually on by defaultDefault refers to the pre-set option or setting that is automatically chosen if no alternative is sp... More. But just to be sure:

1. Open the Settings appAn app (short for application) is a program that helps you do specific tasks on your smartphone, tab... More
2. Tap Phone
3. Tap Live Voicemail
4. Make sure the switch is turned on

📌 Extra tip: If you’d like every unknown number to show up with a transcription, also go to Settings > Phone > Silence Unknown Callers and make sure that setting is off. Otherwise, some calls may skip Live Voicemail entirely and head straight to regular voicemail.

📋 What Actually Happens When a Call Comes In

Once Live Voicemail is on:

• Your phone picks up the call for you and transcribes the message as it’s being left
• The caller can’t hear you, and you can’t hear them, unless you answer
• You can tap the Voicemail button to send a call directly to Live Voicemail
• When they’re done, the message and transcript will show up in the Voicemail tab in your Phone app

The transcription is handled on your iPhone itself, not on Apple’s servers, so your messages stay private. And they’re never deleted automatically—you can keep them as long as you want (especially helpful if you’re saving that sweet message from your grandkid).

⚠️ A Few Limitations

• If your phone is off, roaming, on Low Power Mode, or out of range, Live Voicemail won’t work—it’ll default to your regular carrier voicemail
• If you’ve set up conditional call forwarding (to send missed calls to another number), Live Voicemail might get in the way, so you may want to turn it off in that case

🤖 Android’s Version: It’s Not the Same, But It’s Still Smart

If you’re using an Android phone and feeling a little jealous of iPhone’s fancy Live Voicemail—don’t worry. Android has its own tricks up its sleeve.

True, it doesn’t work exactly the same way across every Android phone (because Android is basically the Wild West of smartphones), but there are some great options depending on what phone you have.

Let’s start with the one that’s the closest to iPhone’s real-time magic…

🧠 Google Pixel: Call Screening Magic

If you own a GoogleGoogle is a multinational technology company known for its internet-related products and services, i... More PixelA pixel is like a tiny dot that helps make up the pictures you see on your phone, computer, or TV. T... More phone, you’ve got something even fancier than Live Voicemail. It’s called Call Screen, and it uses Google Assistant to answer unknown calls for you—kind of like sending your digital butler to the door to ask, “Who are you, and why are you calling?”

When someone you don’t know calls, Call Screen picks up and politely asks the caller to say who they are and why they’re calling. While this polite robot-conversation is happening, you see the caller’s response typed out on your screen in real time.

If it turns out to be your doctor’s office confirming an appointment? Great—you can jump in and answer.

If it’s someone trying to sell you a timeshare in Florida? Ignore them, guilt-free.

And the best part? Since this all happens before the call ever reaches voicemail, many spam calls never make it into your inboxAn Inbox is the main repository for new emails in any email client or service. Here, messages are co... More at all. Poof—gone like yesterday’s leftovers.

📲 How to Turn It On (Google Pixel Phones Only):

1. Open the Phone app
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner
3. Tap Settings > Spam and Call Screen or just Call Screen
4. Tap Call Screen, then choose your screening settings (like which types of calls to screen: unknown numbers, spam, first-time callers, etc.)

💡 Bonus Tip: If you’re using a Pixel 7 or newer, you’ll get the option to automatically screen a wider variety of calls. You can also turn on AIArtificial Intelligence (AI) is basically when computers get smart—really smart. Imagine if your c... More replies that let the assistant respond to callers with helpful follow-ups like “Is this urgent?” or “They’ll call you back.”

📌 Just So You Know: Call Screen only works on Pixel phones in the U.S. for automatic screening. You can still screen manually in many other countries, but it won’t screen everything for you by default.

📋 Other Android Phones: Visual Voicemail

If you don’t have a Pixel phone, fear not—you still have options. Many Android phones come with something called Visual Voicemail, which transcribes voicemail messages after they’ve been left, so you can read them instead of listening.

Is it as flashy as Pixel’s real-time call screening or iPhone’s Live Voicemail? No. But it still saves you from playing back messages four times to figure out whether the caller said “refill your prescription” or “refill your lasagna.” (Both are urgent, by the way.)

📲 How to Check If You Have Visual Voicemail:

1. Open your Phone app
2. Look for a tab or iconAn icon is a small graphical symbol used to represent an object, action, or concept in a digital int... More labeled Voicemail or Visual Voicemail
3. If you don’t see it, try downloading your carrier’s voicemail app—for example:
   • T-Mobile Visual Voicemail
   • Verizon Voicemail
   • AT&T Visual Voicemail

Once it’s set up, your voicemails will be transcribed so you can read them like text messages.

📌 Heads-up: Transcriptions aren’t always instant, and they might mangle a few words (especially if your Uncle Bob calls while chewing a sandwich). But overall, it’s a helpful tool—especially if you’re in a noisy place or just don’t feel like listening to a long ramble.

🧓 Why Seniors Love These Features

Let’s be honest—these days, at least half the time your phone rings, it’s spam or a telemarketer. This feature helps you save your time and your sanity by not having to deal with those people.

These new voicemail and call screening features take the guesswork out of it. Instead of answering every unknown call like you’re rolling the dice, you can read the message first, then decide if it’s worth your time (or your blood pressure).

They’re also a lifesaver for folks who are hard of hearing or just plain tired of listening to 3-minute voicemails that could’ve been one sentence.

And maybe best of all? You don’t have to answer in the moment. You can sip your coffee, finish your crossword, and deal with it when you’re good and ready.

Modern phone peace… at last.

🤔 Limitations to Know

As handy as these features are, they’re not perfect—because of course they’re not. This is technology we’re talking about.

First up, Live Voicemail on iPhone is currently a U.S.-only exclusive. So, if you’re reading this from abroad, you’re out of luck… for now. Apple may roll it out elsewhere eventually, but they’re moving at the speed of molasses uphill.

Pixel Call Screening is slick, but keep in mind: it doesn’t save the transcript the way a regular voicemail does. Once the call’s done, so is the transcript—unless you tap into the call history and enable transcript saving ahead of time. (So yes, it can be saved, but it takes a little nudging.)

And for everyone else using Visual Voicemail on Android: it’s useful, but a bit finicky. It may require downloading your carrier’s app, adjusting settings, or crossing your fingers while restarting your phone. Plus, not all carriers or older phones support it.

Finally, let’s talk about transcription accuracy, which can sometimes be… creative. One minute it’s transcribing a helpful message about your prescription refill, the next it’s telling you Grandma is doing “chicken yoga in the driveway.” (We assume that’s not what was actually said—but if it was, we want an invite!)

Bottom line: these tools are great, but not flawless. A little patience (and maybe a sense of humor) goes a long way.

The Answering Machine, Re-imagined

Technology doesn’t always make life easier—sometimes it just adds more buttons. But every once in a while, a feature comes along that actually does what it promises. iPhone’s Live Voicemail and Android’s Call Screening and Visual Voicemail are exactly that.

They bring back the best parts of the good old answering machine—without the cassette tapes, rewinding, or sticky notes stuck to the fridge. You get more control, fewer interruptions, and a lot less spam. (Well, except the canned kind. That’s still available at your local grocery store.)

Whether you’re looking to screen sketchy calls, avoid telemarketers, or just give yourself a little breathing room before deciding to pick up, these features let your phone work for you—not the other way around.

So go ahead—ignore the next unknown number with confidence. You’ve got smarter voicemail now.