Voice messaging system with user-specified time for deleting messages

A voice messaging system enables a callee to specify a retention time for retaining a stored voice message from a caller. The system then automatically deletes the stored voice message after the expiration of the retention time. In one embodiment, the caller is able to specify one retention time when the message is first recorded, and the callee can change that retention time when the message is retrieved. If the message is not retrieved by the callee before the caller-specified retention time expires, the system will automatically delete the message. In one embodiment, a callee can also assign a retention time to an outgoing voice message for playback to subsequent callers. The present invention improves the operations of a voice messaging system with limited memory resources, by reducing the chances that the system's memory will become filled with old messages which would leave the system unable to store new messages from callers.