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Create Your Professional Greeting →Access number
1571 (from your BT landline)
Greeting menu
1571 → option 2 → 1
Message storage
Up to 20–30 messages
Message length
2–5 minutes per message
New message alert
Stuttered dial tone
Cost
Included with most BT lines
BT's 1571 service is the classic British landline answerphone: it takes messages when you're out or on the phone, signals new messages with a stuttered dial tone, and — most usefully for businesses — lets you record a personal greeting. It's included with most BT residential lines and available on BT Business lines (which may need free registration on 0800 917 1571). Here's how to set it up properly, including on newer Digital Voice handsets.
Pick up your BT landline and dial 1571. The service tells you how many new and saved messages you have, then offers the main menu. On BT Digital Voice handsets, the screen shows new messages and a dedicated voicemail button takes you straight in.
From the main menu, press 2 to manage your greeting. You'll be offered 1 to record your own greeting or 2 to use BT's standard greeting.
Press 1, wait for the tone, and speak your greeting — it can be up to about a minute long, though 15–25 seconds is ideal. Press # (the square/hash key) to finish.
Listen to the playback, then press 2 to keep it (or re-record if you're not happy). Callers now hear your greeting whether the line is busy or simply unanswered. Press * at any point to return to the greeting menu.
You can change your greeting whenever you like: dial 1571, press 2, then 1, and record a fresh version. Choosing option 2 instead reverts to BT's standard greeting. Remember 1571 answers when you're engaged on a call as well as when you're out — so a greeting that just says “we're closed” can mislead daytime callers.
With BT Voicemail you can listen to messages away from home: call your own landline number, press * when the greeting starts, and enter your 4-digit PIN. Depending on your plan, messages are kept generously — new messages up to 6 months (60 days on Voicemail Essential), saved messages 20–30 days.
Storage depends on your BT service: Voicemail Essential holds up to 20 messages of 2 minutes each; full Voicemail (and Digital Voice) holds up to 30 messages of up to 5 minutes. When the mailbox is full, callers are asked to ring back later — a good reason to clear old messages regularly. To manage or cancel the service entirely, do it through your BT account or BT customer services.
BT Landline (1571) records greetings through the handset, so there's no upload button — but there's a reliable workaround used by thousands of businesses:
Phone lines compress audio heavily, so a well-mastered recording captured this way sounds virtually identical to a direct upload.
Create Your Greeting NowCopy either script, replace the placeholders, and record it — or click “Hear This Script” to listen to it in a professional British AI voice.
“Thank you for calling [Your Business]. We're sorry we can't take your call at the moment. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message after the tone, and we'll ring you back as soon as possible.”
Hear This Script“Hello, you've reached the [Family Name] household. We can't get to the phone right now, so please leave a message after the tone and we'll call you back. Thank you.”
Hear This ScriptNeed more inspiration? Browse our answerphone message scripts or the full greeting examples library.
Dial 1571 from your BT home phone, press option 2 from the main menu, then press 1 to record your own greeting. Speak after the tone, press # to finish, and press 2 to confirm and save.
The basic 1571 voicemail service is included with most BT residential lines and Digital Voice plans at no extra charge. BT Business lines may need to register first by calling 0800 917 1571. Listening to messages by dialling 1571 is free.
Voicemail Essential stores up to 20 messages of up to 2 minutes each; the full Voicemail service and Digital Voice store up to 30 messages of up to 5 minutes. New messages are kept for 60 days to 6 months depending on your plan, and saved messages for 20–30 days.
You'll hear a stuttered (interrupted) dial tone when you pick up the phone. On BT Digital Voice handsets, the screen also shows how many new messages you have and a voicemail button plays them.
Yes — since 1571 records greetings through the handset, place a second device playing a professionally produced MP3 close to the mouthpiece while recording (1571, option 2, option 1). A well-mastered recording captured this way sounds excellent over a landline.
