How to avoid visual voicemail when abroad?

[Colin_Thames]

Odd problem perhaps.  I've had a sim for lIfe with O2 for many years and have been really impressed with them. I'm planning to move my business number over to O2 from T-Mobile later in the year.  In the meantime I've signed up my son and wife to a sim only deal.  However, there's one glitch I've spotted so far...

So, we've all got iPhones.  My iPhone (iPhone 4, iOS 7.1) dials 901 when I press the voicemail icon.  But on my wife's and son's iPhones (4s, iOS 7.0.4 and 7.1) they have Visual Voicemail (VV). Pressing the icon on their phones takes them to VV, which needs data to work.  So if we go abroad and all turn off our mobile data, I will continue to get voicemail notifications but they won't. The only reason I can think of that I don't have VV is that I don't have a data bolt on, so O2 knows it won't work.

For overseas travel this is perfect for me, but less so for them, as they will have to turn on roaming data in order to get notifications.  And apparently VV doesn't work with wifi.  

I tried a chat with a guru but she seemed to think notifications would work with data turned off.  However, I've tested it and the notification doesn't come through.  As soon as I turn on data again, the notification and message arrives.

Any suggestions for how to get voicemail notifications if you have data roaming turned off?  The ideal would be to turn off Visual Voicemail and go back to the standard 901 vmail.

[Anonymous]

Have a look at the guide to voicemail created by MI5, one the members here, and see if any of it helps:

http://community.o2.co.uk/t5/Other-Products-Services/All-you-need-to-know-about-O2-Voicemail-901/m-p...

Is TuGo installed on the two phones where Visual Voicemail is working?

[Anonymous]

Thanks for that guide.  Interesting, though it only covers 901, not Visual Voicemail.  The Call Alert looks useful, as I have it currently on T-Mobile, though it seems to instead of 901 if you turn it on.  Or do I missundestand that?

The other phones don't yet have TuGo installed, but it's on the list.  GHowever, I note that TuGo can prevent turning off Voicemail.

What's your experience?

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

I think, on an iPhone, your options are VVM or call alerts only.
Tugo now has the option to turn off VM, but with previous versions it didn't.
I'm not an iPhone user so can't help with the possibility of normal 901 when abroad, sorry.

[adamtemp64]

you can still listen to voice mail on 901 even with vvm on an iphone.

but setting up call alert for when away will save money or using tugo as it uses wifi

[Anonymous]

Thanks, M15
So does TuGo turn off its own Voicemail or the O2 voicemail, like dialling 1760?

[Anonymous]

Thanks Adam
Does Call Alert give an alert if a voicemail is waiting or does it just cover missed calls?

[MI5]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Thanks, M15
So does TuGo turn off its own Voicemail or the O2 voicemail, like dialling 1760?

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Tugo allows you to turn off voicemail completely now.

Previously, if Tugo was installed, VM could not be disabled.

[MI5]

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@Anonymous wrote:
Thanks Adam
Does Call Alert give an alert if a voicemail is waiting or does it just cover missed calls?

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If I may answer this one too....?

Call alert replaces VM so effectively VM is off if call alert is selected, ie not possible for callers to leave you a VM.