2 Messages
False Voicemail Notifications from Phone Services (System) App
I have a Samsung Galaxy S22, have been with AT&T with the same phone for about 2 years, use the Visual Voicemail app without any issues, and thus have no use for voicemail notifications from the Phone Services (Android system) app.
Within the last few days, the Phone Services (Android system) app has begun pushing notifications I have voicemail waiting when the Visual Voicemail app does not.
Pressing the Phone Services app's "AT&T voicemail" notification dials a local number (this notification shows up only on the notification list that appears when you swipe down from the top of your phone display). An AT&T-sounding recording prompts me for my password, which it rejects and tells me to reenter.
The only way to clear the notification I've seen that works is to go into the Settings app, select Apps, select the 3 gray lines next to the gray "Your apps" list of apps header, move the slider to "Show system apps," press OK, scroll down to the Phone Services app, select it, press Storage, and then Clear data.
This gets rid of the bogus voicemail notification, but then after a while it comes back.
The slider to turn off notifications in the Phone Services app is grayed out.
I don't know if this coincidental or not, but I recently enabled WiFi Calling to try it again, after disabling it a year or two ago after having issues with it.
Why is the Phone Services app sending me false voicemail notifications, now, when it didn't for 2 years? Is this "system" app legitimate? How do I stop this behavior? Should pressing the notification automatically dial a local number? Is this the result of some Android system vulnerability that's being exploited?
ATTHelp
Community Support
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232.9K Messages
4 months ago
We understand your situation and want to help @AlwaysSomeIssueWithTech. There are a couple of steps you can take that can help resolve your experience.
Here's what you can do:
Try this and let us know how it goes. Please include what the message says so that we can investigate what it means and get you a resolution.
Thank you for visiting AT&T Community Forums.
Crystal S, AT&T Community Forums Specialist.
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AlwaysSomeIssueWithTech
2 Messages
3 months ago
Today, I got another false voicemail notification:
Clearing notifications doesn't get rid of it. Tapping on the notification dials a local number that prompts me for a passcode. The computer voice prompting me for a passcode sounds like an AT&T computer voice, but that could have been pre-recorded. By the way, one of my original questions remains unanwered along with the others: does AT&T use local numbers for voicemail retreival purposes?
I have no Visual Voicemail app notifications that I have any voicemails in the system, and when I do get a legitimate voicemail it shows up in the Visual Voicemail app, hence, these "New voicemail" notifications I've been getting from the Phone Services system app are false. Powercycling the device, as suggested above doesn't clear the notification. Clearing the app cache and data using the method suggested above is a dead-end solution, because the app that's causing the issue, which is the Phone Services system app, isn't listed by default. It's a system app, and system apps aren't listed under Apps settings by default. Furthermore, the fact that the notification is coming from the Phone Services system app isn't at all obvious. The notification icon doesn't even match the Phone Services system app icon.
The only way to clear the notification, is to force the apps list to show system apps and then clearing the Phone Services system app data using the method I described in my first post.
The only reason I was able to figure this out is that I'm somewhat tech savvy. Most people aren't. Even so, it was only through a lengthy trial and error process that I determined the source of the bogus notification.
This appears to be some system vulnerability in the Phone Services app that's being maliciously exploited, and it needs to be fixed ASAP. People shouldn't have to jump through a bunch of hoops to clear a notification on their phone left there by a lowlife criminal looking to steal their personal information (the voicemail passcode in this case, which for many people might be a PIN they use for other purposes).
What makes this issue particularly venemous is you can't even turn of notifications in the Phone Services system app. The option to do so is grayed out. After clearing an existing notification, the user gets to hurry up and wait until the next one shows up.
Please fix this vulnerability/exploit/bug as soon as possible. Time is life, and it's wasting people's time.
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