Some iPhone users reporting iOS 17.4 update deleted saved voicemails

As someone who keeps an eye out for emerging bugs and issues, I’ve stumbled upon a disturbing trend following the release of Apple’s iOS 17.4 update. Multiple iPhone users are reporting a significant problem: their saved voicemails have been deleted after installing the update.

This isn’t just an isolated incident. The issue is being flagged across the web, including on Apple’s official support forums, Reddit, and Twitter.

While carefully reading through all the comments on the official forums, Reddit, and other platforms, I noticed something that could be a relief for some. One individual claims they were able to get back the deleted saved voicemails after the iOS 17.4 update with the following steps:

I took my phone to the Genius Bar at Apple but imagine you can do it at your provider too
I restored my phone from a back up from BEFORE I updated, I’m not sure ultimately if this was part of the solution but included here in case
We took out my sim card and put it in another phone that also was running on 17.4 – when we did this we were able to see some deleted voicemails but none of my saved ones
We put the sim card back in my phone and VOILA – all the voicemails were there again (Source)

While I didn’t see any other comments backing up the success of this method, I’d say it’s worth a shot. To me, this seems like that voicemails were stored on the carrier’s servers and got restored. However, it might be due to some other reason too. So do get in touch with your carrier to check if the voicemails are stored on their servers. This might not work for everyone as some claimed their carriers told them the voicemails were deleted from their servers too.

Another potential fix that was highlighted on the forums is to call your phone using another phone and leave a voicemail. A few affected users claim that this helped them fix the problem. Other common troubleshooting steps like turning off/on the device, fiddling with iCloud, didn’t bear any fruit for most users.

Distraught users are expressing their frustration (1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14) as irreplaceable voicemails, sometimes containing sentimental value, have vanished without a trace. From what I gathered sifting through the complaints is that the issue isn’t tied to any particular carrier. I’ve seen reports from users with T-Mobile, Verizon, and even AT&T connections. Here’s how some users described the problem:

Not sure if anyone has had the issue or knows a fix but all my voicemails are gone after upgrading to iOS17.4.

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I updated to iOS 17.4 and now my Phone app shows ‘No Voicemail.’ I’ve tried checking settings, resetting network settings, and contacting my carrier for help.

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Upgraded to iOS 17.4 on my #iphone 13ProMax.

❌ App settings were reset (everything is in “light” mode now)
❌ All of my VMs were deleted from the device.
❌ The ability to scrub thru vids by swiping ⬅️or➡️ on the screen is GONE.

What a disaster by @apple. Hello @AppleSupport?

The loss of saved voicemails goes beyond inconvenience. For many, these messages hold emotional value, especially if they contain the voices of loved ones who may no longer be around. Understandably, this has created a great deal of distress among those affected. Here’s one such example from an individual who lost their sentimental voicemails:

IOS 17.4 update just deleted all my sentimental saved voicemails from my deceased mother. I am in shock!!!! I wish I had viewed this community group prior to updating the latest IOS 17.4 version. I am still working with Verizon and Apple taking it to the top level if necessary to retrieve all my deceased mothers precious voicemails. I feel sick they are gone!!!

Even though it has only been a couple of weeks since iOS 17.4 went live, I’m seeing a concerning number of reports from people who claim their voicemails were deleted.

Before I even begin with this, I’d suggest taking the information with a grain of salt. In their rant about the issue, an individual mentioned that T-Mobile support informed that this glitch doesn’t affect every account. Moreover, they claim that Apple refuses to work with carriers to prevent such issues from arising in the first place.

Unfortunately, I didn’t find any evidence to believe that Apple is currently working on fixing the bug. That said, given the number of reports popping up about voicemails being deleted up ever since the iOS 17.4 release, it’s likely Apple is at least aware of the situation.

The only course of action seems to be raising awareness. The more users report this issue directly to Apple, the higher the likelihood of a speedy investigation and fix. If you’ve been impacted by this voicemail deletion problem after updating to iOS 17.4, it’s crucial to make your voice heard:

• Contact Apple support: Report the issue directly to Apple.
• Apple support communities: Post about your experience on Apple’s support forums.
• Social media: Raise awareness on platforms like Twitter, using relevant hashtags.

So that’s it from my end. If this article is helpful in anyway, it would be cool if you could drop a like or a comment to let me know. In case you have a workaround that you wish to share with everyone, you could do that in the comments too. Thanks for making it to the end!