Saving voicemails
Some voicemails are too significant or sentimental to trust Verizon, AT&T, or whoever your cell service provider is, to keep them safe for you. If you get a new phone, migrate to a new voicemail app, or change providers, there is always a chance of losing a saved voicemail. Here’s how to back up your important voicemails from Apple or Android phones.
iPhone
On your iPhone, tap on the phone icon and tap the Voicemail app. Next, find the voicemail you’d like to back up and click the Share icon (the box with the arrow pointing out of the box.) Now you have several choices; here’s what happens with the most common.
Sharing your voicemail to Notes creates a new Note and adds an m4a recording of your voicemail to the Note. You can then save the Note with a meaningful name. Or keep the default name “New Note” if you’re feeling rebellious or if you want to confuse yourself when you go looking for this voicemail in your Notes app.
If you choose the Voice Memos app, it creates a new voice memo using your voicemail. Unfortunately, you can’t easily change the default name of the voicemail. Open the Voice Memos app to listen to your voicemail.
If you’re using iCloud to back up your phone, then you’ll have copies of your Notes or Voice Memos copy of your voicemail.
Choosing Message or Email sends an m4a audio attachment using SMS or your email app.
Android
Saving voicemails on Android is slightly more complicated because of the variety of phone manufacturers, phone models, and versions of the Android operating system. Here’s the basic process, but your mileage may vary.
Open your voicemail app and find the voicemail you want to save, then tap (or maybe tap and hold the message) to get your options. Usually Save, Save to Phone, or maybe Archive. Once you make a choice, it may prompt you for a storage location on your phone. Once that process completes, back up that saved file to the cloud service of your choice.
Your cell service provider may not offer the option of saving your voicemails unless you install a (usually not free) app first.
Saving voicemails with your computer
If all else fails, you can save essential voicemails by playing them on your phone and recording them straight to your computer.
If you have a laptop, you’ve already got a microphone. If you’ve got a desktop, you’ll need a microphone unless you’re using a webcam, then you’ve already got a microphone.
On Windows computers, open the built-in Voice Recorder app; you can use the GarageBand app on Apple computers. Either way, open your app and look for the red Record button. Next, hold your phone near your microphone and find the voicemail you want to save. Finally, hit Record on the computer and hit Play on your phone. When the voicemail is over, stop the recording on your computer and name the file. Now back that file up to your cloud storage of choice.
Shopping list
A programmer’s wife asks him to pick up some groceries on his way home from work. He asks what she needs, and she says to pick up a gallon of milk, and if they have eggs, get a dozen. When he returns home, his wife asks why he brought home 12 gallons of milk, and he responded that they did indeed have eggs.
Do you have a computer or technology question? Greg Cunningham has been providing Tehachapi with on-site PC and network services since 2007. Email Greg at greg@tech-hachapi.com.