Managing visual voicemail from multiple devices

A network device comprising:

• a memory to store a database including voicemail message information associated with a voicemail mailbox;
• a transmitter to send a notification to each of a plurality of communication devices, the notification including an indication of a number of new voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, an indication of a total number of voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent voicemail message in the voicemail mailbox, where the notification signal causes each of the plurality of communication devices to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages;
• a receiver to receive, from one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for the list of voicemail messages associated with voicemail message information stored in the database;
• and
• where the transmitter sends, to the one of the plurality of communications devices, the list of voicemail messages.

A communications device comprising:

• a receiver to receive a notification from a network device, the notification including an indication of a number of new voicemail messages in a voicemail mailbox, an indication of a total number of voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, and an identifier of a most recent new voicemail message in the voicemail mailbox;
• a processor to determine whether to request a list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages, the total number of voicemail messages, or the identifier of the most recent new voicemail message;
• and
• a transmitter to send a request to the network device for the list of voicemail messages in the mailbox, where the receiver receives the list of voicemail messages in the mailbox from the network device.

A method, comprising:

• receiving a new voicemail message in a mailbox;
• sending a notification, for determining whether to request a list of voicemail messages, to each of a plurality of communication devices associated with the mailbox, the notification including an indication of a number of new voicemail messages in the mailbox, an indication of a total number of voicemail messages in the mailbox, and an identifier of the new voicemail message;
• receiving, from one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for a list of voicemail messages in the mailbox;
• and
• sending, to the one of the plurality of communications device, the list of voicemail messages in the mailbox, the list of voicemail message including the new voicemail message.