Google Pixel phones have a useful voicemail feature that’s hidden by default – how to enable it

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Years ago, I recorded a voicemail message for my phone that made a lot of people laugh. Some would call just to hear it.

But times have changed, and dealing with voicemail these days can be a real hassle, especially if you get a lot of calls.

In response, Google last year added a feature to its Pixel lineup called Take A Message. With this feature, you can get voicemail messages, filter spam calls, and view real-time transcripts of missed or declined calls, all in your Phone app's Home tab, making it much more convenient to use than carrier-based voicemail. 

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And when you use this feature along with call screening, the Android Phone app becomes an incredibly helpful tool.

However, Android Authority recently found that nearly 60% of Android users didn't even know that Take a Message exists.

But I've been using the feature for a while, and trust me, you need to know about it. 

Why I use Take A Message

Take A Message makes dealing with calls much easier. Instead of having to jump through hoops to listen to voicemail or find a transcription, I just open the Home tab in my Phone app, where I'll see everything. 

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From that Home tab, you can view missed calls, calls from contacts, non-spam calls, spam calls, and call notes. All you have to do is swipe right or left on the pills beneath the Search bar to find what you're looking for. 

When a call comes in, you can go to the Home page and also view a real-time transcription of the message the caller is leaving. 

How to enable Take a Message

To enable Take a Message, all you have to do is open the Phone app, tap the three-line menu button in the top left of the page, tap Settings, scroll down to Take a Message, and then tap the On/Off slider until it's in the On position.

But wait, there's more 

There's another new feature Google is rolling out that you should know about (though my Pixel 9 Pro does not yet have the feature). It allows you to create custom greetings instead of using the Android default. Essentially, this brings the entire voicemail experience to Android. Instead of having to deal with creating/managing voicemail messages via your carrier, it's all done within Android, making it much more efficient and easy to use.

Currently, devices with the ability to create custom greetings are limited to those with version 217.0.895016164-publicbeta-pixel of the Phone app. If your phone app isn't at least that release number, you'll have to wait until the feature hits general availability.

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To find out which version of the phone app you have, go to Settings > Apps > “All apps” > Phone and scroll to the bottom of that page, where you'll see the release number. My Pixel 9 Pro is currently running version 217.0.895016164-pixel. 

Given I'm not on the beta program, the release hasn't reached my phone. I'm guessing that once the feature leaves beta, it'll be available on all supported phones. When it does arrive, you can bet I'll be recording custom messages. I might even record the same message I saved back in 2009, so callers won't miss out on having a laugh.