Voicemail isn’t always something we want shared between all members of a household, Home business owners may want to keep their families from intercepting messages, or parents may want to give their teenagers some privacy. If you’re finding that sharing a single voicemail is straining household relationships, consider setting up one or more private voicemail boxes to give everyone exactly what they need.

  1. What is private voicemail? How do I get started?
  2. Does my private voicemail have a separate pin from my other voicemail?
  3. Can I have a private voicemail account without setting up a personal device?
  4. Can I access my private voicemail account from any phone, or do I need to use my private device?

What is private voicemail? How do I get started?

When you set up a private device, it comes complete with its own phone number, voicemail box and My Ooma account. Your private device includes a complete voicemail package: you can record your own greeting, check your message from your personal device or from your personal My Ooma account, and customize your voicemail forwarding preferences. To get started, all you need to do is follow these steps:

  1. Create a personal device, making sure to assign the password you would like to use to log in
  2. Assign a phone number to your personal device (you will give this to people who want to call you!)
  3. Pick up the phone connected to your private device and press the play button on your Ooma Telo Base Station, Phone Genie, or Hub
  4. Follow the prompts to initialize your voicemail box Once you have initialized your private voicemail, you can use your voicemail account by following the instructions in the voicemail FAQ.

Does my private voicemail have a separate pin from my other voicemail?

Yes. During your initial set up you will select a new pin for your private voicemail box.

Can I have a private voicemail account without setting up a personal device?

No. A private voicemail account can only be set up on a personal device.

Can I access my private voicemail account from any phone, or do I need to use my private device?

You can use any phone to check your private voicemail account. Simply follow the instructions in the “Accessing your Voicemail” section of our voicemail FAQ.