First launch and permissions

1. Create the account

Open Fenzly and enter your phone number. You receive a code by SMS: type it in, that is your sign-in. If the SMS is slow, choose Get the code by email.

Then pick your display name. It is what the members of your circles will see; you can change it later.

2. Permissions

Fenzly detects your arrivals and departures even when the app is closed. For that it needs three things, which the permissions screen asks for in order:

Location “Always” Choose Always (iOS) or Allow all the time (Android), with precise location. “While using the app” is not enough: place detection would stop as soon as you leave the app.

Notifications To be told about arrivals, messages and SOS alerts.

Android only: battery-optimisation exemption Android puts apps it deems idle to sleep. The exemption tells the system to let Fenzly watch your places. On some phones (Samsung, Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo) a second, manufacturer-specific setting is needed: Fenzly tells you which.

3. A few days later, on iPhone

iOS asks once more whether you want to keep “Always” location. Answer Always Allow: otherwise detections stop with no further warning.

4. First circle

You can now create a circle and invite your people, or join someone’s circle with the code they sent you. The guide Join a circle with a code takes over.

5. Turn on the backup

Last step, the most forgotten one: Settings → Backup. Your data lives only on this phone; the backup is the only way to get it back on another.