What is YouMail activation, and why do I need to do it?
YouMail activation is a crucial part of setting up your YouMail account. It's how you activate YouMail as your voicemail handler so we can help protect your voicemail inbox and filter out spam voicemail messages. We do this through a feature your mobile carrier provides called Conditional Call Forwarding (CCF).
During the activation process, we send carrier codes to your mobile provider that ask them to forward your unanswered calls to YouMail. These codes are transmitted through our app or by manually dialing them from your phone's dialer.
If these codes fail, you can contact your mobile provider and ask them to set up CCF on your behalf.
New to YouMail?
If you're a new customer or using a mobile provider you haven't previously used with YouMail, you'll want to verify the following items before doing any troubleshooting.
Your mobile provider is not on the Unsupported Carrier list. This is a list of carriers that do not support CCF; it can be found here.
The plan to which you are subscribed with your mobile provider includes CCF.
You have the device Wi-Fi temporarily disabled and you have a strong cellular signal.
Note: CCF is sometimes also known as "Missed Call Forwarding." This is a call forwarding feature with your mobile provider that forwards your unanswered, busy, or unreachable calls to a number of your choosing (e.g., your YouMail deposit number)
Common activation errors
Spotty or weak cellular coverage
Spotty network coverage can interfere with activation and result in errors that would otherwise not occur with full signal strength. If your activation is failing, make sure you have a strong cellular (not Wi-Fi!) signal before trying again.
Unlocked phones
Unlocked phones can sometimes have issues activating. Especially if they had been previously locked to a different carrier. Click here to learn more.
Wrong carrier
The codes used to activate YouMail (or enable CCF) are carrier-specific. If activation is failing, make sure you've selected the correct carrier and try again!
Interrupted App
If the app was closed or interrupted after it was told to verify activation, the phone may report that the activation failed. Simply retry to verify activation again.
No Ring
It's possible there was a problem calling your phone, but instead the call just didn't ring. Make sure you are in an area with a strong signal, then try the activation again.
Test call failed
If your test call fails despite no errors during activation, the activation may still have succeeded. You can do a manual test by calling your number from another phone and checking whether you hear the YouMail voicemail greeting.
Answered Call error
Oops, did you accidentally answer the verification call? You can easily verify activation again, just decline the call and follow the on-screen instructions.
MMI or OCN errors
MMI (Man-Machine Interface) or OCN (Original Call Number) errors during activation typically occur for one of the following issues:
The phone doesn't understand what you are trying to do.
What you are trying to do is invalid. e.g., inputting the wrong activation codes
Your phone or plan does not support the service you are trying to perform; in this case, CCF.
Many prepaid plans do not include CCF and may charge an additional fee to enable it or block the feature altogether.
You are activating on an unlocked phone that is still "remembering" a different mobile provider or network
If you receive an MMI or OCN error, reach out to your mobile provider and ask them to set up CCF for you.
IMPORTANT: When you call your mobile provider to get help setting up CCF, you will need to provide them with the number to which you wish to forward your unanswered calls. In the YouMail system, we call this number your Deposit number. You can look up your Deposit number by signing into your YouMail account here.