Teacher
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17 Messages
Why is ATT disabling visual voicemail on Pixel phones?
So my girlfriend just got her brand new pixel 3, unlocked straight from google. We have friends who are on Verizon who also did the same (went the unlocked route, and bought directly from google as well.)
However, in the dialer app, we noticed something strange: our friends phones had a dedicated tab for visual voicemail; my girlfriends phone did not.
The only option we have is to download att's proprietary visual voicemail application...even though google builds visual voicemail in natively into android, much like apple does with the iphone.
If i bought an unlocked iphone, apple's visual voicemail solution would still be accessible to us. In fact, I know it is, because I've purchased and used unlocked iphones in the past on my account without any sort of barrier to using that portion of the phone....the option to enable visual voicemail on her pixel is totally missing from her phones options, which means that its being disabled based upon the sim that's currently inserted into the phone.
I have a well over 200 dollar phone bill with att.....and I'm kinda starting to get the gist of whats going on here, but I'd like to see if there is solution to the problem...I mean for that price, or any price, does it not make sense that if we spend money on a device that we get to use its built in capabilities?
Why is att going out of their way to disable this? Where do i sign to get that ban lifted? And is there any reasoning behind that decision, outside of wanting unnecessary amounts of control on android devices on att's network? (because they certainly don't take the same approach to iphones)
eldaino
Teacher
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17 Messages
5 years ago
It is clever, but still a wonky workaround, especially considering I'm a post paid user. Ill have to give it a try, so thanks tot those who shared their helpful suggestions.
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Mikebosco28
Tutor
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4 Messages
5 years ago
Worst app ever. Unlock vvm in the phone app .
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casejwill
Tutor
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3 Messages
5 years ago
Native VVM support for Google Pixel 3 XL would be great!
[Edited to comply with Guidelines]
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DrewLucey
Tutor
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4 Messages
5 years ago
I hate that AT&T has been silent on this other than saying "install our Voicemail app"
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DrewLucey
Tutor
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4 Messages
5 years ago
@ATTCares
People don't want your crappy separate app for Visual Voicemail, they want it integrated into the dailer like it is on Verizon and T-mobile. You do the same stupid thing with "Advanced Messaging" instead of supporting RCS; stop trying to invent bad solutions for things that aren't a problem until you make them so.
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DrewLucey
Tutor
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4 Messages
5 years ago
I keep coming back to this thread hoping for some update, but only see community moderators having argued with the assertions of the original post. What boggles my mind is while OP mentioned this feature is natively supported on the iPhone, which has a huge install base and debuted on AT&T, this feature was/is available on Windows Phone too. Tiny, unsuccessful Windows Phone has AT&T Visual Voicemail integrated into the default dailer, but Android is excluded?! It is the result of deliberate restrictions that this is not made available for the stock Android Google phone app. The omission of this simple feature in favor of a poorly produced and even more poorly functioning app is insane.
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pgrey
Master
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3.5K Messages
5 years ago
@DrewLucey Yeah, this is more or less all true.
We're an "all unlocked/non-carrier" device household, for several years now, and yep, none of those features work (unless you have iOS, which has a lot of singular leverage, with ATT).
I concur that the ATT VVM app is "flaky" at-best, and mostly fails to actually translate messages, unless I go and "refresh" them, several times.
The other carriers are a lot more BYOD friendly, particularly as of recent (T-Mobile has been for a lot longer).
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.3K Messages
5 years ago
The transcription option in VVM is so bad, the option is removed in the S10 line up from Samsung. I stopped using it a while back after some transcripts came through with (ah em - cough) interesting words not in the actual voicemail.
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eldaino
Teacher
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17 Messages
5 years ago
Thankful for the last few responses. Moderators here were making it seem like their 'reasons' for why this is even a thing was remotely acceptable and I was in the wrong for wanting a phone to work the way it's supposed to.
That draconian mentality is the reason why no pixel device will ever be sold in an att store....and I'd like to thank the moderators for being the final bricks in the 'I'm switching to another provider' wall.
Vvm works great on my pixel on Verizon. As does rcs messaging.
I hope this gets resolved for pixel users still on att however.
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formerlyknownas
ACE - Sage
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113.3K Messages
5 years ago
No ‘moderators’ responded on your thread. (Unless you used cuss words). Mods are strictly law and order here. Responses 2 and 4 were from ATTCares, the only ones employed directly by At&t. Everyone else is a customer.
Im using my Pixel 3 xl on Verizon prepaid, which does not include VVM option. Wish it did, it’s the only thing I miss about postpaid. Verizon prepaid does not include call forwarding, which is the key to it working. Too bad. But not worth paying double for postpaid
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