When playing voicemail, speaker does not turn off

Question

Level 1

17 points

When playing voicemail, speaker does not turn off

After this latest update (iOS 26.0), all of my voicemail messages play on speakerphone.

Before the update, I had no issues turning the speakerphone on/off.

When I select a voicemail message from my list of messages, I see that the speaker icon is already highlighted.

I've tried clicking on the speaker icon before listening to a message and once the message is playing, but the speaker remains highlighted.

I've, also, tried when my (wired) headphones are plugged into my phone, but the message is still played through the speaker.

I've already checked the following options:

Auto-select Speaker in Call -- turned off
Headphone Accommodations -- turned on

Is this a bug for Apple to fix or is some other option that I need to select/deselect to fix this issue?

FYI,...

I have an iPhone 11 Pro.

(Please try to restrain yourself from making any rude comments about how old my phone is. ;-) Lol!)

Thanks in advance for any suggestions!

Posted on Sep 26, 2025 8:34 AM

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Answer 1

LD150

Level 10

97,383 points

Sep 26, 2025 8:57 AM in response to cx-ads601

First check Settings, Accessibility, Audio & Visual, Call audio routing, that it is set to Automatic.

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Answer 2

Alancito

Level 7

29,747 points

Oct 18, 2025 12:27 AM in response to cx-ads601

cx-ads601 wrote: "...I have an iPhone 11 Pro.

(Please try to restrain yourself from making any rude comments about how old my phone is. ;-) Lol!)"

cx-ads601 ~ An old iPhone 11 Pro may have a weak, aging battery which could be a contributing factor to the issue. So...

Does your iPhone 11 Pro still have its original battery?

And what's the Maximum Capacity % here?...

Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging

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Answer 3

cx-ads601 Author

Level 1

17 points

Sep 26, 2025 11:04 AM in response to LD150

Yes, it is set to Automatic.

I even selected the other 2 options (Bluetooth Headset and Speaker) to test out whether that would make a difference, but it did not. The speaker was still enabled; nor I was not able to deselect it.

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Answer 4

Julesjmj

Level 1

8 points

Sep 30, 2025 11:56 AM in response to cx-ads601

I have exactly the same problem and was none too pleased when I discovered I couldn't listen to a voicemail privately with my headphones plugged in. I've also double checked the accessibility recommendation and the airplay continuity in settings to "stay with headphones".

Not a happy camper right now!

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Answer 5

Oct 9, 2025 4:36 PM in response to cx-ads601

Same problem here. Brand new iPhone 17 Pro Max, using Apple wired headphones. Can't listen to voicemail through the headphones, can't listen to them with the phone to my ear, only through the speaker.

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Answer 6

Blasito

Level 1

13 points

Oct 16, 2025 6:25 AM in response to cx-ads601

I am also having this issue with a newly refurbished iPhone 13 mini running the new ios26. When I unplug headphones I can switch between room speaker and close speaker (though this is problematic as my face usually stops playback and I can’t see or control display). Once I plug in wired headphones the switch does not work. Also having problems seeing voicemails in classic mode. I would think making sure the new software for a phone works AS A PHONE would take priority over emojis and AI slop. Very disappointing Apple!

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