Callers hear an old audio message
Why your line isn't playing the audio message you expect, and how to fix it.
Start with your dashboard: Callers hear now shows exactly what’s playing, and why. Then check these:
- Is the new audio message published? On Audio messages, it should say “Published” or “Scheduled for…”, not “Draft”. Choose Publish now if it’s a draft.
- Is it ready? An audio message that says Processing… starts playing once it’s ready. One that says Couldn’t process won’t play; see An audio message couldn’t be processed.
- Is it scheduled for later? “Scheduled for…” means it starts at that time, in your account’s time zone.
- Is a scheduled audio message in the way? An audio message with an end date plays ahead of those without one until its end date. Archive it, or wait for it to end. See what plays when.
- Did a scheduled audio message end? After an audio message’s end date, your fallback recording plays. With no fallback, the audio message that ended most recently keeps playing. Your dashboard says so: “its window has ended”. Set a fallback recording.
Changes reach callers on their next call. Someone already on the phone keeps hearing what was playing when they called.
Updated October 13, 2026
Related articles
- Publish and schedule audio messages
Put an audio message on your line now, or set dates for it to start and end. Here's what plays when.
- Set a greeting and a fallback recording
A short greeting plays before every audio message. A fallback plays when nothing else is published.
- An audio message couldn't be processed
What each "Couldn't process" reason means and what to do.
Still need help?
Email support@dialamessage.com. Tell us your phone number and what you were trying to do, and we'll get back to you.