Getting Rid of the Voicemail Icon in Samsung Galaxy S3
While the Samsung Galaxy S3 was one of the most powerful device in 2012 and even today, it was plagued with problems that thousands ,if not millions, of owners are experiencing. Aside from connectivity issues, one common problem was that the voicemail icon seemed not to go away even after the voicemail was deleted by the user.
Basically, the voicemail icon indicates that there is (are) still voicemails that the owners have to listen to even if there’s none. The first instinct a user could think of is to tap on the clear button on the notification bar, but it doesn’t do anything to solve the problem. While the problem is not serious because it doesn’t interfere with other services, it’s just annoying that you wouldn’t know if there is indeed a new voicemail unless you open your voicemail inbox.
I asked a Samsung representative about the problem and he said that the possible causes are the following:
- A network outage is affecting the area.
- Inconsistent network connectivity.
- Voicemail wasn’t properly accessed or wasn’t deleted.
- A third-party application is causing it.
The rep actually gave all logical causes to the problem but I believe that this is merely a glitch and, by the way, the rep didn’t provide resolution to the problem but suggested to do a factory reset. He may be right but after messing up with the phone, I discovered there are two possible solutions to the problem.
Clearing Voicemail Notification
- From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
- Tap Settings.
- Scroll to and tap Call Settings.
- Now tap Clear Voicemail Notification.
Given that the button was not grayed out in your device, this procedure would work. However, there are models whose Clear Voicemail Notification button was grayed out (I’m really not sure which model). If this is the case in your phone, the following procedure would get rid of the voicemail icon.
Stopping Voicemail Service
- From the Home screen, tap the Menu key.
- Choose Settings.
- Tap Applications Manager.
- Swipe left to choose All tab.
- Scroll to and tap Voicemail.
- Tap Force Stop.
What this procedure does is forcibly stop the voicemail service, thus the icon would also disappear. But don’t worry, you can always launch Voicemail app anytime. If you do that, the icon would still not be seen unless you really have new voicemails. Likewise, a reboot would bring the service back to life.
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Although my primary phone is a Galaxy S5, our secondary phone is an S3 (SIII) and none of the listed “fixes” have worked. There’s also no “voicemail notification” to turn off. The “show notifications” in the Phone App is grayed out.
After I “stop” the Phone app, by either holding down the voicemail notification until “app info” shows or going into Application Manager, the voicemail indicator shows up again stating that there are two voicemail messages, even though there are none.
For Russell Albright : Even though your post was years ago, THANK YOU as your procedure was the only one that worked.
You need to force it every single time you turn the phone on. Is there a way to delete it permanently?
For me on my Straight Talk Samsung Galaxy S3, Follow the steps below:
1) Go to Home screen.
2) Click menu button, go to settings.
3) Scroll down to Application manager.
4) Swipe right to left, until you get to “All”
5) Scroll down to application labeled “Phone”
6) Click clear data.
7) Do happy dance because stuck voicemail indicator is finally gone. *
* – This step is optional, but is highly recommended. š
i think there’s a carrier issue.
even when i flash a custom rom or a real old backup this sucker pops up.
Yeah, same here. I just recently updated to ATT Kit-Kat (4.4.2) stock ROM, rooted. The VM notification is stuck and wont swipe out. I’m getting the feeling this is an update issue. I have ATT’s Visual VM app installed as I used to before the update and it used to suppress the stock VM notification but not anymore.
because shit happens. i had mine over a year and now i have the problem
I have the galaxy s 3 on t mobile I tried getting to voicemail app to force it closed like it says to up top of this page and I can’t find the voice mail app any where in any of the options I’m given am I over looking it?
Do different carriers have different menus under Settings? I have an S3 on AT&T… when I go to Settings, there is no Call Settings in the menu.
John
Not sure why others have some problems with there Samsung galaxy s III I got mine over a year ago and had only 1 problem with external memory card reader I got that fix via warranty I have also rooted my phone and tried android 4.2 but went back to proper firmware and waiting for the new one via Kia but even after a year I still love it and it works prefect.
Scott