Whether you’re overwhelmed by a perpetually full voicemail or looking to avoid data rates while traveling internationally, it’s easy to turn off voicemail on your iPhone. Below, we’ll show you multiple ways to do so.

Disable Voicemail With Call Forwarding

One fairly simple method to divert voicemails on the iPhone is toset up call forwarding on your iPhone. Forwarding incoming calls to another number prevents messages from piling up on your original line.

According toApple’s support page, you may only set up call forwarding when you’re within the range of your cellular network. So, if you’re planning to fly abroad, make sure you do this before you leave for your trip.

To forward to another phone number that you already own or have access to:

If you don’t see this option in your settings, you can try the following alternative:

You can dial*73to turn off call forwarding at any point.

Lastly, if you need to set up an additional line to forward to, you’re able to easily do so witha service like Google Voice:

Disable Voicemail Using a Short Code

If you’d like to bypass call forwarding, a somewhat reliable way to disable your voicemail is by dialing a short code. This does not work with every carrier, but its simplicity makes it worth a shot.

Here are the steps to disable your voicemail with a short code:

Test that the code successfully disabled your voicemail. In some cases, the code will display a success message without actually completing the deactivation. Using another number, call yourself to confirm you can’t reach your voicemail. If not, you’ll need to contact your carrier directly to disable the feature.

you may always reactivate your voicemail later by dialing*004#on your keypad.

Contact Your Carrier to Disable Voicemail

The last and arguably most reliable fail-safe is to contact your carrier, who can disable the voicemail feature for you, assuming your plan permits it. Most carriers make their customer service accessible via a three-digit short code. To make this easy for you, we’ve included a list of popular US carriers, their customer service lines, and short codes below:

US Carrier

Short Code

Direct Line

1-800-937-8997

1-800-922-0204

1-800-331-0500

Xfinity Mobile

1-888-936-4968

1-800-274-2538

Mint Mobile

1-800-683-7392

Most carriers also give the option to chat with an agent online if you’re not able (or willing) to speak over the phone. This is great if you’re already traveling and want to disable your voicemail without making an international call.

Once you’ve disabled your voicemail, incoming callers will either hear a recording that establishes an inactive voicemail, or the call will simply disconnect after a designated number of rings. You can sigh in relief, knowing you won’t return to a dreaded stack of voicemails.