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Your First Login

What to expect when you log in to Phound for the first time.

Your First Login

You have downloaded the app and created your account — now it is time to log in for the first time. This guide walks you through the onboarding flow, explains each permission request, and helps you understand the home screen so you can start using Phound with confidence.

Logging In

Open the Phound app and tap Log In on the welcome screen. Enter the email address and password you used during sign-up, then tap Continue.

If you have biometric authentication enabled on your device (Face ID, Touch ID, or fingerprint), Phound will ask if you want to use it for future logins. We recommend enabling this for faster, more secure access.

Tip: Forgot your password already? No worries. Tap Forgot Password on the login screen, enter your email, and follow the instructions in the reset email. You can also refer to our account recovery guide for more detailed steps.

The Onboarding Flow

When you log in for the first time, Phound walks you through a short onboarding sequence. This process is designed to get your app configured properly so everything works from day one. Here is what to expect, step by step.

Step 1: Welcome Screen

The first thing you will see is a welcome message confirming your account is ready. This screen provides a brief overview of what Phound can do and what you will set up during onboarding.

Tap Let's Go to begin.

Step 2: Review Your First Number

If you selected a number during sign-up, this screen shows you the number you chose along with the persona you created for it. Take a moment to confirm everything looks correct.

If you skipped number selection during sign-up, you will be prompted to choose a number now. Follow the same process described in our download and sign-up guide — pick a country, enter an area code, and select from available numbers.

You will see your number displayed alongside your persona name and a default avatar. You can customize these details now or come back to it later.

Step 3: Grant Microphone Access

Phound will request permission to access your device's microphone. This permission is required for making and receiving phone calls through the app.

When the system dialog appears:

  • On iOS: Tap Allow when you see "Phound Would Like to Access the Microphone."
  • On Android: Tap Allow or While using the app when prompted for microphone access.

Warning: If you deny microphone access, you will not be able to make or receive calls through Phound. You can still send and receive text messages, but the calling feature will be disabled until you grant this permission. If you accidentally denied it, see Step 7 below for instructions on how to fix it.

Step 4: Enable Notifications

Next, Phound will ask to send you notifications. Notifications let you know when you receive incoming calls, new text messages, and voicemail on any of your Phound numbers.

When the system dialog appears:

  • On iOS: Tap Allow to enable notifications.
  • On Android: Tap Allow when prompted. On Android 13 and later, the system will show a notification permission dialog.

We strongly recommend enabling notifications. Without them, you may miss calls and messages on your Phound numbers.

Tip: You can customize notification settings per persona later. For example, you might want your "Work" persona to stay silent after business hours while your "Personal" persona notifications remain active. Learn more in our notification settings guide.

Step 5: Contacts Access (Optional)

Phound will ask for permission to access your device's contacts. This is optional but recommended — it lets the app display contact names on incoming calls and messages, and makes it easy to start conversations from your address book.

Tip: Phound does not upload or store your contacts on our servers. Contact matching happens locally on your device. Your address book stays private.

Step 6: Set Up Voicemail (Optional)

The onboarding flow gives you the option to set up voicemail for your first persona. You can:

  • Record a custom greeting — Tap the microphone icon and record a personalized voicemail message.
  • Use the default greeting — Skip this step and Phound will use a standard automated greeting.

You can always change your voicemail greeting later from the persona settings. For a detailed walkthrough, see our voicemail setup guide.

Step 7: Onboarding Complete

After completing these steps, you will see a confirmation screen letting you know that setup is finished and your Phound number is active. Tap Go to Home to land on the main app screen.

Understanding the Home Screen

After onboarding, you arrive at the Home screen. This is your command center — the first thing you see every time you open Phound. Here is a quick orientation:

At the top, the active persona banner shows your current persona name, number, and avatar — tap it to switch personas. Below that, quick-action buttons let you start a new call, compose a message, start or schedule a meeting, or add another number.

The main area displays your recent activity — calls, messages, and meetings across all personas — so you can quickly pick up where you left off. At the bottom, the navigation bar provides one-tap access to Home, Inbox, Meetings, Personas, and Settings.

For a complete walkthrough of every screen, check out our Tour of the App guide.

Fixing Denied Permissions

If you accidentally denied a permission during onboarding, you can grant it manually through your device's settings:

On iOS

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Scroll down and tap Phound.
  3. Toggle on the permissions you need: Microphone, Notifications, or Contacts.

On Android

  1. Open Settings on your device.
  2. Tap Apps (or Apps & notifications).
  3. Find and tap Phound.
  4. Tap Permissions.
  5. Enable the permissions you need: Microphone, Notifications, or Contacts.

Warning: Call functionality will not work until microphone access is granted. If you are unable to make or receive calls, this is the first thing to check.

First Things to Try

Now that you are logged in and set up, here are some things to try right away:

  1. Send a test message — Tap New Message on the Home screen, enter your personal number (or a friend's), and send a quick text. Confirm that it arrives from your Phound number.

  2. Make a test call — Tap New Call, dial a number you know, and verify that the call connects and your Phound number shows up on the recipient's caller ID. After the call, check for a Magnum AI summary in your call history.

  3. Start a meeting — Go to the Meetings tab and start a quick video meeting. Share the link with a colleague or friend to see the full video conferencing experience.

  4. Check your voicemail — Call your Phound number from another phone and let it go to voicemail. Leave a message and verify it appears in the app.

  5. Explore persona settings — Go to the Personas tab and tap on your persona to see all the customization options available to you.

  6. Invite a contact — Send a message from your Phound number to someone you communicate with regularly so they can save your new number.

Tip: If you plan to use this number for business, update your business cards, email signature, and online profiles with your new Phound number now — that way, contacts start using it from day one.

Still Need Help?

If anything did not go as expected during your first login, we have you covered:

Up next: take the full Tour of the App to learn your way around every screen in Phound.

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