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 indicating a number of new voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, indicating a total number of voicemail messages in the voicemail mailbox, and including an identifier of a most recent voicemail message in the voicemail mailbox, where the notification causes each of the plurality of communication devices to determine whether or not 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 the voicemail mailbox stored in the database, wherein the one of the communication devices determines to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of new voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message;
• and
• where the transmitter sends, to the one of the plurality of communications devices, the list of voicemail messages, and wherein at least one of the plurality of communication devices determines not to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of new voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message.

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 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
• determine not to request the 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, when determined to request the list of voicemail messages, 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 at least one of the communication devices in response to the notification, a request for a list of voicemail messages in the mailbox, wherein the request is based on the number of new voicemail messages in the mailbox indicated in the notification, the total number of voicemail messages in the mailbox indicated in the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message;
• and
• sending, to the at least one of the plurality of communications device, the list of voicemail messages in the mailbox and the list of voicemail message listing the new voicemail message, wherein at least one of the plurality of communication devices determines not to request the list of voicemail messages based on the number of new voicemail messages from the notification, the total number of new voicemail messages from the notification, or the identifier of the new voicemail message.