How can I retrieve a deleted voicemail on my Android?

Deleted voicemails often contain important information that can be useful to retrieve. Being able to recover a deleted voicemail on your Android phone allows you to regain access to missed messages, appointment details, phone numbers, and other valuable data. Some key situations where retrieving deleted voicemails can be especially helpful include:

Accidentally deleting a new voicemail before you listened to it fully.
Needing to regain a phone number, email address, or other contact information left in a now-deleted voicemail.

Requiring details about an upcoming appointment or meeting time that were left in a deleted voicemail.
Wanting to save or recover a sentimental voicemail message from a loved one.

This article explains the main methods you can use to recover and retrieve deleted voicemail messages on your Android device, recovering important audio messages and details even after mistakenly deleting them.

Check Voicemail Settings

The first step is to check your voicemail settings to see if deleted voicemails are saved in phone storage or permanently deleted. On most Android phones, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > Default apps > Phone app and tap on Voicemail. Here you can see if visual voicemail is enabled and your voicemail settings.

On a Samsung phone, go to Settings > Apps > More options > Special access > Voicemail and check if visual voicemail is on or off. If visual voicemail is enabled, deleted voicemails may be recoverable from your carrier’s voicemail server. If it’s off, voicemails are likely stored locally on your device storage.

You can also open your Phone app, tap the 3 dot menu button, select Settings and look for Voicemail or Visual Voicemail options to check settings. This will indicate if deleted voicemails are stored temporarily before permanent deletion. Knowing your voicemail settings is key to determining if a deleted voicemail can be recovered.

Use a Voicemail App

One of the best ways to retrieve deleted voicemails on Android is by using a third party voicemail app. These apps automatically save a copy of each voicemail you receive, so even if you accidentally delete a voicemail, you can still access it through the app. Some popular voicemail apps for Android include:

YouMail is a top-rated Android voicemail app that provides unlimited voicemail storage and transcription. YouMail saves a copy of every voicemail you get, allowing you to easily access deleted messages. You can customize greetings, block spam calls, and access voicemails from multiple devices (Reddit).

Google Voice is a free voicemail and call management app. It saves transcripts and recordings of voicemails online, so you can access deleted messages from any device. Google Voice also provides features like voicemail-to-text, custom greetings, call screening, and more (https://fireflies.ai/blog/voicemail-apps).

Vxt is an Android app that backs up voicemails to the cloud. It saves copies of deleted voicemails for up to 30 days. Vxt provides capabilities like voicemail transcription, spam call blocking, greeting customization and more (https://www.notta.ai/en/blog/voicemail-app-android).

Using a third party voicemail app is a reliable way to recover deleted voicemails on Android. The apps save copies of all voicemails automatically, allowing you to access messages even if you accidentally delete them from the native phone app.

Try Calling Your Voicemail

Calling your voicemail directly can sometimes allow you to replay recently deleted messages. When you call your voicemail box, you will hear the standard voicemail greeting followed by your messages. After listening to your existing voicemails, stay on the line. Many voicemail systems will then replay recently deleted messages, giving you another chance to save or transcribe any that were deleted accidentally.

To call your voicemail box directly:

Dial your own phone number.
When your voicemail greeting begins, press “*” or “#” (varies by carrier) to interrupt it.

Enter your voicemail password if prompted.
Listen to new and saved voicemails.
Remain on the line after hearing all existing messages.

Recently deleted voicemails may replay.

This method works for many major carriers, including Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. However, success depends on your specific voicemail system and settings. If you don’t hear deleted messages replay, contact your carrier to check if this feature can be enabled.

Sources:

https://www.cleverfiles.com/howto/retrieve-deleted-voicemail-iphone-android.html

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/255138650

Check Deleted Files

One way to retrieve a deleted voicemail on Android is to check your device’s deleted files or recycle bin. Here are the steps:

Open the Files app on your Android device.
Look for a “Deleted Files” or “Recycle Bin” folder.
Open the folder and browse for voicemail files (usually .ogg or .wav files).

Long press on any deleted voicemail files you find and select “Restore” to move them back to your main storage.
Once restored, open your voicemail app to access the deleted message again.

Keep in mind that deleted files are often cleared after a certain period of time, so recover them as soon as possible. Also, not all Android devices have an easy way to access deleted files, so this method may not work on all phones. Checking deleted files can be a quick way to find recently deleted voicemails before they are permanently removed.

Use File Recovery Software

One option for trying to recover a deleted voicemail on your Android phone is to use a file recovery app. There are many free and paid apps available that can scan your phone’s storage and attempt to find deleted files, including voicemails.

Some top recommended file recovery apps to try are:

Jihosoft Android Phone Recovery – A free recovery app that can restore deleted voicemails, as well as photos, messages, contacts, and more.
Dr. Fone – Data Recovery – Offers a free trial to scan and preview found files. The paid version allows full voicemail recovery.

EaseUS MobiSaver – Claims to recover lost or deleted voicemails even without root access.

These apps provide an straightforward way to scan your Android phone’s storage and restore deleted voicemails if they are still present and can be detected. Be sure to only download recovery apps from trusted and verified sources.

Contact Your Carrier

Contacting your phone carrier is another option to try and retrieve deleted voicemails on your Android device. Cell phone carriers often store voicemails for a certain period of time on their servers. This means there’s a chance your carrier may be able to recover a recently deleted voicemail.

To get help from your carrier:

Call your carrier’s customer support line and explain you accidentally deleted a voicemail that you need to retrieve.

Provide details like when the voicemail was left and the phone number it came from.
Your carrier may be able to access stored voicemails on their servers and recover the deleted message.
However, carriers only keep voicemails for a limited time, often 30 days or less. So the sooner you contact them, the better.

Recovering deleted voicemails through your carrier will depend on their policies. But it’s worth contacting them to see if they can help restore that lost voicemail you need. Just keep in mind that the longer you wait, the less likely the carrier will still have the deleted message stored.

Enable Visual Voicemail

Visual voicemail is a feature offered by many mobile carriers that allows you to view and manage your voicemails through an interface similar to an email inbox. Enabling visual voicemail on your Android phone could potentially allow you to recover deleted voicemails.

With visual voicemail, your messages are stored and managed by your carrier rather than your phone’s native voicemail system. Deleted messages may still be accessible through the visual voicemail interface for a period of time before being permanently removed from the carrier’s system (duration depends on the carrier).

Visual voicemail also often shows a transcript of the voicemail message generated using speech recognition technology. This transcript can help you identify a deleted message if you vaguely remember the content but don’t have access to the original audio file.

To enable visual voicemail on your Android phone, first check if your carrier supports the feature. If so, you will need to install the carrier’s visual voicemail app from the Play Store. Once enabled in the app, you can view, manage and potentially recover deleted voicemails directly from the visual voicemail interface rather than needing to dial into voicemail.

For more details on enabling visual voicemail for your carrier, visit the carrier’s website or contact their customer support. Key capabilities like accessing deleted messages can vary between carriers.

Change Voicemail Settings

One way to potentially recover a deleted voicemail on an Android phone is to change your voicemail settings to prevent automatic deletion. Here’s how:

Open the Phone app and tap the More/Settings icon (three vertical dots).
Tap Settings or Voicemail.

Look for options like “Auto delete” or “Save voicemails”. Turn off auto delete if it’s enabled.
Set voicemails to save for as long as possible – 30 days if that’s an option.
You may also see options to delete messages when read. Disable this.

While in settings, check if visual voicemail is enabled. Turn this on if available.

Modifying these voicemail settings can potentially recover a recently deleted message and keep new ones from being automatically deleted in the future. Just keep in mind voicemail retention duration can vary by carrier.

Sources:
https://www.wikihow.com/Disable-Voicemail-on-Android

Conclusion

In summary, there are a few key ways to try to recover deleted voicemails on your Android phone:

Check your voicemail app’s settings to see if there is an option to view or recover deleted messages. This may allow you to restore recently deleted voicemails.
Use a third party voicemail app like YouMail that stores voicemails online and allows you to access deleted messages.

Call your voicemail and listen carefully, as deleted messages may still be accessible for a short time.
Check your phone’s deleted files folder to see if the voicemail audio file still exists.
Use data recovery or file restoration software to scan your phone and restore deleted audio files.

Contact your cell carrier – they may be able to recover recently deleted voicemails from their system.

Enabling visual voicemail and changing your voicemail settings to prevent automatic deletion are good preventative measures. With some persistence across these methods, you stand the best chance of being able to get back that important deleted voicemail.