PURPOSE: To eliminate the need for useless time and operation by providing a function retrieving and reproducing only a message for a specific opposite party among plural recorded messages to the automatic answering telephone set.

CONSTITUTION: In the case of selecting and reproducing only a message from a specific opposite party among recorded messages, for example, in the case of reproducing only the message of the opposite party registered in Number 1 of the automatic dial function, after the user depresses an automatic dial '1' by an operation section 5, the user depresses a reproduction button, then a system control circuit 2 controls a magnetic tape device 8 to monitor a sent identification signal and the control circuit 2 detects an identification signal '1', the control circuit brings the magnetic tape device 8 into the reproducing state. When the reproduction of the message is finished, the process from the retrieval of the identification signal '1' to the reproduction of message is executed till the final message. When the identification signal '1' is not detected, the operation is terminated by allowing the system control circuit 2 to sound an error alarm or the like. Thus, the operation is facilitated and the required time is reduced.