Automatically delete short/empty voicemails

[peabody]

This problem is still the most annoying aspect of Ooma service - the short, empty voicemails that are generated when the caller hangs up right after the outgoing message completes. When I'm asked about Ooma by prospective users, this is the one reservation I feel obliged to mention because it is so annoying.

Every other voicemail system I've been exposed to automatically deleted such voicemails, or simply didn't save them in the first place. And that even includes several old land-line telephone answering machines that I've used over the years. So it's not as if this request breaks new ground technologically.

It's the kind of thing that should bother the Ooma people themselves if they use their own service at home. Well maybe they don't actually use Ooma, and that's why it's never been fixed.

This idea has been posted many times before, but not acted upon. But now is the time. The Office users would certainly support this change. So let's get this done.

[Allen 1960]

Yes! Please! ~ You may add my vote of support for this fantastic time-saving idea as well.

[Tom]

I've escalated this to product management.

[lbmofo]

FYI /viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14848&start=10#p115302

[EX Bell]

I've escalated this to product management.

Would be great. Here's how to at least keep your email inbox clear of these empty messages if you're a Gmail user.

[Tom]

This is not available on MyOoma yet but let me know the message duration below (or equal) which you want voicemail to discard messages and I can configure that for you (possible values are 0-10 sec, 0 meaning to never discard messages).

[peabody]

Based on the typical length of "empty" voicemails as shown on MyOoma, I would want to try 3 seconds as the cutoff. That would be three seconds beginning at the beep. Three seconds or less would either be deleted, or sent directly to voicemail trash, but would not show as waiting voicemail, and the indicator on the Telo would not be triggered.

Hope this works out. It would be a big improvement.

I would also say, it case it might be possible, that the answering machines I've used appear to delete if there's no detectable voice activity, rather than on the length of the message. No voice activity, or the presence of dialtone, would cause the message to be deleted, regardless of length.

[Tom]

Ok, your mailbox is now set to discard messages <= 3 sec in length.

[peabody]

Thanks very much. It seems to be working fine. So now we can see if it makes much difference in the number of empty voicemails I get. I bet it will.

[holmes4]

I'd also like the option set on my two lines (not counting the one for Google Voice) set to delete any voicemails less than five seconds. Thanks.