Transferring cell phone voice messages to laptop

Audacity 3 Help Forum Windows
1

Hello,

Any tips for me on transferring my cell phone VMs to my laptop so I can store them permanently? Do I record them on Audacity or do I just transfer them and where do I transfer them to? How do I go about it? Looking for the Electronics for Dummies version.

My phone is a Motorola Droid Mini, Verizon provider, laptop OS is Windows 10. Verizon is changing their VM system and will delete all my VMs, including ones I really need to keep.

Thanks.

2

While it’s certainly possible to rig up and debug a headphone to USB interface to Audacity system, I think in this case, Google is your friend.

http://techin.oureverydaylife.com/archive-verizon-voice-mail-messages-10756.html

https://community.verizonwireless.com/thread/795864

This posting also pops up when I google your question …

https://www.cnet.com/how-to/transfer-memorable-voice-mails-to-your-computer-with-a-simple-audio-trick/

… and while it seems a snap with minimal complexity and expense (they even mention Audacity), the one step where they connect to the Mic-In of their laptop is where it falls apart. Mic-In on many laptops is not a generic stereo connection that you can connect to whatever you want to record. It’s usually Mono, not Stereo and it easily overloads and distorts.

They want you to do this.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/Line-Out_Mic-In.jpg

You can connect the headphone of your cellphone to a computer correctly, but you usually need a USB interface like this.

http://www.kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/peaveyUCA202Lenovo-650.jpg

Instead of my sound mixer and stereo RCA cable, you would connect with a headphone to RCA adapter cable like this.

http://kozco.com/tech/audacity/pix/RCAMiniStereo-650.jpg

Of course, if you have one of the new iPhones, that doesn’t work either, you need the analog headphone adapter, too.

With the analog capture method, you have to sit through all your messages in real time. This method works really well when you have a small handful of messages you want to keep. The posting is almost always: “My [personal family member] died and the only record I have is my phone voicemail.”

Good luck

Koz

3

Also for future, if you are in the USA then you can install the GoogleVoice Androd app and set that up to handle your voicemail. Then you can save your voicemails from your web browser. http://forums.androidcentral.com/verizon-galaxy-nexus/142720-how-save-voicemails.html.


Gale