Where do saved voice messages go?

A saved voice message is an audio recording that has been kept for later retrieval instead of being immediately deleted. People may want to save voice messages for a variety of reasons:

To preserve the voice of a loved one who has passed away or is far away. Listening to saved voice messages can provide comfort and feel like the person is still there.

To save important information that was conveyed in a voice message. For example, someone may need to refer back to directions, instructions, or details given in a message.

For sentimental reasons, such as saving birthday or anniversary wishes from friends and family.

To document promises, commitments, or other verbal agreements made over a voice message.

To hold onto humorous or entertaining messages that they want to replay or share.

To have a record of threats, harassment, or abuse received via voice messages for legal reasons.

To store voice messages related to work, such as instructions from managers or conversations with clients.

To simply declutter their inbox and save messages for later rather than deleting them.

Saving Voice Messages on iPhone

On an iPhone, incoming voice messages received in the Messages app can be saved so they are not automatically deleted after two minutes. To save a voice message on an iPhone:

1. Open the Messages app and select the conversation with the voice message you want to save.

2. Tap on the voice message to open it.

3. Tap the “Keep” button at the bottom of the voice message screen. This will save the message.

4. To access your saved voice messages on an iPhone, open the Voice Memos app. This is where all saved voice messages are stored.

So in summary, incoming voice messages on an iPhone are saved within the Voice Memos app when you tap the “Keep” button. They can then be accessed at any time within Voice Memos for playback or sharing later.

Source: https://descriptive.audio/where-do-voice-messages-save-on-your-phone/

Saving Voice Messages on Android

Saving voice messages on Android phones is straightforward. When a voice message is received in a messaging app like WhatsApp, the user can simply tap and hold on the voice message bubble. This will bring up an option to “Save audio” or “Save file.” Tapping this saves a copy of the voice message to the phone’s internal storage.

By default, any saved voice messages on Android are stored locally in the device’s internal memory or SD card if one is present. The audio file is typically saved in the messaging app’s media folder, or in a general media/audio folder on the device. For example, WhatsApp voice messages may be saved in a folder like WhatsApp/Media/WhatsApp Voice Notes.

Saved voice messages on Android do not get synced to the cloud or across devices automatically. The user would need to manually back them up to cloud storage like Google Drive to access them on other devices. Overall, saving voice messages on Android keeps them securely on the device for easy access later.

(Source: https://slashglass.com/where-do-save-voice-messages-go-iphone-android/)

Saving Voice Messages on Landlines

Most modern landline phones have built-in digital answering machines that can record and save voice messages locally on the device. When someone leaves a message, the answering machine digitizes and stores the audio file within internal memory chips. The number of messages that can be saved depends on the memory capacity of the individual answering machine.

Older analog landline phones may have separate physical answering machines attached to them. These also store messages locally using microcassette tapes or digital memory. The owner can play back messages directly from the answering machine.

Some of the ways landlines save voice messages include:

  • On internal flash memory chips if the landline has a built-in digital answering machine. Many can store dozens of messages depending on memory size (Source 1).
  • On microcassette tapes inside analog answering machines attached to landlines.
  • On memory chips inside standalone digital answering machines connected to landlines.

So in summary, landlines use built-in or separate physical answering machines to store voice messages locally on memory chips or microcassette tapes inside the devices themselves. The owner can directly play back the saved messages.

Storing Voice Messages in the Cloud

Many phone systems today offer cloud-based voice mail services that store messages online rather than on a local voicemail box. This allows users to access their voicemail from anywhere, via phone, web, or mobile app. Popular business phone services like Microsoft Teams and GoToConnect use cloud storage for voicemail messages.

With Microsoft Teams, voicemail messages are delivered and stored in each user’s Exchange Online mailbox in the cloud 1. Users can access these from the Teams app on their computer or mobile device, and get email notifications when new voicemails arrive.

GoToConnect offers “Virtual Voicemail” with unlimited cloud storage for voice messages 2. Users can access voicemails from their web account, mobile app, or desktop app from any device. The service also provides voicemail transcription for easy skimming.

Other cloud business phone systems like Freshcaller also store voicemail messages on the cloud for access from anywhere 3. Cloud storage makes voicemail more flexible and accessible for today’s mobile workforce.

Retrieving Saved Voice Messages

When you save a voice message, it gets stored in the messaging app on your device. Here are some tips for retrieving saved voice messages on different devices and services:

iPhone

On an iPhone, open the Messages app and go to the conversation where you received the voice message. Tap and hold the message bubble to bring up options, then tap “Keep” to save it. To listen to saved messages, open the conversation again and tap the message bubble. Saved voice messages are stored within the Messages app.

You can also access saved voice messages by going to Settings > Messages > Keep Messages and setting it to “Forever.” This stores all messages including voice messages until you delete the conversation.

Android

On Android phones, open the Messages or Phone app, find the conversation and tap and hold the voice message bubble. Select “Save” or “Keep in Storage.” The voice message will be saved in your device’s internal storage.

To listen to saved messages, open the conversation in Messages and tap the voice message bubble. You can also find saved voice messages in the My Files or File Manager app, under Internal Storage > Media > Audio.

Landlines

For landlines with voicemail, dial into your voicemail box to listen to saved messages. Dial *98 or your voicemail access number, then follow the prompts to enter your PIN and listen to messages. Saved voicemails are stored by your phone provider.

Cloud-Based Voicemail

Services like Google Voice store voicemails in the cloud rather than on your device. Open the app or log into the web interface and navigate to “Voicemails” to listen to saved messages. They remain accessible until you delete them.

Sharing Saved Voice Messages

Once you have saved a voice message, there are several ways you can share it with others. On an iPhone, you can open the Voice Memos app, tap the recording you want to share, then tap the share icon in the top right corner. This will give you options to share the voice message via Messages, Mail, AirDrop, and various social media apps (Apple Support). The recording will be sent as an audio file attachment that the recipient can listen to.

On Android phones, you can similarly open the Voice Recorder app, tap the recording, tap the share icon, and choose an app to send it through. Popular options include email, messaging apps like WhatsApp, or social media. You can also upload Android voice recordings to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox and generate a shareable link.

For landlines, most voicemail systems allow you to forward a message as an audio file attachment via email if desired. This allows sharing a landline recording in a similar manner as a smartphone.

In most cases, sharing a voice message as an audio file provides higher quality than simply holding your phone up and playing the message out loud. It also allows the recipient to save, replay, and manage the voicemail on their own device.

Backing Up and Archiving Voice Messages

It’s important to back up any voice messages you want to save for the long term. Phone storage space is limited, so archiving old messages to the cloud or external storage helps free up space. There are several options for archiving voice messages:

Cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud allow you to upload audio files to the cloud and access them from any device. Most services offer several gigabytes of free storage.

Dedicated voice message archiving apps like TeleMessage let you automatically back up messages from your phone. According to TeleMessage, their system can archive voice messages up to 1 hour long.

You can also manually save important voice messages as audio files on a computer or external hard drive. This creates a physical backup you can store safely offline.

Periodically archiving old voice messages you want to keep clears space on your phone while still allowing you to access them if needed. Services like Google Drive and Dropbox make it easy to access archived recordings from multiple devices.

Deleting Saved Voice Messages

When you no longer need a saved voice message, you can delete it to free up storage space on your device. Here are some tips for deleting voice messages:

On an iPhone, open the Phone app and tap Voicemail. Swipe left on the voice message you want to delete and tap the Delete button. Confirm the deletion. The message will be permanently deleted (source).

On Android, open the Voicemail app and tap the message you want to delete. Tap the trash can icon to delete it. Confirm the deletion. The message will be permanently deleted (source).

On most landlines, press and hold the Delete or Erase button while listening to the message to delete it. Or enter a voice command like “Delete” during playback. Confirm the deletion, as the message will be permanently erased.

In cloud-based voicemail services like Google Voice, open the message list, select the message, and choose Delete. Confirm the deletion to permanently remove the message (source).

Be cautious when deleting voice messages, as they cannot be recovered once erased. Make sure to back up important voicemails before deleting them.

Conclusion

In summary, saved voice messages can be stored in a few key places depending on your device and preferences. On iPhones, voice memos are saved locally to the device’s storage. On Androids, they may be saved to the device storage or the cloud if you enable backup. Landlines store messages on the voicemail system hardware or in the cloud. You can also choose to back up messages to cloud storage services like iCloud or Google Drive for extra redundancy.

Properly managing your saved voice messages involves regularly reviewing old messages, deleting ones you no longer need, and backing up important ones you want to keep. With voicemail becoming less common, saved messages from loved ones are taking on more significance. Be sure to save any final or special messages from someone who has passed on. Voice messages can provide comfort and nostalgia for many years to come if properly stored.

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