Voicemail to text on the Galaxy S22
January 19, 2023 6:57 AM Subscribe
I can't seem to access, let alone read in text form, my voicemail on this Samsung phone. Please help me figure it out.
Once upon a time, I had a Pixel. Voicemail just magically appeared, transcribed in text form (thank god!), in an app. I think it was within the text app. Last year I got a Samsung Galaxy S22. Google is now making this hard, and I'd like to optimize it. I do have a Google account, and phone service is through GoogleFi.
Right now, when a call goes to voicemail I get:
- a voicemail notification, where the first line of text of the voicemail appears ("Hi Dashy, it's Person calli"). I think this notification comes from my phone app, altho the phone app itself has no apparent voicemail functionality: its menu is Favorites, Recents, Contacts. On my Pixel I also had a Voicemail in the menu as an option there, which is not there on the S22. As a result, once I've read the notification that appears, I have no idea how to return to it.
- a text, telling me I have voicemail. It reads: "New voicemail from (number). No transcript available. To hear this message, call 605 ....". Mindblowingly, transcribed text -does- sometimes appear, but -only- for spam calls. My text app is Google messages.
I have a "Visual Voicemail" app, which I think is a Samsung app. It lists each call with the number it came from, and offers me .... a radio button where I can download and play the message out loud. Yes, very visual, thanks so much.
After all of this, I can't read a voicemail. If I want to know what it was, I have to open the "Visual" app, wait for it to download, and play it out loud.
Please help me get out of this mess! I just want to read transcribed voicemail in one place on my phone.
Once upon a time, I had a Pixel. Voicemail just magically appeared, transcribed in text form (thank god!), in an app. I think it was within the text app. Last year I got a Samsung Galaxy S22. Google is now making this hard, and I'd like to optimize it. I do have a Google account, and phone service is through GoogleFi.
Right now, when a call goes to voicemail I get:
- a voicemail notification, where the first line of text of the voicemail appears ("Hi Dashy, it's Person calli"). I think this notification comes from my phone app, altho the phone app itself has no apparent voicemail functionality: its menu is Favorites, Recents, Contacts. On my Pixel I also had a Voicemail in the menu as an option there, which is not there on the S22. As a result, once I've read the notification that appears, I have no idea how to return to it.
- a text, telling me I have voicemail. It reads: "New voicemail from (number). No transcript available. To hear this message, call 605 ....". Mindblowingly, transcribed text -does- sometimes appear, but -only- for spam calls. My text app is Google messages.
I have a "Visual Voicemail" app, which I think is a Samsung app. It lists each call with the number it came from, and offers me .... a radio button where I can download and play the message out loud. Yes, very visual, thanks so much.
After all of this, I can't read a voicemail. If I want to know what it was, I have to open the "Visual" app, wait for it to download, and play it out loud.
Please help me get out of this mess! I just want to read transcribed voicemail in one place on my phone.
Response by poster: I understand the former is a cargo cult imitation of the latter. But my question is: what can I do to actually read my voicmail? Do I need to leave Fi? Are there other apps that will transcribe it? It seems like there should be some solution here.
posted by Dashy at 8:06 AM on January 19, 2023
posted by Dashy at 8:06 AM on January 19, 2023
I can't help you with what to do to "read your voicemail as text" as I don't know how to do that.
I will say that voicemail by text seems to be a feature of Google-Fi / Pixel and not a suffering of the Samsung phone being on Google Fi. I've owned Galaxy phones for almost 10 years and have never heard of the feature you're seeking being available, and I've used said phones in seven countries (including the US) with multiple carriers.
I believe it's on the Pixel as a way to entice people to buy the Pixel and switch to Fi the same way "blue text bubbles" are supposed to entice people to use Apple. There is no incentive for Google to make it a feature of Android proper as it doesn't entice people to buy Pixel / get Fi. They use it the same way they do the Pixel's camera processing. "Want it? You need to buy the phone."
I can also say that I have Google Voice with a US number, which I purchased more than a decade ago (it's my 3rd number on a dual sim phone and I barely use it). It has Voicemail to Email (but not text) built in, so I suppose if you want to keep the Samsung you could try Google Voice and see if it works for you (assuming you're fine with email and not text). However, I'd make sure it works before cancelling Fi as again, I'm speaking as someone who's had Voice for a long time, so it's possible I'm grandfathered in for some features. As far as I can determine, phone model is irrelevant for Google Voice. I've received emailed transcriptions of my voice messages on Voice on all types of devices.
I suspect that if Voicemail to Text is your die on a hill feature then you'll have to switch back to Pixel.
I understand the former is a cargo cult imitation of the latter.
No, I don't believe so. My understanding is that Visual Voicemail is the ability to see your voice messages and listen to them in any order you wish. In traditional voicemail, if you have 10 voicemails you'd have to listen to or skip 9 in order to get to number 10. In visual voicemail you can see the messages (sender / duration) and decide which order to listen to and which to delete or skip without listening to them. I believe Apple invented the tech with the iPhone, along with the help of AT&T. It has nothing to do with Voicemail by Text.
posted by dobbs at 8:37 AM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
I will say that voicemail by text seems to be a feature of Google-Fi / Pixel and not a suffering of the Samsung phone being on Google Fi. I've owned Galaxy phones for almost 10 years and have never heard of the feature you're seeking being available, and I've used said phones in seven countries (including the US) with multiple carriers.
I believe it's on the Pixel as a way to entice people to buy the Pixel and switch to Fi the same way "blue text bubbles" are supposed to entice people to use Apple. There is no incentive for Google to make it a feature of Android proper as it doesn't entice people to buy Pixel / get Fi. They use it the same way they do the Pixel's camera processing. "Want it? You need to buy the phone."
I can also say that I have Google Voice with a US number, which I purchased more than a decade ago (it's my 3rd number on a dual sim phone and I barely use it). It has Voicemail to Email (but not text) built in, so I suppose if you want to keep the Samsung you could try Google Voice and see if it works for you (assuming you're fine with email and not text). However, I'd make sure it works before cancelling Fi as again, I'm speaking as someone who's had Voice for a long time, so it's possible I'm grandfathered in for some features. As far as I can determine, phone model is irrelevant for Google Voice. I've received emailed transcriptions of my voice messages on Voice on all types of devices.
I suspect that if Voicemail to Text is your die on a hill feature then you'll have to switch back to Pixel.
I understand the former is a cargo cult imitation of the latter.
No, I don't believe so. My understanding is that Visual Voicemail is the ability to see your voice messages and listen to them in any order you wish. In traditional voicemail, if you have 10 voicemails you'd have to listen to or skip 9 in order to get to number 10. In visual voicemail you can see the messages (sender / duration) and decide which order to listen to and which to delete or skip without listening to them. I believe Apple invented the tech with the iPhone, along with the help of AT&T. It has nothing to do with Voicemail by Text.
posted by dobbs at 8:37 AM on January 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: I have a Google Voice number as well. I think I've just set up forwarding: Fi says "calls to your Fi will also go to this number". So then calls should go (if I don't answer them?) to Voice, where I'd get a transcription email. Do I have that correct?
I don't fully understand the "calls will also go to this number" -- will they now skip my cellphone? Or they go to both and I can answer them through either my phone or the internet?
Thanks for your answers.
posted by Dashy at 8:57 AM on January 19, 2023
I don't fully understand the "calls will also go to this number" -- will they now skip my cellphone? Or they go to both and I can answer them through either my phone or the internet?
Thanks for your answers.
posted by Dashy at 8:57 AM on January 19, 2023
It may depend on your provider but I have a samsung and T mobile provides an app called "Visual Voicemail" which does transcribe and organize your voicemails. I think it costs extra - you probably need to re-download it and pay.
But what I really think YOU need to do is go into a store... a person there will be able to tell you how to get out of your loop of voice mail confusion. They may also try to sell you another phone... but stick with it and just get a different or new version of the app.
You can also, as described above, add a google number to your current phone and then your voicemails that come into that number will be transcribed by google.
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 8:58 AM on January 19, 2023
But what I really think YOU need to do is go into a store... a person there will be able to tell you how to get out of your loop of voice mail confusion. They may also try to sell you another phone... but stick with it and just get a different or new version of the app.
You can also, as described above, add a google number to your current phone and then your voicemails that come into that number will be transcribed by google.
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 8:58 AM on January 19, 2023
sorry... you changed the question by changing your phone situation.
If you have a google number on your phone then if you programmed it/told google to make your phone ring when folks call then it will in both situations.
We don't know cause we cannot see your phone, but based on what you are saying you should now get all your calls into google voice. Check it out and let us know if it worked!
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 9:03 AM on January 19, 2023
If you have a google number on your phone then if you programmed it/told google to make your phone ring when folks call then it will in both situations.
We don't know cause we cannot see your phone, but based on what you are saying you should now get all your calls into google voice. Check it out and let us know if it worked!
posted by mutt.cyberspace at 9:03 AM on January 19, 2023
Response by poster: just to clarify -- I have a Google Fi number on my Samsung. I also have a separate Google Voice number (not sent to any phone, just ... standalone).
posted by Dashy at 9:06 AM on January 19, 2023
posted by Dashy at 9:06 AM on January 19, 2023
Response by poster: darn it, the "also" to Google Voice did not work. Test call went to the Fi voicemail, not the G. Voice voicemail, so still stuck in the same black hole.
posted by Dashy at 9:48 AM on January 19, 2023
posted by Dashy at 9:48 AM on January 19, 2023
Yeah, Samsung does not do this natively; it offers you the chance to buy an app that will do it if you are using Samsung voicemail, which it sounds like you are not? FYI the Samsung voicemail, which took me a long time to find, is located inside the Samsung app cluster icon - it's hidden, clunky and I too wish it would just transcribe all by itself.
posted by mygothlaundry at 12:13 PM on January 19, 2023
posted by mygothlaundry at 12:13 PM on January 19, 2023
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posted by dobbs at 7:30 AM on January 19, 2023