A note before you start
Steps and retention rules change and differ by phone and carrier, so check with yours. These steps do not ask you to listen to the message, and if this is painful, a trusted person or a grief counselor can support you.
Saving a Voicemail From Someone Who Died
Steps to get a loved one's voice off the phone and into copies you control
Quick answer
Open the message and send the audio to yourself: use the share button on iPhone, or Send to in the Google Phone app. Then keep the audio in two separate places. Until that is done, avoid deleting the message, changing your SIM or switching voicemail settings. If your phone has no share option, ask your carrier what it can offer.
At a glance
Things to try now
What to do now
- 1Leave the message in place and hold off on any phone upgrade, SIM change or carrier switch
- 2Open the message and look for the share button. On iPhone, use the Phone app's voicemail view. In the Google Phone app, tap Voicemail, expand the message, tap Send to, then choose an app
- 3Save the file somewhere you can reach it, then make a second copy somewhere separate
What to say
- “A call to your carrier could start: I have a voicemail from a family member who died. I want to keep a copy. Where is it stored, can it be deleted automatically, and how can I get a copy?”
- “A request to a friend could be: Could you help me copy this message? You don't need to listen to it.”
What to practice consistently
- Naming the file with who it is from and the date, and keeping a short note about it
- Checking once a year that you can still play the file
- Making fresh copies every few years, as storage devices age
What to avoid
- Relying on the voicemail box as your only copy
- Turning off visual voicemail in the Google Phone app before you have a copy, since that removes recordings from the app
- Handing your voicemail password to an outside service without thinking it through. Verizon's FAQ notes that a third-party copying service would need it
These are common approaches mentioned in sources and by parents. They are informational, not prescriptive.
What parents say
We haven't published parent perspectives on this topic yet.
What this usually involves
- Working out where the message is stored: on your phone, in iCloud or with your carrier
- Sharing the message out of the phone app to a place you can keep it
- Giving the file a clear name, such as who it is from and the date
- Keeping two copies in separate places
- Checking once a year that the file still plays
Related questions
Apple and Google both have processes for family after a death, and each asks for documentation or a review before giving access to data.
The Library of Congress advises at least two copies, stored physically apart, and a check at least once a year that they still open.
Apple says iPhone users can store Live Voicemail and carrier voicemail in iCloud by turning on Phone & FaceTime under Saved to iCloud, where available.
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