- Both iPhone and Android have free built-in voicemail transcription, but you have to read it inside the Phone app
- If you need transcripts sent to you by text and email, Upfirst answers calls and sends structured summaries automatically
- You can also export a voicemail as an audio file and use a free tool like TurboScribe to transcribe it manually
Most phones can already turn your voicemails into text. You just need to know where to look.
Both iPhone and Android have built-in voicemail to text features that transcribe messages right on your phone. If you want something more advanced that collects caller details and sends you a summary by text and email, there are tools for that too.
Here are three ways to convert voicemail to text, including two free options and one paid option. The right option for you is going to depend on exactly what you need and also whether you have an iPhone, Android, or your voicemails are coming in on an old school landline.
Option 1: Voicemail to text on iPhone
Every iPhone with iOS 10 or later has a built-in feature called Visual Voicemail that automatically transcribes your voicemails. There's nothing to download or pay for.
Here's how to convert voicemail to text on an iPhone:
- Open the Phone app.
- Tap Voicemail at the bottom right.
- Select any voicemail message.
- The text transcription appears right above the play button.
That's it. Your iPhone voicemail to text transcription happens automatically when a new voicemail comes in. You can read it instead of listening.
If you don't see a transcription, try these fixes:
- Make sure Live Voicemail is turned on. Go to Settings, search for Phone, tap it, then scroll down to find the Live Voicemail toggle. This is Apple's name for Visual Voicemail, and it needs to be active for transcripts to appear.
- Go to Settings > Siri & Search and make sure Siri is enabled. Voicemail transcription relies on Siri's speech recognition.
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard and turn on Enable Dictation.
- Check with your carrier. Some carriers don't support Visual Voicemail on certain plans.
- Short or muffled voicemails may not generate a transcription.
The iPhone option works well for reading your voicemails quickly. The transcription stays inside the Phone app, so you'll need to open the app to see it. It won't send you a text message or email with the transcript.
Option 2: Voicemail to text on Android
Android also has built-in voicemail transcription, but it depends on your phone model and carrier. The most reliable option is through the Google Phone app, which comes pre-installed on Pixel phones and is available as a free download for most other Android devices.
Here's how to set up voicemail transcription on Android:
- Open the Phone app (the Google Phone app, not Samsung's version).
- Tap the Voicemail tab.
- Select a voicemail message.
- If transcription is supported, the text appears below the voicemail details.
On Google Pixel phones, voicemail transcription usually works out of the box, especially on carriers like Google Fi, Verizon, and T-Mobile.
On Samsung phones, it's less consistent. Samsung has its own Visual Voicemail app, and whether it includes transcription depends on your carrier and model. If your Samsung doesn't transcribe voicemails natively, you can download the Google Phone app from the Play Store and set it as your default.
If transcription isn't showing up on Android:
- Make sure you're using the Google Phone app, not a carrier-specific dialer.
- Check that your carrier supports Visual Voicemail.
- Some carriers (like Sprint/legacy plans) don't support it at all.
- Go to Phone app > Settings > Voicemail and make sure Visual Voicemail is turned on.
Like the iPhone option, Android voicemail to text keeps the transcription inside the Phone app. You can read it on your phone, but it won't send you a notification with the full transcript by text or email.
Option 3: Get voicemail transcripts sent to your phone and email
The iPhone and Android options are great for transcribing voicemail directly on your device. But they have a few limitations. The transcription only shows up inside the Phone app. You don't get a text message or email. And the transcript is just a raw dump of what the caller said, with no context about who they are or what they need.
If you want something that goes a step further, Upfirst works as a smarter voicemail transcription replacement. Instead of sending callers to a standard voicemail box, Upfirst picks up the call, talks to the caller, and collects the information you'd actually want, like their name, number, reason for calling, and level of urgency.
After the call, it sends you two things:
- A text message with a short summary of the call
- An email with the full call summary, transcript, and caller details
You don't need to open a voicemail app or listen to anything. The information comes to you, formatted and easy to skim.
This is especially useful if you run a business and get a lot of calls you can't answer during the day. Instead of checking a voicemail box at the end of the day and trying to piece together who called and what they needed, you get a clean summary for each call as it happens.
Upfirst starts at $24.95/month for 30 calls and works with any phone. You just set up call forwarding for your unanswered calls to your Upfirst number, and it handles the rest.
How call forwarding works
Most carriers let you forward unanswered calls using a simple star code from your phone's dialer. For example, on many carriers you'd dial something like *71 followed by your Upfirst number to activate forwarding. The exact code varies by carrier, but the process takes about 30 seconds.
Once it's set up, any call you don't answer rings through to Upfirst instead of your standard voicemail. The caller never knows the difference.
Here's a short walkthrough showing how to forward calls from your cell phone:
How to transcribe a single voicemail manually
Sometimes the automatic transcription just doesn't work. The audio is too muffled, the message is too short, or your carrier doesn't support it. If you have one specific voicemail you need transcribed, you can export the audio file and run it through a free transcription tool.
On iPhone:
- Open the Phone app and tap Voicemail.
- Select the voicemail you want to transcribe.
- Tap the Share button.
- Choose AirDrop to send it to your computer, or tap Messages to text the file to yourself. The voicemail exports as an M4A audio file.
On Android:
- Open the Phone app and tap Voicemail.
- Tap and hold the voicemail, then look for a Share or Export option. This varies by app and carrier.
Once you have the audio file, drag and drop it into a free transcription tool like Uniscribe, TurboScribe, or oTranscribe. These tools will convert the audio to text in seconds. Most work directly in your browser with no account required.
How to translate a voicemail
If you receive voicemails in another language, you can translate voicemail messages in a couple of ways.
On iPhone, if the voicemail transcription appears in the original language, tap and hold the text and select Translate. This uses Apple's built-in translation feature and works for most major languages.
On Android, you can copy the transcribed text and paste it into Google Translate. If you're using Gboard, you can also use the built-in translate feature directly.
If you regularly receive calls in multiple languages, Upfirst supports over 30 languages and will transcribe and summarize calls regardless of what language the caller speaks.
Voicemail to text vs. an answering service
Standard voicemail to text gives you a transcript of whatever the caller says. That's useful, but the quality depends entirely on the caller. Some people leave clear, detailed messages. Others say "Hey, call me back" and hang up.
An answering service does something different. It actually talks to the caller, asks the right questions, and collects the information you need. The result is a structured summary instead of a raw transcription.
For personal use, the built-in phone features are probably all you need. For a business voicemail setup where you need to capture leads and respond quickly, an answering service fills the gap.
FAQ
Can I convert a voicemail to a text message?
Not directly. The built-in voicemail transcription on iPhone and Android converts voicemail audio to text within the Phone app, but it doesn't send that text as an SMS to your phone. If you want voicemail transcripts delivered as a text message, a service like Upfirst will send you an SMS summary after every call.
Is voicemail transcription free?
Yes. Both iPhone and Android offer free voicemail transcription as a built-in feature. No app download or subscription required. Some carriers may charge for Visual Voicemail on certain plans, so check with your provider if you don't see the option.
Why isn't my voicemail transcription working?
The most common reasons are: your carrier doesn't support Visual Voicemail, Siri or Dictation is turned off (iPhone), you're not using the Google Phone app (Android), or the voicemail audio quality is too low for the phone to transcribe. Check the troubleshooting steps in the iPhone and Android sections above.
What is the best voicemail to text app?
For basic voicemail to text on your phone, the built-in options on iPhone and Android work well and they're free. Third-party apps like YouMail and Google Voice also offer voicemail transcription. If you want transcripts sent to you automatically by text and voicemail to email, Upfirst is a good option because it also collects caller information and summarizes the conversation.
Does voicemail to text work with all carriers?
Most major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) support Visual Voicemail and voicemail transcription. Smaller carriers and prepaid plans may not. If your carrier doesn't support it, you can use a free app like Google Voice as an alternative voicemail system.
Alfredo Salkeld is one of the founding members of the Upfirst team. Prior to Upfirst, Alfredo ran a small home services businesses. He also led marketing at SimpleTexting, a texting platform for small businesses.
