How to convert voicemail to text

Before choosing a transcription service, check where your voicemail is recorded: with your carrier, on your phone or by a separate service. A list of recordings does not guarantee that transcripts are available. Check language, region, device and plan support separately.

Reviewed by the Heilo team on 19 October 2026. This guide describes available features using the sources below; we have not compared transcription accuracy in a controlled test.

1. iPhone: distinguish the features

Visual Voicemail displays recordings in the Phone app. Voicemail transcription and Live Voicemail have separate availability conditions. Check Apple’s setup guide and feature availability rather than assuming every supported iPhone transcribes every language.

Open a message in Phone → Voicemail and look for a transcript. If no transcript appears, check whether transcription is supported for your language, carrier and region. Switching on call forwarding alone will not enable voicemail transcription.

2. Android: check the actual Phone app and carrier

Google Phone help explains when visual voicemail and transcription are supported, depending on your device, carrier and language. Open the app's voicemail settings to see which options are available for your line. Installing Google Phone does not guarantee support for your carrier's voicemail service. Google's help page says transcription is available only in English and Spanish, on Android 8.0 and up, with the carriers it lists (checked 19 October 2026).

Google Voice is a separate service, not another setting in Google Phone. Google Voice for personal use is available only in the US (Google Voice Help, checked 19 October 2026); the business version has its own supported-country list, which does not include Poland (checked 19 October 2026). Check supported countries, phone-number options and plans before choosing it as an alternative.

3. Business voicemail services

With Heilo Voicemail (business voicemail; plans and prices on the pricing page), Heilo records a message left on its number, then creates a transcript and summary. It does not automatically retrieve old messages from your carrier mailbox and never talks to the caller.

1. Configure the Heilo number and greeting.
2. Confirm conditional forwarding and forwarded-call fees with your carrier.
3. From another phone, make one call that you answer as usual, then another that goes unanswered and lets you leave a message.
4. Open the full transcript in Heilo. If SMS notifications are configured, they contain caller details, a phone number, the subject and a link rather than the full transcript.
5. To send results to your existing CRM, configure the API or webhook workflow. Zapier/Make recipes also require configuration.

See iPhone forwarding and Android forwarding. The setting that forwards all calls also forwards calls you would normally answer; use conditional forwarding if you only want missed calls sent to the service.

Check transcript accuracy against your recordings

Compare names, dates, amounts and the requested next step with the audio. We have not measured the listed services on a shared sample and do not publish comparative accuracy percentages. Even a fluent transcript can miss an important qualification or leave out a word such as “not”.

If a transcript is blank or unclear, check the recording and processing status. Do not guess missing details. Define who can access transcripts, how long they are kept and how they are deleted, including any copies exported to your CRM. EU hosting alone does not establish privacy compliance.

Read next: visual voicemail explained and how to read voicemail messages.

FAQ

Can a transcript replace listening?

Transcripts help you scan messages. Check important details against the recording before making a commitment or relying on the transcript in a dispute.

Is the text available instantly?

Not right away. Processing time depends on the recording and service, while SMS delivery also depends on the network. We don't promise a specific time.

Does Heilo transcribe answered calls too?

Yes, when the call goes through a Heilo Line number (Polish +48 numbers), or when you add Heilo to the call on Heilo Select; then the part of the call after Heilo joins is recorded. On a Heilo Line number, an outbound call is recorded only when you start it in Heilo with “Call via Heilo”. Missed-call forwarding does not record calls you answer or dial in your phone's own Phone app.