diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index e07f0e5a26..8d5f5b388e 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -226,6 +226,14 @@ res_pjsip_history
         information on filtering, view the current CLI help for the
         'pjsip show history' command.
 
+Voicemail
+------------------
+ * app_voicemail and res_mwi_external can now be built together.  The default
+   remains to build app_voicemail and not res_mwi_external but if they are
+   both built, the load order will cause res_mwi_external to load first and
+   app_voicemail will be skipped.  Use 'preload=app_voicemail.so' in
+   modules.conf to force app_voicemail to be the voicemail provider.
+
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 --- Functionality changes from Asterisk 13.6.0 to Asterisk 13.7.0 ------------
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/apps/app_voicemail.c b/apps/app_voicemail.c
index f2f7bad64f..cd552545ec 100644
--- a/apps/app_voicemail.c
+++ b/apps/app_voicemail.c
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@
 
 /*** MODULEINFO
 	<defaultenabled>yes</defaultenabled>
-	<conflict>res_mwi_external</conflict>
 	<use type="module">res_adsi</use>
 	<use type="module">res_smdi</use>
 	<support_level>core</support_level>
@@ -14702,10 +14701,14 @@ static int unload_module(void)
  *
  * Module loading including tests for configuration or dependencies.
  * This function can return AST_MODULE_LOAD_FAILURE, AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE,
- * or AST_MODULE_LOAD_SUCCESS. If a dependency or environment variable fails
- * tests return AST_MODULE_LOAD_FAILURE. If the module can not load the 
- * configuration file or other non-critical problem return 
- * AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE. On success return AST_MODULE_LOAD_SUCCESS.
+ * or AST_MODULE_LOAD_SUCCESS.
+ *
+ * If a dependency, allocation or environment variable fails tests, return AST_MODULE_LOAD_FAILURE.
+ *
+ * If the module can't load the configuration file, can't register as a provider or
+ * has another issue not fatal to Asterisk itself, return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE.
+ *
+ * On success return AST_MODULE_LOAD_SUCCESS.
  */
 static int load_module(void)
 {
@@ -14714,7 +14717,7 @@ static int load_module(void)
 	umask(my_umask);
 
 	if (!(inprocess_container = ao2_container_alloc(573, inprocess_hash_fn, inprocess_cmp_fn))) {
-		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_FAILURE;
 	}
 
 	/* compute the location of the voicemail spool directory */
@@ -14724,8 +14727,10 @@ static int load_module(void)
 		ast_log(AST_LOG_WARNING, "failed to reference mwi subscription taskprocessor.  MWI will not work\n");
 	}
 
-	if ((res = load_config(0)))
-		return res;
+	if ((res = load_config(0))) {
+		unload_module();
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
+	}
 
 	res = ast_register_application_xml(app, vm_exec);
 	res |= ast_register_application_xml(app2, vm_execmain);
@@ -14746,10 +14751,26 @@ static int load_module(void)
 	res |= AST_TEST_REGISTER(test_voicemail_vm_info);
 #endif
 
-	res |= ast_vm_register(&vm_table);
-	res |= ast_vm_greeter_register(&vm_greeter_table);
 	if (res) {
-		return res;
+		ast_log(LOG_ERROR, "Failure registering applications, functions or tests\n");
+		unload_module();
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
+	}
+
+	/* ast_vm_register may return DECLINE if another module registered for vm */
+	res = ast_vm_register(&vm_table);
+	if (res) {
+		ast_log(LOG_ERROR, "Failure registering as a voicemail provider\n");
+		unload_module();
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
+	}
+
+	/* ast_vm_greeter_register may return DECLINE if another module registered as a greeter */
+	res = ast_vm_greeter_register(&vm_greeter_table);
+	if (res) {
+		ast_log(LOG_ERROR, "Failure registering as a greeter provider\n");
+		unload_module();
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
 	}
 
 	ast_cli_register_multiple(cli_voicemail, ARRAY_LEN(cli_voicemail));
@@ -14762,7 +14783,7 @@ static int load_module(void)
 	ast_realtime_require_field("voicemail", "uniqueid", RQ_UINTEGER3, 11, "password", RQ_CHAR, 10, SENTINEL);
 	ast_realtime_require_field("voicemail_data", "filename", RQ_CHAR, 30, "duration", RQ_UINTEGER3, 5, SENTINEL);
 
-	return res;
+	return AST_MODULE_LOAD_SUCCESS;
 }
 
 static int dialout(struct ast_channel *chan, struct ast_vm_user *vmu, char *num, char *outgoing_context) 
diff --git a/include/asterisk/app.h b/include/asterisk/app.h
index 3975fda7d1..d86b63338f 100644
--- a/include/asterisk/app.h
+++ b/include/asterisk/app.h
@@ -580,6 +580,7 @@ int ast_vm_is_registered(void);
  *
  * \retval 0 on success.
  * \retval -1 on error.
+ * \retval AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE if there's already another provider registered.
  */
 int __ast_vm_register(const struct ast_vm_functions *vm_table, struct ast_module *module);
 
@@ -648,6 +649,7 @@ int ast_vm_greeter_is_registered(void);
  *
  * \retval 0 on success.
  * \retval -1 on error.
+ * \retval AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE if there's already another greeter registered.
  */
 int __ast_vm_greeter_register(const struct ast_vm_greeter_functions *vm_table, struct ast_module *module);
 
diff --git a/include/asterisk/module.h b/include/asterisk/module.h
index 9fbeb5ebca..d5616e9d82 100644
--- a/include/asterisk/module.h
+++ b/include/asterisk/module.h
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ enum ast_module_unload_mode {
 enum ast_module_load_result {
 	AST_MODULE_LOAD_SUCCESS = 0,    /*!< Module loaded and configured */
 	AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE = 1,    /*!< Module is not configured */
-	AST_MODULE_LOAD_SKIP = 2,       /*!< Module was skipped for some reason */
+	AST_MODULE_LOAD_SKIP = 2,       /*!< Module was skipped for some reason (For loader.c use only. Should never be returned by modules)*/
 	AST_MODULE_LOAD_PRIORITY = 3,   /*!< Module is not loaded yet, but is added to prioity heap */
 	AST_MODULE_LOAD_FAILURE = -1,   /*!< Module could not be loaded properly */
 };
diff --git a/main/app.c b/main/app.c
index dabf15d377..36330ac118 100644
--- a/main/app.c
+++ b/main/app.c
@@ -494,7 +494,7 @@ int __ast_vm_register(const struct ast_vm_functions *vm_table, struct ast_module
 	if (table) {
 		ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "Voicemail provider already registered by %s.\n",
 			table->module_name);
-		return -1;
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
 	}
 
 	table = ao2_alloc_options(sizeof(*table), NULL, AO2_ALLOC_OPT_LOCK_NOLOCK);
@@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ int __ast_vm_greeter_register(const struct ast_vm_greeter_functions *vm_table, s
 	if (table) {
 		ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "Voicemail greeter provider already registered by %s.\n",
 			table->module_name);
-		return -1;
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
 	}
 
 	table = ao2_alloc_options(sizeof(*table), NULL, AO2_ALLOC_OPT_LOCK_NOLOCK);
diff --git a/res/res_mwi_external.c b/res/res_mwi_external.c
index 97228220f6..3499885a5b 100644
--- a/res/res_mwi_external.c
+++ b/res/res_mwi_external.c
@@ -33,7 +33,6 @@
 
 /*** MODULEINFO
 	<defaultenabled>no</defaultenabled>
-	<conflict>app_voicemail</conflict>
 	<support_level>core</support_level>
  ***/
 
@@ -935,12 +934,22 @@ static int unload_module(void)
 
 static int load_module(void)
 {
+	int res;
+
 	if (mwi_sorcery_init()
 		|| ast_sorcery_observer_add(mwi_sorcery, MWI_MAILBOX_TYPE, &mwi_observers)
 #if defined(MWI_DEBUG_CLI)
 		|| ast_cli_register_multiple(mwi_cli, ARRAY_LEN(mwi_cli))
 #endif	/* defined(MWI_DEBUG_CLI) */
-		|| ast_vm_register(&vm_table)) {
+		) {
+		unload_module();
+		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
+	}
+
+	/* ast_vm_register may return DECLINE if another module registered for vm */
+	res = ast_vm_register(&vm_table);
+	if (res) {
+		ast_log(LOG_ERROR, "Failure registering as a voicemail provider\n");
 		unload_module();
 		return AST_MODULE_LOAD_DECLINE;
 	}