What's in a name?
The terms "Answer Phone", "Answerphone" and "Voicemail" are used interchangeably. In theory, Voicemail systems are more complex, and have more configurable options, but here the terms are all considered equivalent.
There is an answerphone system built into every mobile phone network. At its most basic, it is a way to take a message when callers can't reach a mobile number. This is not a function of the phone itself: it is part of the mobile network, and works even when your phone is switched off.
Other options
You don't have to use the mobile network's answerphone service. You could divert unanswered calls to your home or office answerphone, or to a message handling service. Orange users can choose to have Wildfire, which is more than just an answerphone.
Fax
Some of the networks offer fax mailboxes, which are effectively answerphones for fax calls. See the Fax and Data page for more information.
What are the alternatives?
If a call fails to reach you, and there is no divert to answerphone set, this is what happens:
- Busy - if you have call waiting, the caller will hear a ringing tone, and your handset will tell you there's a call waiting.
- if call waiting is switched off, or your phone is setting up a call, the caller will hear the "engaged" tone. - No reply The caller will hear the ringing tone till the network decides to time the call out, which may be as quickly as after 30 seconds
- Not available If the network can't find your mobile (because it is switched off, or out of coverage) the caller will hear a recorded announcement. The precise wording varies from network to network. Vodafone and Cellnet use a different form of words if the mobile managed a "detach" when switching off, or if it has missed a scheduled location update, and is assumed to be off, rather than temporarily out of coverage.
What does it cost?
The charges for using your answerphone varies from network to network.
Leaving a message
If the caller reaches your answerphone, they pay the normal rate for calling your mobile number. At one time, Cellnet and Vodafone charged mobile users a per-minute fee for messages being left, but competition has encouraged them to drop this charge.
Note that messages left on your answerphone when you are roaming can cost you quite a lot, depending on how you set them. See the Roaming section for more information.
Retrieving a message
If you retrieve an answerphone message from your mobile, the per-minute charge varies from network to network and from tariff to tariff. It can be free, or cost as much as 40p per minute. See the Costs section for details of what the charges are: they are listed in the Answer Phone rows of each charges table.
You can also ring your answerphone from another phone. The call charge is normally the rate for calling the network that your mobile number is on. You are not charged on your mobile bill in addition.
Note that your answerphone is in the UK, even when you are roaming, so calling it from overseas is an international call, charged at the roamed-to network's rates. See the Roaming pages for more information.
Changing settings
If you call your answerphone number to change your settings, outgoing message or other options, you are normally charged at the same rate you'd pay to retrieve messages.
How do I use it?
See the Answerphone : Using It page for more information.
See also : [ Using Answerphone ] : [ Answerphones By Network ] : [ Wildfire ] : [ Message Services ]
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