How to Call Directly to Someone's Voicemail

When you're trying to reach someone on a cellphone or landline phone, it can be a pain if the call goes straight to voicemail. Sometimes, you may simply want to send a voice message without having a conversation. In that case, it is useful to know how to call someone and go straight to voicemail or use another method to send a voice message.

Some wireless carriers make it possible to send voice messages to other users of the same service without having to place an ordinary phone call. These features can be included in voicemail apps, in dial-in menus or through push-to-talk features that are offered to business users. Check with your carrier to see if you can use such a feature to send a voicemail directly to your colleagues or family members. The availability and methods vary among service providers.

Additionally, other tools enable you to send voice messages directly to someone without a phone call. You can record yourself talking with a variety of computer or smartphone software and send the recording via email or any other messaging service that allows for attachments. Alternatively, you can use certain smart speakers, such as those running Amazon's Alexa software, to send voice messages to other users.

You can also use certain commercial services that enable you to send anyone a voicemail without calling them. In some cases, the recipient's phone may ring briefly before the voicemail is left.

If you want to send someone a message without calling them, there may be better alternatives to voicemail, which can take time to listen to and can sometimes be hard to understand if you're not in a quiet place.

For example, you can send someone a traditional cellphone text message or email, or you can use a service such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Apple's Messages to send a text or multimedia message. Many cellphones also offer speech-to-text messaging features that let you dictate a message to send someone even if you're not able to use your hands to type it, such as when you're cooking or driving a car.

Telemarketers have used services to call people and have their messages go directly to voicemail, and if you use such features either socially or professionally, recipients might find it creepy or off-putting. Make sure you understand your audience before you use such a tool.