AOL Voicemail Basics — AOL Voicemail Help

Help: User Guide

AOL® Voicemail Basics

Voicemail Notification

There are two ways to be notified of new voicemail messages: online and by phone.

Online: When you have a new voicemail message, you'll get an e-mail from AOL® Voicemail with an audio link and attachment. And, in the top right-hand corner of your Dashboard, you'll see the number of new messages you've received.

By Phone

When you dial the AOL Voicemail access number (1-800-AOL-1234), you'll hear "You've got voicemail." If you're using your registered phone, simply dial its number to check for messages.

Some users will receive the Message Waiting Indicator (MWI) phone feature with AOL Voicemail. If you have MWI:

You will hear an interrupted dial tone (a series of short, separate tones) when you pick up your telephone receiver.
You will see a flashing light on your phone (if your phone has this feature).

Tip: AOL Voicemail can notify you whenever you receive a voicemail by sending a short text message to your cell phone. Please note that your cell phone must be enabled for text messaging and your cell phone provider may charge for this feature.

To set mobile notifications:

Go to your Dashboard.
Click "Settings" and then click "Mobile Notifications".
Click "Setup your mobile phone."
Follow the on-screen directions.

That's it. Now, every time you receive a voicemail via AOL Voicemail, we'll send a notice to your cell phone. When you get it, simply call 1-800-AOL-1234 and log in to retrieve the voicemail message you just received.

Accessing Voicemail Messages

There are two ways to access your voicemail messages: online and by phone.

Online

Messages are e-mailed to you. They show up in your inbox with a special telephone icon next to them. Get messages sent to other e-mail addresses too — add them any time.
See your voicemail listed on your AOL Voicemail Dashboard.

By Phone

Call your own phone number from home
Call 800-AOL-1234 (1-800-265-1234) when you're away from home

You'll be asked to enter your PIN.

Refer to the section Getting Voicemail Messages by Phone for more information.

Accessing E-mail Messages

AOL Voicemail lets you access your e-mail by phone. Refer to the section Getting E-mail by Phone for more information.

The Call Log

The Call Log is a useful record of the last 100 calls that have been managed for your account. It provides caller information along with call details and can be accessed from your Dashboard.

The Contacts List

Set up your contacts and list up to 5 phone numbers and 3 e-mail addresses for each. Your contacts list is already started for you — it automatically fills in the information from your AOL Address Book and your AOL Voicemail call log. When you're looking for a contact, search by the letter of the last name. Or choose to view "all", "phone only" or "important contacts". To designate a listing "important", check the "important number" box when you're updating the information for that listing.

Adding Additional Phone Lines to Your AOL Voicemail Account

You can add up to three additional phone lines to your AOL Voicemail account for no additional charge.* This feature is designed to let you add your mobile phone or second phone line to your account so you can get all your messages in one place.

Add phone numbers on the "Additional Numbers" page of the Setting section of your AOL Voicemail Dashboard. Follow the on-screen directions to get the appropriate phone features (Call Forward Busy, Call Forward No Answer and Message Waiting Indicator) on your additional lines.

* AOL Voicemail doesn't charge you more, however, your phone company may charge for the required phone features (Call Forward Busy, Call Forward No Answer and Message Waiting Indicator) on the additional lines. For details, contact your phone company.

Note: Sometimes wireless phone company personnel are not aware that your Call Forward Busy and Call Forward No Answer calls can be forwarded to a toll-free number. We have confirmed that Cingular, Sprint PCS, AT&T Wireless, Verizon Wireless, Nextel and T-Mobile have the ability to do this.

Tips: If the new number added is a Quick Login number (formerly known as an Express Number), you must delete it from your Quick Login list before adding it as an additional line.

Adding Long Distance Calling To Your Service

You can upgrade your service to add unlimited long distance calling.

With this feature, you simply dial 1-800-AOL-1234, log in with your PIN and say "Phone Call" or press 4. Then you'll be prompted to enter the 10-digit number you want to call. It's just like having a virtual calling card. Call anywhere in the US and Canada for just a few extra dollars. Find out more.

Greetings

Depending on how a call is handled, a caller may hear one of several pre-recorded greetings. You can replace any of the default greetings by recording it in your own voice:

Dial 1-800-AOL-1234 (1-800-265-1234) or dial your registered phone number.
Choose "Greetings" and follow the prompts to record your greeting(s).

Immediately after you record a greeting, you will be able to review it and re-record it if you wish. At anytime you can review your greeting — just call in as if you were getting your voicemail messages and choose "Greetings" at the Main Menu.

Master PIN and Voicemail PIN (Personal Identification Number)

You created your Master PIN when you signed up for the service and you'll need it to access your messages by phone. With your Master PIN you can check voicemail and e-mail by phone and change settings. You can reset your PIN anytime you want to change it or forget it.

To keep your e-mail private, you can set-up Voicemail PINs for others, like family members, who want to check voicemail by phone.

If you call to check your voicemail messages frequently from a particular phone (e.g. your mobile phone or work phone), choose to bypass PIN. As long as the system can read the Caller ID from that phone you can skip that step and get to your messages faster. Note: your PIN provides e-mail security, so only set up the bypass PIN feature on phones that are solely within your control.

Moving or changing phone numbers?

If you move or get a new phone number, call customer support at 1-866-825-1400 (8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern, seven days a week). Our customer care consultants will assist you with this transition.

Getting help

It's easy to get help with your service. Complete our online help request form. AOL Voicemail customer support is also available by phone at 1-866-825-1400 or by chatting live with an agent — 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern, seven days a week, 365 days a year.