Subscribing to Message Centre Message Centre is included in most rate plans. If you’re not subscribed, you can add Message Centre to your Bell Mobility service through MyBell or the MyBell app.
How to set up and use Message Centre voicemail
What is Message Centre?
Message Centre is a voicemail service that takes messages when you can’t answer your mobile phone. You can access your voicemails by calling into your mailbox or via MMS (multimedia messaging service), which delivers the audio files directly to your phone. Learn more about Voicemail via MMS.
The service is available in two versions, Message Centre and Message Centre Lite, with the following features:
| Maximum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # of messages | Length of message | Days messages are stored | ||
| New messages | Saved messages | |||
| Message Centre | 25 | 5 min | 7 | 14 |
| Message Centre Lite | 3 | 1 min | 3 | 3 |
Airtime, long distance and roaming charges may apply when you access your voice mailbox using your mobile phone. If you change voicemail services, you need to reset your password and your personal greeting. Any unheard or saved messages will not be transferred to your new mailbox.
Setting up your voicemail mailbox
The first time you use Message Centre, you’ll be asked to set up your voicemail mailbox.
- Access your voicemail mailbox by pressing and holding the 1 key on your mobile phone.
- Follow the prompts to record your name.
- Choose your greeting:
- Press 1 to use the standard greeting
- Press 2 to record a personal greeting.
- Choose your password option:
- Press 1 to turn skip password on.
- Press 2 to turn skip password off and set up a password.
- Your Message Centre service is now activated.
Important information
- For security purposes, it is recommended that you create a personal password and enter it each time you access your voicemail (i.e., turn off the “skip password” option).
- Avoid passwords that are too simple, such as 1234 or the last four digits of your mobile phone number.
- To access your voicemail from a different phone, such as your home phone, you’ll need to set up a password.
Accessing your voicemail mailbox
You can access your voice mailbox from any mobile or regular touchtone phone. Airtime, long distance and roaming charges may apply when you access your mailbox using your mobile phone.
From your mobile phone
- Press and hold the 1 key.
- Enter your password (if applicable).
| While listening to messages, you can: | Press |
|---|---|
| Get help | 0 |
| Rewind message by 8 seconds | 1 |
| Rewind message to the beginning | 1 - 1 |
| Pause/continue listening to message | 2 |
| Advance message by 8 seconds | 3 |
| Skip to end of message | 3 - 3 |
| Reduce speed | 4 |
| Increase speed | 6 |
| Get message details (time, date and origin) | 5 |
| Skip to next message | # |
| Exit Message Centre Express | *-* |
| After listening to messages, you can: | Press |
|---|---|
| Hear more options | 0 |
| Replay message | 4 |
| Get message details (time, date and origin) | 5 |
| Erase message | 7 |
| Save message | 9 |
| Exit Message Centre Express | *-* |
Accessing your voicemail from an iPhone with Dual SIM
The voicemail message waiting indicator, represented as a red dot on your voicemail icon, shows that you have an unheard voicemail message from your primary line. The secondary line does not have a voicemail message waiting indicator.
To check for voicemail messages on your secondary line:
- Change the dial pad to the secondary line.
- Press and hold the 1 key to access your secondary line’s voicemail.
- If a password has been set, you may be asked to enter it.
Or, you can change the primary line on your iPhone:
Go to Settings > Cellular > Default Voice Line to change your primary line.
The following charges will apply:
- Within your local calling area: airtime
- Outside your local calling area: airtime + long distance
- Outside of the Bell network: roaming charges
From landline and other phones
- Dial your 10-digit mobile number.
- Press the # key to interrupt the greeting.
- Enter your password.
For applicable charges, please check with your service provider.
Setting the number of rings before Message Centre picks up
To choose how long your phone rings before a caller will go to your voicemail:
- On the dial pad of your mobile phone, enter the following:
- * 61 * 647 383 2355 * 11 * time #
- Time: the number of seconds (5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30) before the call transfers to voicemail.
- Press Send.
- A status message will be displayed on the screen.
Example: for 20 seconds of ring time, enter *61*6473832355*11*20# and press Send.
Good to know
Different types of phones have different standard ring lengths and customizable settings. If you enter a number of rings less than two or more than nine, the system will automatically abort the change and default to the previous setting.
Changing or resetting your voicemail password
Changing your voicemail password
- Access your mailbox by pressing and holding the 1 key on your mobile phone.
- Press 4 for Personal options.
- Press 2 for Administrative options.
- Press 1 to Establish or change your password.
- Press 1 to Change your password.
- Enter a new password. It should be four to 10 digits long, and cannot begin with zero.
Good to know
- Avoid passwords that are too simple, such as 1234 or the last four digits of your mobile phone number.
- Regularly change your password to prevent unauthorized access to your voicemail. Do not disclose your password to anyone.
- If you use iPhone Visual Voicemail, you can also change the voicemail password on the iPhone directly. Go to Settings > Phone > Change Voicemail Password.
Resetting your voicemail password
If you lose or forget your voicemail password, you can reset it on your mobile phone or computer at no charge.
If there are still problems with your password, you can contact us to reset it (charges apply).
Skipping your password
You now have the option of skipping your voicemail password entirely when calling from your mobile phone.
Once you turn on this option, you’ll go straight to your mailbox when calling from your mobile phone. However, for security purposes, we recommend that you use a personal password.
You’ll still need to enter your password if you access your voice mailbox from another phone.
To set up skip password
- Access your mailbox by pressing and holding the 1 key on your mobile phone.
- Press 4 for Personal options.
- Press 2 for Administrative options.
- Press 1 for Password options.
- Press 2 for Turn skip password on/off.
- Press 1 to turn skip password on, or Press 2 to turn Skip password off.
Changing your personal greeting
- Access your mailbox by pressing and holding the 1 key on your mobile phone.
- Press 4 for Personal options.
- Press 3 for Personal greeting options.
- Press 1 and follow the instructions for changing your greeting.
Setting an extended absence greeting
If you’ll be away for a period of time, use this feature to record a new greeting without erasing your usual one. Callers will hear your absence greeting after the first ring and won’t be able to leave a message, so your mailbox won’t fill up. When you turn off the feature, your usual greeting will return.
Recording an extended absence greeting
- Access your mailbox by pressing and holding the 1 key on your mobile phone.
- Press 4 to for Personal options
- Press 3 for Personal greeting options.
- Press 2 and follow the instructions for creating an extended absence greeting.
Turning off an extended absence greeting
- Access your mailbox by pressing and holding the 1 key on your mobile phone.
- Follow the instructions to turn off your extended absence greeting.
Subscribing to Message Centre
Subscribing to Message Centre Message Centre is included in most rate plans. If you’re not subscribed, you can add Message Centre to your Bell Mobility service through MyBell or the MyBell app.