Visual voicemail is random access voicemail with a visual interface. Such an interface presents a list of messages for playback and may include a transcript of each message. Since 2007, several companies in the telecommunications space have integrated a visual element into their voicemail services. The most prominent usage of this technology is found in Apple's iPhone, Samsung's Instinct and the BlackBerry Storm and Torch.
Other phone system vendors are now also offering these features for internal voicemail users. This complements the basic voicemail to e-mail or via SMS to mobile devices which is becoming ubiquitous in that it allows better management of voicemail messages without clogging up the user's inbox and saves time filtering spam.
One way to use visual voicemail is via mobile client applications. T-Mobile International launched the service as Mobilbox Pro in August 2009 for a range of Symbian S60 devices with announcement to support further phones including Windows Mobile and Android devices.
In April 2009, OMTP created a Technical Recommendation[1] for an open and standardised visual voice mail (VVM) interface protocol which VVM clients may use to interact with a voicemail server. The key functions of this interface are the support of message retrieval, message upload, VVM management, greeting management and provisioning. The document intention is to ensure that standard functionality of voice mail servers may be accessed through a range of VVM clients via the defined interface. This approach leaves scope for operators/carriers and vendors to differentiate their products.
In 2010, Google Voice became available without invitation. As a voicemail application on Google's Android platform, it can assume control of the visual voicemail functionality in place of a carrier's own application.