This topic

Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

pamelap — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:26:06 GMT

I work on a telephone support helpline for a couple of hours a week and we are told we cannot have our personal 1571 voicemail on during that time as when the line is busy callers would get the wrong message. Previously I've managed by having a seperate answerphone and not using 1571 at all, but this isn't possible with Digital Voice. How can I turn 1571 off and then back on again? I keep reading that it has to be via managing the calling feature with myBT but it doesn't disable it immediately so this would not work for me. Surely there is some way of switching it off and on? It's such a basic requirement.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

jac_95 — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:27:06 GMT

Hi pamelap,

Thanks for the post and welcome to the Community.

This is an automated response as I can see you have a question about BT’s Digital Voice service. Rather than waiting for a response from the Community, you may find an answer to your question by using the search bar on the Community homepage. We also have a thread that contains a wealth of info related to BT’s Digital Voice, click this link to take a look, Digital Voice FAQs.

To learn more about the nationwide change to this Internet based voice service visit landlinesgo.digital

If you have already looked for the answer to your question and have not found anything that can help, then please ignore this message. One of our Community members will be along shortly to help you further.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Les-Gibson — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 13:32:36 GMT

You can still work as you used to, simply set the number of rings before 1571 kicks in to maximum (10 rings I believe), connect your answering machine to the socket on the back of the Smart Hub 2 (the green socket covered by a removable sticker) and set your answering machine to answer in less than 10 rings

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

pamelap — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 17:28:40 GMT

@Les-Gibson

Thanks. In fact I had already done the ring settings, but I am not sure whether my answerphone will connect as it is pretty old. I need to experiment with it plugged into the green port. It is a shame BT 1571 cannot be switched on and off - it seems like a very obvious thing to be needed.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Les-Gibson — Sun, 18 Jun 2023 18:32:26 GMT

As I understand it, the green socket is provided for exactly this scenario.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

TimCurtis — Mon, 19 Jun 2023 08:07:42 GMT

@pamelap

You can use your own answer phone with Digital Voice just as you did before.

You can connect the answer phone into the phone connection on the back of the SmartHub2 and use it as before.

That's just what I did when I went to DV.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

pamelap — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 05:52:25 GMT

@Les-Gibson @TimCurtis

My ancient answerphone works plugged in to the green socket on the hub. The ancient separate phone plugged in with it works too, and all the ancient cordless phones that are linked.

This does nothing to help with the 1571 problem which I have investigated further. The diverted service rings for 40 seconds before cutting in with the required message, but with 1571 set to 10 rings (maximum) 1571 cuts in at 30 seconds. So callers get my personal message, and my 1571 mail box, rather than the right message and the diverted service mail box.

This is a general problem now with increasing use of voicemail. But it looks to get worse as more people are converted from landline to internet.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

TimCurtis — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 08:06:38 GMT

@pamelap

Just re-reading your original post why don't you turn off 1571 permanently as you did before and just use your answerphone which you turn off at a touch of a button when not required.

There's certainly a lot that's not so good about 1571 with DV.

I initially set it up to text me when there was a message waiting but at a cost of 20p a time I decided against it but then had to totally cancel voicemail and start again as there's no other way to cancel that feature.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

pamelap — Tue, 27 Jun 2023 08:28:01 GMT

@TimCurtis

I may well decide to switch off 1571 but I am thinking about keeping it on at present. Actually this issue affects many people who find they can't keep 1571. It looks like it is going to affect more people as everyone gets converted to the internet. I know background talks about it are going on. I may just wait to see what resolutions transpire eventually.

When the line is engaged my answerphone does not cut in, it only answers if one doesn't answer a call, so I don't actually need to switch it off. Of course, for personal use 1571 provides an answer service when the line is engaged which means never missing a call!

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Cjaygreene — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 01:18:04 GMT

is there any way to turn digital voice of completly freind

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Cjaygreene — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 01:24:40 GMT

i am having the same problem just now i cant turn digital voice off.i am fairly tec savy also and as far as i can see there actualy isent any way at all to turn digital voice off and on.we r traped with it.possibly in all fairnes this is new and perhaps bt will sort this when there new service digital voice is rolled out properly.ive got 2 home dect phones that cost me close to £55555500 for the answer phones on them and umpteen other options.the entire bband and phone service and system is all perfect so far apart from this thowe.with thanks for yhe coments freind it all helps the comunity our coments mr green

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Cjaygreene — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 01:34:03 GMT

im having the same problem frind i have 2 new phones that cost nearly £500 with answerphones and other functions they have always worked perfect till now with the roll out of digital voice.there should be a simple solution for customers to turn digital voice on and off when rhey want but at the moment there isent one.you can set the time up and down before it activates but cant turn it off at all.we are traped with digital voice at the moment im afraid it cant be turned off at all ive tryed everything.i am curently in touch with bt to find a solution for us all and i will kepp yous all updated on the comunity.yours sincerily mr green

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

conrad — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 22:50:00 GMT

See the solution on this thread message 4 https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-How-to-disable-voicemail-function/m-p/2214809#M82169

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Cjaygreene — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 03:49:22 GMT

Thankyou so much for your explanation freind this is why I like the community so much I will try this immediately and get back to you Mr greene

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

pamelap — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:13:49 GMT

None of the answers, including the one marked as a solution, actually solve this problem. My physical answerphone can be switched off and on at the press of a button. 1571 should be the same. Messing about with numbers of rings just means getting the wrong answerphone message and actually switching off 1571 means raising an order to do so. I am surprised the ability to switch 1571 off and on (eg, for an hour here or there) whenever one wants is still an outstanding problem.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Cjaygreene — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:20:37 GMT

Yes I totally agree we need a full solution to turn the voicemail on and off permanently.i ain't c what the difficulty is.as it means we are trapped with this service which is not wright.i may cancel my land line dew to this and just keep my broadband but it's my personal opinion

Re: Digital Voice - How to disable voicemail function

pamelap — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:25:16 GMT

I need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for just a couple of hours at a time, but leaving the phone on. I can do this with a physical answerphone which has an on/off button but not with 1571. None of the answers here actually solve this problem. Switching off 1571 means raising an order to do so and would then require another order to get it switched back on, taking days or even weeks, not a couple of hours. I am surprised the ability to switch 1571 off and on whenever one wants (like for an hour here or there) is still an outstanding problem. I'd like to know why.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

WSH — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 20:30:22 GMT

As Digital Voice fails altogether in a power cut/hub reboot etc., having the 1571 service as a backup might be useful. As people have said, setting the number of rings on both 1571 and your own answerphone solves the problem of who answers first. My answerphone has worked fine since I was switched to DV 18 months ago.

I do agree, though, it should be easier to remove/turn off for anybody that wants that.

Re: Digital Voice: Need to switch Voicemail 1571 off for a couple of hours.

Jane2018 — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 11:35:57 GMT

I am not on digital voice yet here in London. Currently if I want calls to go straight to voicemail eg if I am going out I take the phone off the hook which takes 2 seconds. When i get home I put it on which is when 1571 with my own pre recorded message goes to the set 10 rings so I can run down 2 flights of stairs to catch the phone if I am in and it rings. I know DV will be very very much worse for me in all kinds of ways and suspect answering services and options will be much worse too but will wait to be pleasantly surprised.