After iOS 17 update we are receiving each other’s voicemails on our iPhone

marthabill wrote:

We’re having the same problem! For years we’ve shared our AppleID so we could sync our calendars and contacts, but sharing voicemail is NOT what either of us wants. I thought Apple was into privacy. This is annoying and they need to fix it!

Indeed, Apple is most definitely into privacy, which is why for years they have told people that sharing an Apple ID is the exact opposite of private. If you want privacy, you need to stop sharing the same Apple ID with someone. It is you who is doing the exact opposite of privacy.

No one's being condescending.

Apple says don't share AppleIDs.

Apple has said that since at least 2017 if not before.

If you're going to be upset about something Apple has said not to do for over seven years having effects that inconvenience you, I don't know how else it would be addressed.

Your iPhone syncs your messages from your carrier’s voicemail server. If you don’t want your voicemails to be mixed and won’t stop using the same Apple ID the simple solution is to turn off Visual Voicemail and call in to your carrier’s voicemail server to retrieve your messages. You can do this by holding the “1” button for 2 seconds, by calling your own number from your phone, or using your carrier’s remote call-in to their voicemail server. You won’t get live voicemail or automatic transcriptions, but your VMs will not be intermixed.

Mac JB wrote:

This problem is a pain and Family Share is more work then a trusting relationship. My wife and I get to many texts and voicemail/calls as we have the same contacts.

Apple please get this back to pre iOS 17.

I am reasonably confident that Apple will NEVER go back to any feature that permits sharing Apple IDs. Apple has been very firm about not sharing Apple IDs for 10 years, and their design decisions are based on the assumption that people will use Apple products the way they were designed to be used, not the way people think they should be designed to be used.

So your choice is to take Apple’s advice or live with the consequences of not using the product the way it actually works.

Mac JB wrote:

Thanks for all the replies and you're good intentions. But I want to go back before iOS 17. I don't want to have two separate Apple IDs and then have to do the family share. So please do not reply with this idea of separating Apple IDs. Just get rid of the code that screwed this whole thing up, thank you.

It will never happen, and you can’t go back to a previous version. So you will have to live with the inconveniences caused by sharing an Apple ID. Of course, you could get rid of your iPhones and get Android phones. But that won’t solve it either, because Google is just as firm about sharing Google IDs.

draganlady wrote:

I concur it work fine forever why shud I change.

That’s been a fairly common refrain over the years too, each time somebody newly discovered some aspect of the built-in and intentional sharing, and each time there was a disagreement or a divorce or an illness or an crime or otherwise involving or among the account holders. Whether the results are the devices remotely and permanently bricked, or worse?

theorizer wrote:

It’s a bs way to get people to not share apps. My wife and I use the same apps, and some have subscriptions - she does the accounting on the app I bill with, among other stuff. Syncing comment is nonsense, as it is a new phenomenon.

Regardless of your view, Apple has strongly recommended people NOT share an Apple ID. The fact you didn't heed their advice is no excuse. Since your wife does the accounting, follow the directions I provided above about how to unshare an Apple ID and then your wife should become the Family Organizer.

Or accept merged call logs/voicemails messages (which amazes me anyone is upset about, since you may think you have made it impossible for you or your wife from reading each others text messages, but news flash, you haven't and either of you at a simple tap in settings can do just that, without either's permission).

The only - really ONLY - solution is to follow the advice that Apple has provided for the past 10 years, and not share an Apple ID→Make sure that each family member has a unique Apple ID - Apple Support

But…What if you are already sharing an Apple ID with someone? How do you separate from this relationship?

It’s actually pretty easy to stop sharing, and switch to Family Sharing:

• If you don’t have a recent backup, create one on your computer or in iCloud (just for security, you probably won’t need it)→How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
• Go to Settings/[apple ID name] and tap Sign Out
• If you sync to iCloud you will be asked if you want to keep the content that syncs; say yes to each item
• Tap to create a new Apple ID
• If you sync to iCloud, go to Settings/Apple ID name]/iCloud and turn on the switches for items you want to sync.
• Log in to the same email accounts you had on the shared Apple ID if they have logged out (they probably did not, unless one of them was an iCloud email address)

Contacts, Calendars, Notes, and Reminders sync to email accounts, so if you are logged in you will still have all of them. You will also still have all photos.

Next, decide who will be the family “organizer” and have that person set up Family Sharing→Set up Family Sharing - Apple Support

You can share all previous and future purchases; here is more information on that→Share with your family - Apple Support

You can disagree all you want, but that won’t change the facts, which are that Apple will not change that they don’t want people to share Apple IDs, and don’t support users who do share Apple IDs.

And if you choose a phone number for FaceTime or iMessage that is not one of the 1 or 2 numbers that your phone has mobile service with a carrier these services will not activate.

Tom73NM wrote:

I’m not trying to argue or fight with anyone on this forum. I really appreciate Mr Finch’s assistance on this and other issues.

My understanding is that this is a forum for users to help/assist other users. We come here looking for a fix or options. With this issue we are just getting a few high volume users parroting one line over and over. Repeating something over and over will not make it right or true but doing that enough will convince some that it is true/right/correct.

A lot of use are looking for options and not the party line being espoused by Apples volunteer staff. Would really like to hear from users who have options.

As I stated before, this issue is a minor irritation for my wife and myself so we are willing to live with it as is. Just hoping Apple or some third party programmer will provide a solution.

You are looking for a fix, which no user on this forum can provide you. Apple made the decision to make this change in iOS 17, which was quite intentional on their part. You can't change it. We can't help you change it. Apple doesn't appear to have any interest in changing it.

You either live with the merged calls, which you say is a minor inconvenience or you finally do what Apple has been recommending since 2014 and that is to unmerge your Apple IDs. There is really nothing anyone else can offer you.

You should never have a personal Apple ID on a work phone. Legally, that makes your employer the owner of all data associated with the Apple ID. Apple designs their systems to work a specific way. They don’t stop you from using it in ways that it is not designed for, but they also won’t provide workarounds for users who don’t want to use it the way it was designed.

HoopSTB wrote:

LISTEN TO YOUR CLIENTS APPLE!!!

I like the data privacy provided by an Apple ID, and have difficulty imagining sharing an Apple ID with another.

There’s far too much that can go wrong when sharing with multiple people, and I also wouldn’t be able to access and utilize my data (passwords, mail, and increasingly everything, and now including voicemail) across all of my own devices.

Two-factor authentication codes and notifications can get mis-routed with sharing enabled, too.

I’d also prefer to avoid the problems that arise should someone involved in the sharing becomes annoyed or angry or abusive, or decides to engage in criminal activities as can sometimes happen, due to the damage and bricking and legal entanglements and worse. Nobody needs their own critical communications tied to an abuser.

And I can change the password as and when needed. Without first coordinating with everybody else.

Everyone that ignores Apple's statements for the past decade or so and improperly shares AppleIDs does.

Make sure that each family member has a unique Apple ID - Apple Support

There's no need to issue a warning when you've been ignoring their advice all along; the note below was created in 2022 and Apple has made similar statements since at least 2017:

Make sure that each family member has a unique Apple ID - Apple Support

Feel free to complain to Apple below, but this is something Apple has explicitly told users not to do for at least seven years:

Feedback - iPhone - Apple

Asking Apple to warn you is like being pulled over for going 50 MPH in a 25 MPH zone and telling the police officer that they should have publicized they were going to be ticketing people because you've always driven 50 MPH there.

There's nothing anyone can do about your mixed voicemail now, but going forward:

Use unique AppleIDs.

Apple considers each and every device signed into a particular AppleID to be a device used by one person and one person only and data is interchangeable with each of those devices and they've long been working to actively sync data between each of those devices.

Over the past few years, it's included Safari history, SMS/iMessage Messages, and now call history and voicemail.

It's not inconsistent, it doesn't work the way you like.

I don't care how multiple devices work or what they do, Apple said don't share AppleIDs.

Maybe Apple will change it, maybe they won't, but Apple has been clear on the subject for at least seven years, don't share Apple IDs.

You say you can turn off Messages and such, and you can do something similar here - don't share AppleIDs.

Whether you are OK with it or not, Apple states:

Make sure that each family member has a unique Apple ID - Apple Support

If you don't want to follow what they say, you suffer the consequences.

This isn't a unique philosophy:

Google: Avoid sharing an account among users