A mobile device having phoning capabilities also include capabilities to optionally reduce an operating load on a centralized mobile carrier voicemail system. The user of the mobile device is presented with a notification of an incoming call and is provided with an opportunity to answer the call in a traditional fashion, to optionally engage the centralized mobile carrier voicemail system, or to instead have the mobile device manage options relating to locally obtaining a voicemail from a maker of the incoming call. When the mobile device manages obtaining a voicemail from the maker of the incoming call, the voicemail is originally obtained and is stored locally, without use of centralized carrier resources at the time of recording the voicemail, and the mobile device can also play the recorded voicemail at any time without use of the centralized carrier resources.