Voicemail in Germany: how to check it, turn it off and get it in English
To listen, call 5500 on Vodafone, 3311 on Telekom or 333 on O2 from your own phone. To turn voicemail off on any of them, dial ##002# and press call. An English menu exists on Telekom (in the settings menu); on Vodafone there is no code for it, you have to ask support.
Vodafone
- Listen from your phone: 5500.
- From another phone: your Vodafone prefix, then 55, then the 7 digits of your number. For 0172 1234567 that is 0172 55 1234567.
- Turn off: ##002#.
- English: no menu option. In the Vodafone forum, staff switched the mailbox to English for customers who asked (CallYa via WhatsApp support).
Sources: Vodafone service codes, Vodafone forum: change voice mail to English. Checked 28.10.2026.
Telekom
- Listen: 3311. Abroad you usually need the mailbox PIN.
- Turn off: ##002#. The Mobilbox stays, but calls no longer go there. Back on: **62*3311#.
- English: call 3311, open the settings menu, then further settings, and pick English as the menu language.
Sources: Telekom help, Mobilbox abrufen, Mobilbox deaktivieren, Mobilbox Funktionen (PDF). Checked 28.10.2026.
O2
- Listen: 333.
- Turn off: ##002#. Back on: **004*333#.
- If the mailbox still answers after ##002#, O2 customers report that only the hotline could switch it off.
Source: giga.de: O2 Mailbox ausschalten, O2 community. Checked 28.10.2026.
Check what is switched on
Dial *#61# (when you don't answer) or *#62# (when your phone is off or out of reach). The network shows whether forwarding is on and to which number.
For a business number: callers rarely leave a message
Customers who reach a German mailbox often hang up and call the next company. Instead of the mailbox you can forward missed calls to an AI assistant. It asks callers in German what they need and when to call back, and sends you the request in English. You switch it on with a code too: **004*assistant number**20#.
Meldedirekt: from €39 a month, first 14 days free, no card.
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Questions
Why did my other call forwarding stop after ##002#?
##002# deletes all forwarding at once, not only the one to voicemail. Switch the forwarding you need back on with its own code.
Does listening to voicemail cost money?
From your own phone in Germany it is usually included. From another phone or from abroad it depends on your tariff.
How do I record a German greeting?
Call your mailbox and choose the greeting option in the menu. Ready texts with English translation are in our article on German voicemail greetings.
Related
- What to say in the greeting: 7 German voicemail texts with translation.
- Calls to an assistant instead: call forwarding when unanswered.
- German calls, English notes: how it works.