What is visual voice mail?

Visual voicemail is a phone message service that provides a visual interface for accessing received messages. The display presents a list of received messages, usually including the calling number or stored contact identity. Each message can be selected for replay in any sequence desired by clicking on call list items.

Most visual voicemail systems also provide visual controls for recording greeting voice messages, establishing a password, and saving or deleting messages. Some services provide voice-to-text transcripts of messages and forwarding of messages to email addresses. Typically, a cell phone visual voicemail system requires some simple setup actions before the service is activated.