LG G8 ThinQ Voicemail

[crapshootvegas]

On my newly-activated (unlocked) LG G8 ThinQ, I have only one option for voicemail: Premium Visual Voicemail, which I blocked. I'm not paying for voicemail and can find no way to retrieve new voicemail messages. As usual, none of the solutions in the forum work. I want basic voicemail functionality that doesn't send my voicemail via garbled text that serves no purpose other than to annoy / seek to force users into increased monthly bills.

This phone works on ATT, as does the one I really wanted that doesn't work on Verizon at all—the LG G8X ThinQ —but I really don't want ATT services if I can avoid it.

How do I retrieve my voicemail without adding to my bill?

[deloused]

Use a free app that provides voicemail, such as google voice

[Ann154]

If you are getting garbled text messages instead of voicemail notifications, your line is already provisioned for the basic visual voicemail. If you only want the basic non-visual voicemail, you need to add a block to your line called "Block Visual Voicemail" or something like that. 

[crapshootvegas]

I've figured this all out now. There was a 12-hour period after I attempted to activate my device on Verizon using "Activate or switch devices" that Verizon recognized my new device but didn't activate/assign to my phone number. During that period, I received two voicemail messages in the form of garbled texts. Those messages came immediately upon successful activation, and I deleted them because they weren't readable/usable. I actually deleted my own voicemails (texts), it seems, without realizing that's what I was doing. I then blocked Verizon Premium Visual Voicemail for two reasons: 1) I don't want visual voicemail; and 2) it isn't even possible to get Verizon Visual Voicemail on my device (it's grayed out, cannot be installed, device not compatible—even though Verizon sells this same device. I can, however, use VVM with a third-party app that retrieves VVM messages with no problem; it can't retrieve the ones I manually deleted when I didn't know they were VVM messages.

That was a long-winded way to say it's resolved, but in case anyone else encounters this, I wanted to give details of why it happened and what to do/not do (don't delete garbled texts! lol) if faced with this.

[Snewee]

which VVM 3rd party app did you use?

[vzw_customer_support]

Snewee, this would be the Visual Voicemail that is available through the device. I have supplied a link to the details. https://www.verizonwireless.com/support/knowledge-base-99164/

RodneyM_VZW