Why is basic visual voice mail free on the Note 3 and 2.99 a month for the S4 ?

Why is basic visual voice mail free on the Note 3 and 2.99 a month for the S4 ?

I'm trying to reach these issues myself. There are a few different flavors of voicemail:
Basic voice mail -- the kind you call in with your phone and press touch tones, like people used to do twenty years ago. Included with contract.
Basic visual voice mail -- see your messages listed by caller, choose which one to play. Included with contract, but only on certain phones. The Note yes, Galaxy s5 yes, Galaxy s4 no.
Visual Voice Mail -- the 2.99/mo version Verizon wants you to pay for. Has the features of 2, but also will transcribe your voice mails into text. Available on most phones because it is a Verizon app.
iphone visual voicemail. Same as 2, for all intents and purposes. Has always been included because Apple established it as a condition for the carriers to be permitted to sell them.
The mystery is number 2, what you are asking about. Though it is mentioned on a verizon comparison chart, 'basic visual voicemail' is not discussed in any verizon literature and I suspect most techs don't know about it yet. It seems to have been enabled with a kitkat update (version 4.4.4 of Android) that has been released on some, but not all phones. I think the way it worked is that users were given a free trial of the pay version of voicemail, but at the end of the trial were able to 'downgrade' to basic voicemail and keep that without paying.
I also have an S4, and basic /no cost visual voice mail does not seem to be possible, though I have heard there may be some ways to make it work with technical workarounds. I have not confirmed any of these methods but they almost certainly would not be recommended by Verizon staff.
To get back to your question, basic visual voicemail and what Verizon calls regular 'visual voicemail' are different products. The basic seems to be a recent product only available on some phones. The regular 'visual voicemail' is the pay service available on all phones.

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