Frequently Asked Questions

If you have a question that is not answered in the FAQs, please send us an e-mail to  voicemail@eml.org.

Is the service free of charge?

Yes, the service is completely free of charge for private usage.

How can I send my voicemails to the EML Voicemail2Text service?

You have to configure your answering machine so that it forwards calls via e-mail.. You can find detailed instructions under the menu item HowTo.

If you want to try out the service, simply send an e-mail with the audio file as attachment to the e-mail address that you received upon registration. The transcription only works with audio files in the WAV format (16 bit, 8 kHz). The maximum length of audios is limited to 30 seconds.

What happens to my voicemails? Will my data be kept confidential?

Unlike many other providers, we store your voicemails on servers in Germany, so they are processed in accordance with the strict data protection laws that apply in Germany. The voicemails are always accessed via SSL-encrypted connections.

We are using the voicemails to further improve our speech recognition software. Therefore, the data is statistically analyzed; tracing an individual account is no longer possible after this analysis. In particular, we will not use the data for advertising and market research.

In addition, we collect as little personal data as possible. We only check the validity of your e-mail address so that the data can be sent to the correct recipient. If you do not enter further information, like your name and phone number, we will not be able to trace your account back to you (and we do not intend to do so).

Why do I have to register after all?

For legal reasons, we need to prove that all users of our service accept the terms of use. User registration does that for us.

Do the voicemails have to be in a specific format?

The data must be sent as WAV files with 8kHz sampling rate and 16bit samples. We currently do not support other formats.

What does "(30 of 50 seconds were transcribed)" mean?

In order to prevent misuse, we limit the maximum audio length to be transcribed to 30 seconds. However, you can listen to the entire audio  on our website.

I would like to use the service for commercial purposes.

Please contact  voicemail@eml.org.