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iOS visual voicemail malfunction

Hi,

 

I’m posting here hoping someone will be able to help me. I encounter a strange behavior with visual voicemail on my iPhone.

 

I’m using an iPhone 12 Pro Max on the latest iOS version (14.5.1) with two SIM cards:

An Orange France eSIM

A Bouygues Telecom physical SIM

Both carrier settings versions are on 46.0

 

When I get a voicemail on the physical SIM card everything is working as expected, but when I get one on the eSIM, as long as NextDNS is enabled I won’t receive the voicemail notification, which is pretty annoying.

I was able to reproduce the same malfunction on two different iPhones with the same configuration. Nothing seems to be blocked in the logs so I can’t understand what’s wrong, especially since everything else (like VoLTE, WiFi Calling etc.) is working great.

 

Thanks you in advance

34 replies

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    • Ruby_Balloon
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Possibly related to https://help.nextdns.io/t/y4hzff7/nextdspecific-blocking-all-textmedia-messages?r=p8hzv0h#p8hzv0h

    One of it's thread responses mentions telephony domain whitelisting & opening/forwarding specific ports. However that thread is in the context of American wireless carriers so you might have to research & modify the concept for the specific UK/France wireless carrier(s) you're using

    • Max
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Hello

    @rems I just noticed the same issue on my iPhone 12 when I switched to an eSIM (Sosh). Did you find a solution to that problem? 

    Thanks

    • Max
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I actually discovered something interesting. I had installed the NextDNS DNS profile on iOS. As soon as I removed it, my messages appeared on the voicemail. Even if I am behind a router configured to use NextDNS. So I suspect NextDNS is not blocking anything it should not. The issue seems to come from iOS and the way it uses DNS configuration. Could someone confirm ?

    • Max
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Also noticed I can't send iMessage when on 4G with NextDNS profile installed. On Wifi everything is fine.

    • NextDNs
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    Could you try with the same profile you are currently using but excluding the domain "dav.orange.fr" (you can exclude specific domains on https://apple.nextdns.io, under Advanced), and tell us if that solves the issue?

    • Laurent
    • 2 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    I have the same problem. I tried adding the full domain orange.fr in the white list, but that doesn’t solve the issue. As soon as I deactivate NextDNS, the voicemails show in the phone app.

    • Aureyl
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Hi. Same issue with Fizz Mobile in Quebec. Please, help us NextDNS ;-)

    • Jerome_Ajot
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    Exactly the same issue with T-Mobile. 

      • Taylor_C
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Jerome A 

      You'll need to add "vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com" to the Excluded Domains list when you create the profile at apple.nextdns.io. You do not need to add it to your profiles allowlist. 

      I don't think this is a NextDNS problem for the record. I think it is a T-Mobile one. I spent many, many hours last night and my lunch today trying to figure this out because it was too interesting not to. And having just switched my work phone, I had a T-Mobile iPhone 13 to test with. 

      Based on Console logs, my T-Mobile iPhone will only use a cellular interface to send Visual Voicemail (VVM) requests out on, or retrieve them over. In my VVM testing only interface "pdp_ip2" is used and it does not support public (non T-Mobile) networks. When you change your greeting or after a voicemail is left, the phone looks up the VVM address above to access the voicemail servers (like any other request). However, because VVM is the requesting app, iOS sends that NextDNS lookup over "pdp_ip2". And since the destination address is to a non-T-Mobile IP, T-Mobile silently drops the request. The phone repeatedly retires, and then gives up silently. The only way I could force a visible error was to record a new greeting and try to save it. After exactly one minute of trying, VVM returns an error ("The operation couldn't be completed. (com.apple.mobilephone error 1035.)". 

      There are tests in iOS to ensure the DNS servers is working, but the test is run by a non-VVM app so it always passes. 

      I suspect this is why my Verizon, AT&T, and US Mobile phones work correctly. Either they don't require a specific interface or they allow "public" requests over it. 

      • Aureyl
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor very interesting Taylor. Thanks ! Do you have any idea how I could find the address/domain for Fizz in Canada ?

      • Taylor_C
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Aurélien Faure 

      I found this by installing debug profiles from Apple and watching the logs on my Mac. 

      1. Download and install the "Baseband" profile from Apple. This can be done from the phone itself. You'll need to sign in with your Apple ID if prompted. https://developer.apple.com/bug-reporting/profiles-and-logs/?platform=ios&name=baseband

      2. Connect your iPhone to your Mac and open "Console". It's in Utilities under Applications. 

      3. Select your phone on the left and then Start at the top. You may need to answer a trust prompt on the phone the first time. 

      4. Go to the Phone app, then Voicemail, then tap Greeting at the top. This will cause the phone to try to connect. 

      5. In Console,  search for "hostname=" in the bar top right. 

      6. This will return several entires with details of your connection and voicemail account. The full path from mine was "e5.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com" but I didnt include "e5" when I excluded the domain in the profile. 

       

      If you don't have a Mac, you'll need to trigger a "sysdiagnose" on the phone to cause it to collect the various logs. There are two ways to trigger this, but you'll want to follow these directions since the key combo requires perfect timing. https://download.developer.apple.com/iOS/iOS_Logs/AssistiveTouch_Sysdiagnose_Logging_Instructions.pdf

      Once collected, you can use AirDrop to review the logs. Or perhaps use the share action "Save to Files" and then download from iCloud using your PC. I can't really explain the process beyond here since I used my Mac. :/ 

       

      I've also searched but I'm not able to find these domains publicly. You could always ask Fizz but you'd have to be pretty persistent, lucky, or both. 

      • Aureyl
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor Thank you so much to take all this time. I will try this asap. Then update everyone with the same issues. 

      • Aureyl
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor Ok, So. For people with Fizz operator the url used is “vl-vi-vvg001.ip.videotron.ca”. You need to exclude the following domain : “ip.videotron.ca”

      Just one last question for you Taylor, do you know why it works by adding this in exclusion by creating a profile, and not just by using the app and include this only in the allowed domains list on the website ?

      • Taylor_C
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Aurélien Faure Woohoo! I’m glad that worked! 

      Adding it to the exclude list of the profile tells the phone to use the carrier-provided DNS for that domain. This isn’t because NextDNS is blocking it. It’s because Fizz/T-Mobile only allows specific traffic over that “private interface” used for voicemail. 

      We can’t change Fizz or T-Mobile’s routing choices, but we can exclude their voicemail domains so that voicemail works like intended. 

      • Aureyl
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor thanks for the explanation 👍

      • Tilly_facts
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor 

      THANK YOU SO MUCH

      man I’ve been struggling with this for months now and I spent so many hours troubleshooting with T-Mobile. Can’t believe this worked

      • arteagatech
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor 

      You’re a life saver, I’ve had this issue since march, countless tries and fails and finally I have my visual voicemail back!!!

      • Roland_Fritz
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      Taylor wow, I created an account here just to thank you for that. I had been back and forth with T-Mobile for the past several months and went so far as to wipe and setup my phone fresh. Was about ready to dump them and apple both. Seriously would never have figured this one out and your explanation makes perfect sense. I should have known though... it's always DNS! ha!

      For those of you who haven't made a mobileconfig recently, it seems the team at NextDNS really upped their game and made that tool just as wonderful as the rest of their service. Probably could use a bit more documentation for those you aren't familiar though.

      • Rems
      • 5 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      @Taylor thanks for the debug profile tip! For Swisscom the domain to bypass is 

      vvg.swisscom.ch
    • bobsmith
    • 1 yr ago
    • Reported - view

    allow this for t-mobile

    __________________________

     

    e7.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e6.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e4.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e3.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e2.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e1.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.e5.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.t-mobile.com
    *.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    *.vvm.mstore.msg.t-mobile.com
    
      • arteagatech
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      bobsmith 

      Wouldn’t simply adding “t-mobile.com” whitelist all of the other subdomains listed?

      • Tom_King
      • 1 yr ago
      • Reported - view

      arteagatech I think the point of Taylor's earlier message was that it's NOT an "Allowlist" that enables this to work, and will completely bypass NextDNS for certain domains.

      Instead of "Allowlist", it is the "Excluded Domains" which is only available when you sign in and use <https://apple.nextdns.io/> and click "More options" to reveal the option. Screenshot below.

    • Indiana_Jones
    • 11 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing issues with your visual voicemail on your iPhone. Based on the information you've provided, it seems that NextDNS may be causing the issue with the eSIM voicemail notifications not coming through.

    NextDNS is a DNS filtering service that can block certain websites or services based on user-defined rules. It's possible that NextDNS is blocking the notification for eSIM voicemail, which is why you're not receiving the notification.

    To troubleshoot the issue, you could try disabling NextDNS temporarily and see if the eSIM voicemail notifications come through. If they do, then it's likely that NextDNS is the culprit. You can then try adjusting the NextDNS rules to allow the voicemail notification to come through.

    If disabling NextDNS doesn't resolve the issue, you could also try resetting your network settings on your iPhone. This will reset your Wi-Fi, cellular, and Bluetooth settings to their default values, and may help resolve any network-related issues that could be causing the problem.

    To reset your network settings on your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. You'll need to enter your device passcode to confirm the reset.

    I hope this helps resolve the issue you're experiencing with your eSIM voicemail notifications. If you continue to experience problems, you may want to contact your carrier's support team for further assistance.

    Source: SMSala

      • Tom_King
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      Indiana Jones I think this misses the main points of my message:

      1. It definitely is an issue with NextDNS and some carrier configurations, as proven by disabling NextDNS. We can’t change the carrier side configuration that causes it  

      2. For those carrier configurations, no amount of NextDNS _rules changes_ (filter lists, allow lists, etc.) will fix the issue. The only currently available fix is to use the mobile configuration profile to bypass NextDNS completely for those cattier domains.

      • NextDNs
      • 11 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      T K This issue is related to the encrypted DNS feature of iOS and certain carriers, which has been reported to both Apple and the carriers. The problem will persist with any other DNS services configured through this feature, this is not specific to NextDNS. To address the issue, a possible workaround is to identify the voicemail server’s domain and add it to the ignored domains list. Relevant domains for some ISPs can be found in this thread, along with instructions for adding them to the ignored domains list.

Content aside

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