Turn off voicemail

[mikcatta]

Phoned EE and they told me it is not possible to turn off voicemail on our EE full-fibre landline.

Is that true, as people have left messages for us,  but if we only ever pick up the handset to answer a call, we never know there is a voicemail waiting.

[JimM11]

@mikcatta There should be a different intermittent tone when a voicemail is left for you, and yes the voicemail feature will NOT be turned off by EE....

[XRaySpeX · Accepted solution]

@mikcatta : You can't turn landline 1571 VM service OFF but when you dial 1571 under Personal Options (2) > Calling Options (3) > Ring Period (2) there is an option to set the ring period to Short (4 rings), Medium (7 rings) or Long (10 rings) to give time for your own answering machine or yourself to pick it up.

[mikcatta]

Yes, but clearly you didn't read my post that says we only ever answer incoming calls, so wouldn't be aware of the intermittent tone.

Extending to 4, 8 or more rings doesn't help either as that doesn't solve the issue.

[peterhull418]

If you have an answer machine on your existing DECT cordless phone I have just found the solution by posing the question on Google.

It took me a while to figure it out.

The 1571 system 'grabs' the call before your your handset answer kicks in.

What you have to do is maximise the number of rings on the 1571  voicemail  but minimise the number of rings on the handset to less than 6.

This fools the 1571 system in to thinking the call has been answered but it hasn't   it has just diverted it to your own answer system.

[XRaySpeX]

@peterhull418 : By the call being picked up by your own answerphone it is being answered as far as the network is concerned. It's not fooling anybody; it is what is intended.

[JimM11]

@mikcatta Then EE DV phone, it indicates on the screen that VM is left in the system for you!

Digital Home Phone | Device Help | EE

EE Home Phone User Guide

[XRaySpeX]

@JimM11 : So do many ordinary phones that have a 1571  LED.

[peterhull418]

The other solution is to contact EE and ask them to switch 1571 off. 

It seems you cannot do this on the EE App.