Can you forward a voicemail?

Yes. On iPhone, open Phone → Voicemail, tap the message, tap the share icon and send it by Messages, Mail or AirDrop. On Android, open the message in your voicemail app and use Share or Save. It sends as an audio file. Classic dial-in voicemail has no share option, so record it playing on speaker instead.

How do I forward a voicemail to email?

To forward one message, share it from your phone's voicemail list and choose your email app. To send every voicemail to email automatically, you need a service that supports it: Google Voice (Settings → Voicemail → Get voicemail via email) or a business phone system's voicemail-to-email setting. Most mobile carriers don't offer it on consumer plans.

Why can't I share a voicemail on my iPhone?

The share icon only appears with Visual Voicemail, where messages show as a list in the Phone app. If you only see a Call Voicemail button, Visual Voicemail isn't active on your plan or carrier. Contact your carrier to enable it, or record the message playing on speakerphone with another device.

Does the person I forward a voicemail to need my password?

No. Forwarding from a smartphone sends a copy of the audio file, so the recipient just plays it. They never get access to your voicemail box.

Can voicemails be forwarded as text?

Some services include a transcription: Google Voice puts it in the email, and many business phone systems do the same. On iPhone, the transcription shows under the message in Visual Voicemail where it's supported. The transcription is machine-generated, so forward the audio too if the details matter.

How do I stop needing to forward voicemails at all?

Have calls answered live instead. An AI receptionist like RingOwl picks up every call, handles the caller, and emails you a summary of each call when it ends, so the information arrives in your inbox without anyone checking a mailbox.

← Help center

How to forward a voicemail (to email, text, or another phone)

On a smartphone, a voicemail is an audio file you can share like a photo. Setting up voicemail to email so every message forwards itself takes a phone service that supports it.

There are two different jobs hiding behind this question. One is forwarding a single message you already have, to a colleague, a family member, or your own inbox. The other is getting every voicemail sent to email automatically, so nobody has to dial in to check. The first works on almost any modern phone through the share button. The second depends on your phone service: most mobile carriers don't email voicemail, but Google Voice and nearly every business phone system do.

Forward a voicemail on iPhone

This needs Visual Voicemail, which shows each message as a list in the Phone app. Most US carriers turn it on by default.

Open Phone → Voicemail.
Tap the message to select it.
Tap the share icon (the square with an arrow).
Pick where it goes: Messages to text it, Mail to email it, AirDrop, or any app that accepts audio.

The voicemail travels as an audio file (.m4a), so the person receiving it can play it without access to your voicemail. If the message is in Deleted Messages, undelete it first. If there's no share icon at all, Visual Voicemail isn't active on your line. See the last section on this page.

Forward a voicemail on Android

Android voicemail is handled by different apps depending on the phone and carrier, so the menu names vary. The idea is the same everywhere: open the message and look for Share, Forward, or Save.

Google Phone app (Pixel and many others): open the Voicemail tab, tap the message, then the ⋮ menu or the share icon.
Samsung: open the Visual Voicemail app (or Phone → Voicemail), tap and hold the message, and choose Share or Save.
Carrier voicemail apps (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile): open the message and look for Share, Forward or Save to phone in the message menu.

If the app only offers Save, save it to the phone first, then share the saved audio file from your Files app like any other attachment.

Send voicemail to email automatically

Forwarding one message at a time gets old fast. Automatic voicemail to email sends each new message to an inbox the moment it arrives, usually with the audio attached and often with a transcription.

Mobile carriers: the big US carriers generally don't offer voicemail to email on consumer plans. Check your carrier's voicemail settings, but don't count on it.
Google Voice: go to Settings → Voicemail and turn on Get voicemail via email. Messages arrive with a transcription and a link to play them.
Business phone systems: RingCentral, Dialpad, Grasshopper, Nextiva, Ooma, Microsoft Teams and most other VoIP services have a voicemail-to-email setting, usually per user or per mailbox in the admin portal. Teams sends voicemail to Outlook by default.
Business landlines: some providers offer it in their online account portal. Search your provider's help pages for "voicemail to email".

If your service doesn't support it, a common workaround is to forward unanswered calls to a Google Voice number and let Google Voice take the message and email it. Conditional call forwarding explains how to send only unanswered calls.

Forward a voicemail to another phone

On a smartphone, sharing the audio file through Messages, WhatsApp or any chat app is the quickest way to get a message onto someone else's phone.

On an office phone system, voicemail boxes usually have a forward option of their own. While listening to the message, press the key the system announces for "forward" (often a menu option after playback), then enter the extension. The message lands in that person's mailbox with your note attached. The exact key differs by system, so listen for the menu after the message plays.

Classic dial-in voicemail (and landline voicemail) has no export option. You can still get the message off it:

Have a second device ready with a voice recorder: another phone or a laptop.
Start recording.
Dial into voicemail, put the call on speaker, and play the message.
Stop recording and share that file.

The quality is lower, but it's a real audio file you can email or text. How to save a voicemail covers keeping it safe before the carrier deletes it, which often happens within about 30 days.

Why forwarding voicemail is a business problem

For a small business, the reason people forward voicemails is usually that the person who checks the mailbox isn't the person who should call back. The front desk listens, then forwards the plumbing emergency to the owner, the billing question to the bookkeeper, and the new lead to whoever is free. Every hop adds hours.

The other problem is that most callers don't leave a voicemail at all. Many hang up and call the next business on the list.

An AI receptionist removes both steps. RingOwl answers every call live, talks to the caller, books the appointment or takes the details, and emails you a summary of every call as it ends. There's no voicemail to dial into and nothing to forward: the summary is already in your inbox, and you can forward the email like any other.

FAQ

Can you forward a voicemail?: Yes. On iPhone, open Phone → Voicemail, tap the message, tap the share icon and send it by Messages, Mail or AirDrop. On Android, open the message in your voicemail app and use Share or Save. It sends as an audio file. Classic dial-in voicemail has no share option, so record it playing on speaker instead.
How do I forward a voicemail to email?: To forward one message, share it from your phone's voicemail list and choose your email app. To send every voicemail to email automatically, you need a service that supports it: Google Voice (Settings → Voicemail → Get voicemail via email) or a business phone system's voicemail-to-email setting. Most mobile carriers don't offer it on consumer plans.
Why can't I share a voicemail on my iPhone?: The share icon only appears with Visual Voicemail, where messages show as a list in the Phone app. If you only see a Call Voicemail button, Visual Voicemail isn't active on your plan or carrier. Contact your carrier to enable it, or record the message playing on speakerphone with another device.
Does the person I forward a voicemail to need my password?: No. Forwarding from a smartphone sends a copy of the audio file, so the recipient just plays it. They never get access to your voicemail box.
Can voicemails be forwarded as text?: Some services include a transcription: Google Voice puts it in the email, and many business phone systems do the same. On iPhone, the transcription shows under the message in Visual Voicemail where it's supported. The transcription is machine-generated, so forward the audio too if the details matter.
How do I stop needing to forward voicemails at all?: Have calls answered live instead. An AI receptionist like RingOwl picks up every call, handles the caller, and emails you a summary of each call when it ends, so the information arrives in your inbox without anyone checking a mailbox.

Skip the voicemail entirely

RingOwl answers every call 24/7, books appointments straight into your calendar, and emails you a summary of each call as it ends. Nothing to dial into, nothing to forward. Free 7-day trial, no credit card.

Start your free trial →