How to change your voicemail greeting on iPhone

If your carrier supports Visual Voicemail (most major US carriers do), you can change the greeting right in the Phone app.

Steps

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Go to Voicemail. In older versions of iOS it's a tab in the bottom-right corner. In newer versions with the redesigned Phone app, voicemails may be grouped with your calls instead. Look for a Voicemail filter or menu, or switch to the Classic layout.
3. Tap Greeting.
4. Choose Custom. (Default just plays your phone number in a system voice.)
5. Tap Record, say your greeting, then tap Stop.
6. Tap Play to listen. Re-record if needed.
7. Tap Save.

If you don't see a Greeting option

• Your carrier may not support Visual Voicemail on your plan, or voicemail hasn't been set up yet (see how to set up voicemail). Press and hold 1 on the keypad to call your voicemail box and change the greeting through the voice menu instead.
• If the Voicemail screen just says Call Voicemail, Visual Voicemail isn't active. Use the voice menu, or contact your carrier.

Can I upload an MP3 as my iPhone greeting?

No. iPhone only records greetings through the microphone. To use a greeting made with our generator, play the downloaded file on a computer or second phone, hold it close to your iPhone's microphone in a quiet room, and record it with the steps above.

How to delete your voicemail greeting on iPhone

There's no Delete button for greetings. To stop callers hearing your custom greeting:

1. Open the Phone app and go to Voicemail.
2. Tap Greeting.
3. Choose Default and tap Save. Callers now hear the standard system greeting with your phone number.

To replace a custom greeting rather than remove it, choose Custom and record again. The new recording overwrites the old one. If you use your carrier's voice menu instead of Visual Voicemail, the greetings menu there usually has an option to delete or reset the personal greeting.