[ssmoot]

> You don't go buy an $699 unlocked phone and use it as a Specifically Optimized for Carrier X phone.

The point is you don't need to with an iPhone. I bought my 5C used and unlocked. No problems hopping onto AT&T with it. It's not "optimized" because it shouldn't be. The carrier is just "a series of tubes". I don't want to buy an AIO, TMobile or AT&T phone. I bought a MotoX because I wanted a MotoX.

[blinkingled]

You are constantly asserting that it didn't work - I am telling you voice mail just works on any GSM Android unlocked phone on most carriers in the US. You keep conflating VoiceMail not working with VoiceMail not working visually through the app, like iOS has done since day 1. It clearly is not the case - again VME just works in the way most GSM users use it. "Visual" voicemail doesn't work until you download an carrier specific app if your phone is not carrier branded.

[ssmoot]

I mentioned it one time. I guess that's some sort of definition of "constantly". ;-)

I'm not confusing anything though. I just have an expectation that I won't be dialing into some arcane menu system to retrieve just the messages I want. I haven't done so for almost 7 years. I don't pay too much attention to other's habits, but I haven't noticed anyone else do that for almost as long.

Visual Voicemail is the only voicemail I'd bother with. I'd guess that's pretty typical these days. I've even gone months after switching carriers having not even called the carrier to get voicemail set up because who leaves voicemails anyways but telemarketers?

Maybe it's different outside the US or in developing markets with a lot of feature-phones. I wouldn't know. This is just my own experience in DFW.