Can't delete Live Voicemail messages

I can't access or delete Live Voicemails on my iPhone 12 Pro, so there's a permanent red "3" badge showing. I purposely have regular voicemail disabled with my carrier (T-Mobile), because of too many robocall voicemails. But after installing iOS 17, I didn't know about the Live Voicemails turned on by default, and I received three Live Voicemails that I can't access or delete, being I have no voicemail access. Unlike regular voicemail messages, Live Voicemails are housed on the phone, not by the carrier. When I click "Voicemail" it asks me to set up a password, but when I do that it says "Voicemail Unavailable: Could not authorize access." I just want to be able to remove these messages and the "3" badge.

iPhone 12 Pro

Posted on Sep 27, 2023 7:18 AM

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Posted on Oct 1, 2023 6:54 AM

Thanks, Derek. Unfortunately, this appears to be an iOS 17 problem. On a chat exchange, Apple had me reset the network settings. Once I did that, a list of four items showed on the Voicemail page -- the three Live Voicemails plus a line (with a blue dot in front) that reads "Carrier Voicemail" that includes a "Call" button. I was then able to delete the three Live Voicemails. To delete the "Carrier Voicemail" item, Apple instructed me to contact my carrier (T-Mobile), have them activate my voicemail so I could press that Call button to access and delete any regular carrier-based voicemails, then I could have T-Mobile deactivate it again. But when I called T-Mobile, they told me that there are no voicemails in my account. It's completely clear. They told me the "Carrier Voicemail" line on the Voicemail page is an iOS 17 thing on Apple's end. The only way to get it to go away is to reactivate my Voicemails permanently, which I don't want to do. And not only do I have the "Carrier Voicemail" line on the Voicemail page, but there is also a permanent red badge (with no number in it) on the Phone app icon on my Home Screen. And I'm not the only person with this issue. I read a similar iOS 17 complaint about the same issue on another forum.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 1, 2023 6:54 AM in response to DerekM87

Thanks, Derek. Unfortunately, this appears to be an iOS 17 problem. On a chat exchange, Apple had me reset the network settings. Once I did that, a list of four items showed on the Voicemail page -- the three Live Voicemails plus a line (with a blue dot in front) that reads "Carrier Voicemail" that includes a "Call" button. I was then able to delete the three Live Voicemails. To delete the "Carrier Voicemail" item, Apple instructed me to contact my carrier (T-Mobile), have them activate my voicemail so I could press that Call button to access and delete any regular carrier-based voicemails, then I could have T-Mobile deactivate it again. But when I called T-Mobile, they told me that there are no voicemails in my account. It's completely clear. They told me the "Carrier Voicemail" line on the Voicemail page is an iOS 17 thing on Apple's end. The only way to get it to go away is to reactivate my Voicemails permanently, which I don't want to do. And not only do I have the "Carrier Voicemail" line on the Voicemail page, but there is also a permanent red badge (with no number in it) on the Phone app icon on my Home Screen. And I'm not the only person with this issue. I read a similar iOS 17 complaint about the same issue on another forum.

Sep 30, 2023 11:38 AM in response to dncn22

Hi dncn22,


It is probable you will need to set up your voicemail in order to then access and delete those Live Voicemails. We'd recommend contacting your carrier to enable your voicemail, then restart your iPhone. Within a few minutes, check if those voicemails are accessible and then you can delete them.


After that you can turn Live Voicemail off under Settings > Phone > Live Voicemail.


Cheers!

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Can't delete Live Voicemail messages

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