Answering system
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About the answering system
Answering system and voicemail
Your telephone has both a digital answering system and voicemail indication. 
Most telephone companies offer voicemail services (fees may apply). Your 
telephone’s answering system and voicemail indication are independent 
features. Each alerts you to new messages differently. For more information 
on the voicemail indicators, see page 13. To listen to your voicemail, you 
typically follow the instructions that your voicemail service provider provides. 
To listen to messages on your digital answering system, press      
      PLAY
/STOP button on the telephone base.
If you subscribe to caller ID/call waiting service through your telephone 
service provider, you can use your telephone answering system and voicemail 
together. Set your answering system to answer calls at least two rings earlier 
than your voicemail is set to answer. For example, set your voicemail to 
answer calls after six rings and set your answering system to answer after 
four rings.
Message capacity
The answering system can record up to 99 messages, depending on the 
length of each message. Individual messages can be up to four minutes, and 
the maximum recording time is 14 minutes. The actual recording time 
depends on individual message characteristics. Messages remain available for 
replay until you delete them.
When there are new messages (including memos) on the answering system, 
the number of messages stored flashes in the message counter.
If F is flashing in the message counter, the memory is full. You must delete 
some messages before recording new ones.
Turn the answering system on or off at the telephone base
Unless you change it, the answering system is on and ready to record 
messages. You can turn the answering system off, but if you do so, the 
answering system does not answer calls and record incoming messages.
Press    ANSWER ON/OFF to turn the answering 
system on or off. If the answering system is turned on, it 
announces “Calls will be answered.” If the answering 
system is turned off, it announces “Calls will not be 
answered.”
NOTE: Some voicemail providers may program the delay before answering calls in 
seconds instead of rings; in this case, allow six seconds per ring when determining the 
appropriate setting. By doing this, if you are on a call, or if the answering system is busy 
recording a message and you receive another call, the second caller can leave a 
voicemail message.