How-To

How to Leave a Voicemail Without Calling

By Adam Davidson

Updated October 17, 2023

You don’t need to call someone to leave a voicemail, as there are ways to leave a voicemail message directly. This guide will explain some of the methods.

Let’s set the scene—your phone starts ringing, but when you see who’s calling, you decide that you don’t want to talk to the caller right now. You let the phone keep ringing until it goes to voicemail.

What if you’re the person making a call, however? What if you would much rather leave a voicemail than speak to the person you’re calling? Maybe you don’t have time to get into a long chat, or maybe you’re calling in sick for work and really don’t want to have to speak to your boss. Is it even possible to go straight to someone’s voicemail?

The good news is that there are ways to leave a voicemail on someone’s phone without their phone ringing at all. Your message will go straight through to their voicemail, so there’s no risk of having to speak to them.

If you’re unsure how to leave a voicemail without calling, follow the steps below.

How to Leave a Voicemail Without Calling Using a Service Provider

If you’re trying to leave a voicemail without calling for someone who uses the same service provider as you, then you may be able to do so through your service provider’s voicemail service. The method for doing so will differ from provider to provider.

We’ll take a look at how to use this feature with some of the most popular service providers in the United States. If you use a different provider (or you’re based in a different locale), try accessing your voicemail and working through the options to see if there is an option to send a voice message.

How to Leave a Voicemail Without Calling on AT&T

AT&T allows you to send voice messages to other AT&T users without calling them. You’ll need to do so through your voicemail mailbox.

To send a voice message on AT&T:

1. Access your AT&T mailbox by pressing and holding 1.
2. If you have Autoplay turned on, press * to go to the main menu.
3. Press 2 to send a voice message.
4. Record your message after the prompt.
5. When you have finished recording your message, press #.
6. When asked to confirm the name or number, press # if it’s correct.
7. Press # again to send your message.

How to Leave a Voicemail Without Calling on Verizon

On Verizon, it’s also possible to send a voice message to another Verizon user without calling them. You can do this by calling your voicemail.

To send a voice message on Verizon:

1. Access your Verizon mailbox by pressing *86 and then the send key. The 8 and 6 keys represent V and M for voicemail.
2. Press 2 to access the Send
3. Enter the number of the person you want to leave a message for, then press #.
4. Record your message and press # when you are done.
5. Press # to send your message or 0 to access the delivery options.

How to Leave a Voicemail Without Calling on T-Mobile

If your service provider is T-Mobile, you can send voicemail messages to other T-Mobile users without calling them. This can be done by calling voicemail or through the voicemail app.

To send a voice message on T-Mobile:

1. Press and hold 1 to access voicemail.
2. Press 2 to access the Send
3. Record your message as prompted.
4. To send your message, press 1 or press 4 to access your delivery options.

How to Leave a Voicemail Without Calling Using an App

If you don’t want to leave a voicemail through your service provider, or your provider doesn’t offer that option, all is not lost. It’s also possible to leave a voicemail without calling by using an app.

There are a number of apps that offer this service—we’ll take a look at how to leave a voice message using WhatCall. This is a paid app, but depending on your location, you may be able to find a free or freemium app that offers the same service.

To leave a voicemail using the WhatCall app:

1. Install the WhatCall app on your phone.
2. Open the app and enter your phone number to verify it.
3. Enter the code that is sent to your phone to verify your number.
4. To call someone in your contacts, click the Contacts tab.
   
5. Tap the contact you want to call, and the app will dial their phone. You will immediately go through to their voicemail.
   
6. If you want to call someone who isn’t on your contact list, tap the Keypad tab.
   
7. Enter the number you want to dial and tap Call.
   
8. The number you call will go straight to voicemail.

How to Send a Voice Note Through a Messaging App

If the person you want to contact uses a messaging app such as WhatsApp or iMessage, you can record and send a voice note instead of leaving a voicemail. One benefit of this method is that using apps of this kind is usually free, whereas leaving a voicemail may incur some cost.

Most messaging apps allow you to send a voice message, although the method to do so varies from app to app. We’ll take a look at how to send a voice note with the popular WhatsApp messaging app.

To send a voice note through WhatsApp:

1. Open WhatsApp.
2. Tap the Chats tab.
   
3. Select one of your chats or tap the New Chat icon to start a new one.
   
4. Tap and hold the Microphone icon to record your audio message.
   
5. When you have finished recording, let go of the icon and the voice message will send.
   

Leaving Messages on Mobile

Learning how to leave a voicemail without calling saves you time. If you don’t want to hang around for a lengthy chat, you can drop a voicemail (or audio message) instead, putting you in greater control of the messages you’re sending and receiving.

If you’re sick of calls from unknown numbers, you can block No Caller ID calls on your iPhone. You can also prevent accidental 911 calls on your iPhone. It’s also possible to record phone calls if you want to keep a permanent record of a conversation.