How to delete your voicemail messages in 5 steps (UK)

Vodafone UK customers can delete voicemail messages by dialling 121 and pressing specific keys, or by using Visual Voicemail on iPhone to remove messages directly from the screen. Both methods are free to use on the UK network, though Visual Voicemail uses mobile data.

How do you delete a voicemail by dialling in?

This standard method works on any Vodafone phone, iPhone or Android. According to Vodafone’s voicemail documentation, the process is:

1. Dial 121 from your Vodafone mobile to access your voicemail.
2. Listen to your messages by dialling 2 once connected.
3. Press 2 again after listening to a voicemail message to delete it.
4. Repeat for other messages, then hang up when done.

Vodafone’s system may require your PIN when accessing voicemail, particularly if calling from another phone. The network uses different key commands than some other UK carriers, so it’s worth noting that pressing 2 deletes messages on Vodafone’s system.

What is Visual Voicemail and how does it work on Vodafone?

Visual Voicemail is a Vodafone UK service that lets iPhone users manage voicemails without dialling in. As Vodafone describes it: “Visual Voicemail is a quick and easy way to manage your voicemails on your iPhone, without dialling in to your voicemail service.”

Instead of listening through messages in order, you see a list on screen and tap to play or delete whichever one you want. The service works using your data at no extra cost within the UK, but using it abroad will incur data charges or daily roaming fees.

Visual Voicemail is only available on iPhone 5s and higher running iOS 12 or higher.

How do you set up Visual Voicemail on Vodafone?

According to Vodafone’s setup instructions, you need to update your device to the latest iOS settings, disconnect from WiFi and text STATE to 100121. The service requires you to use your phone and internet data during setup.

Once configured, you can access Visual Voicemail through the Phone app by selecting the voicemail tab. During first-time setup, you’ll be prompted to create a voicemail password and choose between a custom or default greeting.

How do you delete a voicemail using Visual Voicemail?

Vodafone’s Visual Voicemail interface allows you to:

1. Open the Phone app on your iPhone.
2. Choose the voicemail tab.
3. Select the message you want to remove from the list.
4. Tap Delete to remove the message.

This method is faster than dialling 121 if you have several messages to clear, since you can view messages on your phone and listen in any order rather than working through them sequentially.

What should you do if your Vodafone mailbox is full?

A full mailbox prevents new callers from leaving messages. The fix is to delete old messages using either method above. Dialling 121, pressing 2 to listen, then pressing 2 again to delete each message is the quickest way to clear a backlog if you don’t have Visual Voicemail set up. Once space is freed, your mailbox will accept new messages automatically.

If you need to turn off voicemail entirely, dial 1210 to disable all call forwarding, which stops calls diverting to voicemail.