Lumia 950XL - Visual Voicemail?

[HoosierDaddy]

Sorry this is not 100% true. Verizon forced Microsoft to remove the built in VVM on handsets so they could install their own garbage app.

I'm very surprised they would have to do anything to any phone to prevent it from using built-in VVM. VVM must require some cooperation from the carrier to work. Are you saying Verizon forced Apple to remove the built-in VVM in iPhones?

 

[PepperdotNet]

Sorry this is not 100% true. Verizon forced Microsoft to remove the built in VVM on handsets so they could install their own garbage app.

I'm very surprised they would have to do anything to any phone to prevent it from using built-in VVM. VVM must require some cooperation from the carrier to work. Are you saying Verizon forced Apple to remove the built-in VVM in iPhones?

Nope, same OS build on all Windows phones; same OS build on all iPhones. If the backend support is not there, the built-in VVM won't work. Verizon doesn't have a compliant backend, they built their own proprietary one that requires their app and monthly fee.

I'm still at a loss to understand exactly why dual-sim on Windows phones is an issue, but apparently it is.

 

[Gunbust3r]

Are you saying Verizon forced Apple to remove the built-in VVM in iPhones?

Apple users get a free pass, all others on Verizon (Android, Winmo, Blackberry?) get the privilege of paying an extra $3 a month if they want VVM.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm still at a loss to understand exactly why dual-sim on Windows phones is an issue, but apparently it is.

That's the $64 question. With the size of this community I suspect some members KNOW what the issue is, whether it is dual SIM or something else.

Fingers crossed it just takes a software tweak whatever it is. .

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Nope, same OS build on all Windows phones; same OS build on all iPhones. If the backend support is not there, the built-in VVM won't work. Verizon doesn't have a compliant backend, they built their own proprietary one that requires their app and monthly fee.

Apple users get a free pass, all others on Verizon (Android, Winmo, Blackberry?) get the privilege of paying an extra $3 a month if they want VVM.

So which is it? Do iPhones use builtin VVM or a Verizon app? And if its an app, why would anyone think Verizon forced any phone maker to remove built-in VVM when they can and do force customers to use an app instead?

 

[tai4de2]

Verizon forced Microsoft to remove the built in VVM on handsets so they could install their own garbage app.

Inaccurate. WP's built-in VVM does not support the VVM standard Verizon uses. The Verizon VVM app doesn't replace/override any built-in WP functionality.

I think the Verizon WP handsets support VVM on TMO and AT&T but I concede it's possible Verizon requested that support to be removed.

My overall point remains however that VVM for TMO and AT&T isn't an app in any way shape or form, it's part of the WP OS.

 

[niello]

I've scanned this thread and see a lot of back and forth bickering on dual-SIM and "carrier software", etc. But has anyone successfully worked with AT&T to get visual voicemail working on a 950 XL? In the past when I bounced between different phones, I would occasionally have to call AT&T Support to get them to activate visual voicemail; they would say something about visual voicemail being tied to a particular phone and not able to transfer between different types of devices. Any thoughts here?

 

[peashooter14]

I have tried at the store and online. Had the same issue when my 920 first came out. Here are the facts, and don't let others fool you.

1. The OS has VVM support built into the phone
2. Each carrier has to implement a back end to support it. After all it has to take an incoming call, send it to a VM server, and when a device queries the server, feed up the VMM compliant output to the OS.

So my guess is that either ATT hasn't turned on the feed to recognize 950XL when making the VVM query, OR MSFT changed the API's into VVM on WP10 and the existing calls won't work. Either way ATT has to code something on their servers and then it will work on the phone.

 

[tai4de2]

So my guess is that either ATT hasn't turned on the feed to recognize 950XL when making the VVM query, OR MSFT changed the API's into VVM on WP10 and the existing calls won't work. Either way ATT has to code something on their servers and then it will work on the phone.

Incorrect.

Support for T-Mobile and AT&T VVM is built into the OS but not enabled for dual-SIM configurations. The issue is ENTIRELY on the phone itself. If Microsoft decides to make it work some day, an OS upgrade will let it work with no actions required from the MOs.

 

[PepperdotNet]

Incorrect.

Support for T-Mobile and AT&T VVM is built into the OS but not enabled for dual-SIM configurations. The issue is ENTIRELY on the phone itself. If Microsoft decides to make it work some day, an OS upgrade will let it work with no actions required from the MOs.

Both theories seem plausible. Got a source?

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Both theories seem plausible. Got a source?

No source but they are not equally plausible. The fact that foreign market Lumia 1520.3s get VVM on T-Mobile with no special action by the customer and the fact that moving the SIM from said 1520.3 directly to a 950XL and it not having VVM makes the theory that T-Mobile didn't "turn on" VVM for 950XLs the less likely of the two.

 

[peashooter14]

Dude, you are wrong. When I got my 1520 VVM didn't work out of the box. I had to call ATT and they had to toggle it on their side to get it to work. It worked with my 920 prior. It is 100% on the carrier side. Quit saying ATT and TMobile are built into the phone, that's not how it works. MSFT create VVM support and API's so it can be carrier agnostic. The carriers have to code the backend to support it.

 

[peashooter14]

theory that T-Mobile didn't "turn on" VVM for 950XLs the less likely of the two...

You don't know how software and API's work. Let me try to simplify it.

I am the VVM Server at ATT. I have a Method or Procedure called GetVVM(deviceID,deviceType,SecurityCredentials...) are passed in as parameters to the function.

In order to prevent unauthorized access, I make sure that my GetVVM methods throws out requests that I (ATT) deem not legit. So if a new phone shows up on my network, I don't process that VVM request, and the phone resorts back to standard voice mail mode.

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Dude, you are wrong. When I got my 1520 VVM didn't work out of the box.

No, I am not wrong. You are probably talking about an AT&T 1520 and definitely about AT&T as a carrier. I specifically said I was talking about a 1520.3 and T-Mobile.

 

[cracgor]

Both theories seem plausible. Got a source?

ATT and windows mobile tech support both told me it is not available on the phone (950xl). I pushed Microsoft tech about it because I was willing to change carriers to keep the phone.

 

[mesazoo]

Have your phone use Google Voice for voice mail. It will then text and email you transcriptions.

 

[tai4de2]

Quit saying ATT and TMobile are built into the phone, that's not how it works. MSFT create VVM support and API's so it can be carrier agnostic. The carriers have to code the backend to support it.

The notion that the carriers will "code the backend" to work with Windows Phone's VVM is backwards. It's not up to the carriers to adapt their systems to support WP.

It's the other way around: supporting VVM on a handset means creating programs on the device that work with the VVM systems carriers have deployed on their networks. WP has that baked into the OS, for the specific VVM systems in use by T-Mobile and AT&T.

https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/dn790032(v=vs.85).aspx

The visual voicemail implementation on the phone is based on the OMTP visual voice mail interface specification

Note Visual voicemail settings have already been set for AT&T, T-Mobile USA, and Deutsche Telekom AG (DTAG), and no further configuration is required for these three mobile operators.

You are confusing the above with provisioning issues. AT&T "helps" their customers by trying to detect whether their handsets are capable of various things, including LTE, VVM, etc. If your phone's model isn't in their database then they "helpfully" disable some of those features, and you need to work with them to get those features enabled to override their "help".

 

[RKZZD]

Have your phone use Google Voice for voice mail. It will then text and email you transcriptions.

This is what I do and it works fine.

 

[cracgor]

I am fairly certain the problem with VVM is the handset, not the carrier. Even carriers that turn on VVM for every phone and every phone is unlocked don't work with this one...meaning Cricket wireless.

 

[Roland Stoll]

oh this is so funny... got my 950 yesterday, I am on O2 Germany for over 6 years, with a windows phone device for nearly 2 years (Lumia 930). I used W10m for over 3 month as a daily driver with my "old" Lumia 930, but never got VVM running... I already talked to the O2 hotline when VVM is available for WM/WP anyhow, and they told me that it is right now only available for iOS and Android...

After setup the new Lumia 950 and playing around with all the apps, I discovered THIS in the phone app:


I am pretty sure I didn't had this on my Lumia 930 (yes, same sim card).
So enabled aaaaand.... voila, have now VVM with W10m...