The Intrusive Transcript
macOS, sharing features with iOS, includes a “Live Voicemail” function. When someone calls you via FaceTime or a routed cellular call and leaves a voicemail, your Mac can now automatically transcribe the audio into text in real-time, displaying the transcription directly on your screen as the caller is speaking. While this allows you to screen calls effectively, it can be highly intrusive if you are presenting your screen during a Zoom meeting, sharing your display in a coffee shop, or simply find the massive, auto-generating text boxes distracting and a violation of your conversational privacy.
Disabling Live Voicemail
To maintain your privacy and stop macOS from automatically transcribing voicemails on your screen, you must disable the Live Voicemail feature within the FaceTime settings.
Open the FaceTime application on your Mac (you do not need to initiate a call). Once the app is open and active, look at the very top Menu Bar on your screen. Click on FaceTime and select Settings… from the dropdown menu. A preferences dialogue box will appear in the center of the screen. Ensure you are on the General tab at the top of this box. Look down the list of options for a checkbox explicitly labelled Live Voicemail. Click this checkbox to completely uncheck it. Once unchecked, you can close the settings window. Future voicemails will route directly to your carrier’s inbox or your standard voicemail tab, completely bypassing the live, on-screen transcription engine.