@gcrmt wrote:
This is something that I've always been puzzled about. Been with Fido for nearly 12years now and I still find it odd that when a voicemail is left Fido sends out a text message (18) to the cell phone rather than having the cell phone activate the voicemail icon built into the phone. What's the reasoning behind this?
Hello Gcrmt,
What text message are you referring to? Are you referring to a text saying 'Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent' or a MMS with the option to download a transcript of the voicemail?
Prior to the voicemail-to-text system, standard voicemail used a system where so-called secret SMS were sent to the device to trigger the notification indicator. It worked great with less-smart phones. Somewhere along the line, as phones became smartphones, they started misinterpreting the secret SMS, reading the 'Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent' as texts.
As more people got smartphones, they also wanted a better way of viewing their voicemail, hence Visual Voicemail. I think it started with Apple, but Fido used to have a Visual Voicemail app as well. However, it was plagued with problems so it was abandoned. One of the issues was that visual voicemail notification required a data connection. If data wasn't turned on, there would be no notification of new voicemail. The voicemail-to-text system solved that issue. Even if data is not turned on, the phone would receive a text indicating there was voicemail and you could turn on data to download a transcript of the voicemail.
Additionally, the voicemail-to-text is compatible with all devices whereas apps could be limited by OS configurations. Even with the same version of android, each phone manufacturer integrates and implements it with their own systems. It's easier for Apple maintain their Visual Voicemail app because each iPhone would use an unadulterated iOS.
Hope this helps 
Cheers
Hey @jpn,
The notification system depends on your plan and voicemail option. Our voicemail & packages have changed over the years, and not all of them have the same notification system.
If the voicemail you have set up sends both, it is sadly not possible to have the text message notification turned off.
Let us know if you need anything else.
Hey there! Thanks so much for joining us and welcome to the community.
If I understand correctly, you're not able to receive a notification from your voicemail application. Correct?
Are you using a Fido phone? When did it start happening exactly?
Hello Brianw1,
Welcome to the community!
I assume you're referring to my earlier post above. You'll note that post states:
@Cawtau wrote:
... Prior to the voicemail-to-text system, standard voicemail used a system where so-called secret SMS were sent to the device to trigger the notification indicator. It worked great with less-smart phones. Somewhere along the line, as phones became smartphones, they started misinterpreting the secret SMS, reading the 'Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent' as texts.
...
I believe what you're looking for is the message-waiting indicator (MWI). As stated under Mobile Telephony: For mobile phones, the message-waiting indicator is sent via a Short Message Service (SMS) message — the same system used for texting. (SMS was actually invented for utilitarian uses like this, not for user conversation.) It not only indicates that a message is waiting, but also how many unheard messages there are on the voicemail server for that telephone number.
For some reason some phones are able to translate the SMS to activate the voicemail notification and some are not.
That said, have you seen FidoNick's post from above?
@FidoNick wrote:
...All our newer plans come with mini voicemail. This option allows you to save and have up to 3 messages in your voicemail inbox. It's not a visual voicemail so the little indicator for a voicemail will not pop up as you need to call in and listen to the messages. To let you know you have a new voicemail, we send you a text message to notify you...
I understand he also notes visual voicemail (VVM) for iPhone. The iPhone VVM is an app and would provide its own notifications. Unfortunately, the visual voicemail plus (VVM+) app for android is no longer supported. The replacement system is the Premium Voicemail-to-text.
I apologise for any confusion my earlier post caused.
Hope this helps
Cheers
Hey there @BillyBBone
Thanks for reaching out! I definitely hear where you're coming from. It's true that anyone who'se subscribed to Visual Voicemail is notified by text message, and not through a voicemail icon. That's simply because the voicemail message is sent by SMS. I do understand that may not be ideal for everyone: the most important factor is that your voicemail messages are coming in succesfully though, and you are indeed notified, even if only by SMS.
I'd still like to make sure your feedback about this is sent to the team in charge though!
I'd like to clarify an important detail though (which I'll add in my report), above, you mentionned that "18" appears on the SMS icon, informing you that a voicemail message's been saved. Is that right?
It always says "18" when you get a voicemail message, on the SMS?
I'd really like to look into this further on my end, to try and get more information. I'll post an update here as soon as I learn more Appreciate for your patience & understanding!
Hi @FidoCatherine, thanks for getting back to me.
I'm attaching screenshots to this reply that demonstrate what I see when I receive a new voicemail notification. It appears as a text message from "18". I'm also attaching a screenshot that shows some of my phone's technical specifications.
This is an unlocked Nexus 5 device, purchased directly from Google, when I was living in California. T-Mobile would notify me of text messages through the standard "cassette tape" icon in the notification bar, not through what looked like a text message. I know that this phone supports that feature.
What I am really wondering is, does Fido sell *any* Android device that would receive new voicemail notifications via the standard voicemail icon and NOT through a text message from 18? I absolutely do not want to upgrade my voicemail plan, and I don't care about speech-to-text or visual voicemail. All I want is to receive voicemail notifications through the standard icon.
Does Fido support this at all on any Android device?
Hello BillyBBone,
Have you seen FidoNick's post from above?
@FidoNick wrote:
...All our newer plans come with mini voicemail. This option allows you to save and have up to 3 messages in your voicemail inbox. It's not a visual voicemail so the little indicator for a voicemail will not pop up as you need to call in and listen to the messages. To let you know you have a new voicemail, we send you a text message to notify you...
I understand he also notes visual voicemail (VVM) for iPhone. The iPhone VVM is an app and would provide its own notifications. Unfortunately, the visual voicemail plus (VVM+) app for android is no longer supported. The replacement system is the Premium Voicemail-to-text.
So the mini-voicemail and the Premium Voicemail-to-text are the only voicemail options for android. They are both text message based and neither of them activate the message-waiting indicator.
Hope this helps
Cheers
@Cawtau wrote:
@gcrmt wrote:
This is something that I've always been puzzled about. Been with Fido for nearly 12years now and I still find it odd that when a voicemail is left Fido sends out a text message (18) to the cell phone rather than having the cell phone activate the voicemail icon built into the phone. What's the reasoning behind this?
Hello Gcrmt,
What text message are you referring to? Are you referring to a text saying 'Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent' or a MMS with the option to download a transcript of the voicemail?
Prior to the voicemail-to-text system, standard voicemail used a system where so-called secret SMS were sent to the device to trigger the notification indicator. It worked great with less-smart phones. Somewhere along the line, as phones became smartphones, they started misinterpreting the secret SMS, reading the 'Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent' as texts.
As more people got smartphones, they also wanted a better way of viewing their voicemail, hence Visual Voicemail. I think it started with Apple, but Fido used to have a Visual Voicemail app as well. However, it was plagued with problems so it was abandoned. One of the issues was that visual voicemail notification required a data connection. If data wasn't turned on, there would be no notification of new voicemail. The voicemail-to-text system solved that issue. Even if data is not turned on, the phone would receive a text indicating there was voicemail and you could turn on data to download a transcript of the voicemail.
Additionally, the voicemail-to-text is compatible with all devices whereas apps could be limited by OS configurations. Even with the same version of android, each phone manufacturer integrates and implements it with their own systems. It's easier for Apple maintain their Visual Voicemail app because each iPhone would use an unadulterated iOS.
Hope this helps
Cheers
I'm referring to the text message (SMS) as you rightly stated: Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent
Other carriers send a message to the phone that activates the voicemail icon whereas Fido AFAIK has always used the SMS text message. I have always received my VM notifications as a SMS text message sent from '18'
@gcrmt wrote:
...
I'm referring to the text message (SMS) as you rightly stated: Voicemail 1 new 0 urgent
Other carriers send a message to the phone that activates the voicemail icon whereas Fido AFAIK has always used the SMS text message. I have always received my VM notifications as a SMS text message sent from '18'
Hello again,
That SMS would be the secret SMS that is getting misinterpreted by the phones.
Out of curiosity, what other carriers are you referring to? As far as I am aware, many other carriers have this same issue: Bell, Wind, Verizon, etc. In fact, the only carrier that I am aware of who doesn't seem to have this issue is Telus (out West). Apparently, Telus customers East of the Manitoba/Ontario border also experience this issue because they use the Bell network. That said, I'm not sure if it would still hold true since I believe Telus recently updated their voicemail system.
Also, it seems to be phone dependent. Blackberry users have noted that they have always received those texts, regardless of network. On the other hand, it seems to be a more recent issue for some Android users. Some phones are able to intercept the SMS. For instance, the Apple OS actively filters those secret SMSs from their messaging inbox.
Hope this helps
Cheers
