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How Does Voicemail Work?

Using the Caregiver App to set up, customize, and manage voicemail remotely

The teleCalm Caregiver service offers voicemail functionality for the caregiver via the Caregiver app, but not to the senior themselves.

Answering Machine for Senior 

If you want your loved one to be able to receive messages on their own phone, you can use a telephone with a built-in answering machine or a standalone answering machine. Approved contacts will ring through to your loved one’s phone and will be able to leave a message on that local answering machine.

Be sure to set up the local answering machine so it picks up before teleCalm’s voicemail. Your loved one’s answering machine should answer around the 30–35 second mark, so contacts leave messages on your loved one’s phone instead of in the Caregiver App.

Voicemail for Caregiver

With the teleCalm Caregiver service, voicemail is provided to the caregiver through the Caregiver App.

  • Turn on Voicemail: In the Caregiver App Settings, open Voice Message Settings and switch Enable Voicemail to ON.
  • Voicemail Notifications: To get alerts when a new voicemail is received, switch Enable Voicemail Notifications to ON. A text message will be sent to the primary caregiver’s cell phone number.
  • Customize Messages: You can customize the default outgoing voicemail greetings from the Settings screen. There are separate greetings for Contacts and for Strangers.
  • Listen to Voicemail: You can listen to voicemail messages from the Dashboard by selecting the voicemail icon voicemail icon at the top right of the screen.

Any voicemail message shorter than 5 seconds will be automatically deleted, since many robocallers stay on the line for only 3–4 seconds before disconnecting.

How Voicemail Works

When “Enable Voicemail” is turned ON in Settings:

  • Calls from Contacts: Any call from a trusted contact (someone you’ve added to Contacts) will ring on your loved one’s phone. If no one answers—and the local answering machine doesn’t pick up—within 40 seconds (longer than typical phone service), the call will roll over to voicemail. If the contact leaves a message, it will appear in the Caregiver App.

  • Calls from Strangers: Any incoming call from an unknown number (Stranger) goes straight to voicemail—your loved one’s phone will not ring. If the caller leaves a message, it will appear in the Caregiver App.

  • Calls from Blocked Callers: Blocked callers are any numbers you have added to the Personal Block List in Settings. These callers are not allowed to leave a voicemail and instead hear a number not in service message.

When “Enable Voicemail” is turned OFF in Settings:

  • Calls from Contacts: Any call from a trusted contact, when voicemail is turned off, will ring for up to 60 seconds and then disconnect if it’s not answered.

  • Calls from Strangers: Any incoming call from stranger, when voicemail is turned off, will receive a caller unavailable message.

  • Calls from Blocked Callers: Any incoming call from blocked callers will receive a number not in service message, regardless of voicemail settings.