a telephone message system identifies a caller with an incoming message , and sorts messages according to caller identifying information for presentation to the user . preferably , messages are grouped according to the caller &# 39 ; s telephone number , but may alternatively be grouped using voice recognition technology . when a user plays back a large number of messages , all messages from the same number or person will be grouped together , making it easier to follow a chain of messages . the user may optionally prioritize message groups , either explicitly of by letting the system assign a priority .