This article is a guide on how you can prepare yourself and your phone to get the most out of a support call with our team. Click here to purchase support / migration calls.
Please note: our calls are usually NOT regular phone calls. Instead we use the online platform Jitsi.
In order to get most out of the call, feel free to prepare a list of things to accomplish and migrate, and please try to get all the devices and login credentials ready for the call.
For longer sessions like migration sessions, we recommend to prepare more extensively.
- Think ahead of your strategy - more...
- Get all devices / credentials / data ready
Depending on what you want to achieve, please try to think ahead of all the devices, data and information you may need for all those goals.
examples:
old SIM card > Transfer SIM card guide, Migrating SIM from iOS
old Email account credentials (Google or Apple ID + password)
contacts file as an exported .vcf > Export contacts guide
WiFi password
0. Connecting to the Internet / VPN
To have a proper starting point we recommend to already connect to your local internet before the call. You can do so either with WiFi, via the Ethernet adapter or with mobile data from the Above SIM (or any other active SIM card you may have).
Explore the options in the phone settings section - WiFi can be activated and managed, as well as mobile data:
Settings > Network & Internet
Here is another quick way to activate and connect to WiFi through the quick settings (swipe down from the very top of the screen):
--If you bought the Above Privacy Suite right along with your phone purchase--
We may have set up the VPN for you already. To make sure of that, please find and open the app called Wireguard on your above phone. If you see a clickable text with the name abovevpnXX (X = number), it means that the configuration file is already provided. (If it is missing, please reach out to us)
To turn it on you may just flip the switch to the right and VPN tunnel will be activated. In effect you should now see a small key symbol on the top of the screen where the battery shows - this means that the VPN is active. Please try out to if the internet (still) works as expected.
(ex. try using the search field from the home screen)
Additional VPN settings:
Settings > Network & Internet > VPN
All active VPN apps will be listed in here. By clicking on the cogwheel to the right of each you can define them to connect by automatically 'Always on' and whether or not connections without the VPN are blocked.
1. Updating the operating system (OS)
The operating systems we use regularly receive updates. For best security, functionality and overall experience it is generally recommended to always update to the latest version.
Once the phone is connected to the internet, it should automatically show you pending system updates in the notifications - pull down once from the very top of the screen to see them in detail in the notifications section.
If you want to be sure whether the latest update is installed, to manually check for a new one or just to get more options, you can navigate to:
Settings > System > System Update
2. Updating installed apps
Most of the apps are in constant development and may have major improvements in newer versions.
Please consider taking some time to update all the apps to their latest versions using either F-Droid or Neo Store. Here is a guide
If you want to use the virtual phone number, we strongly recommend to update the app Cheogram, which is the XMPP client used to bridge to the cell network. If you have issues getting the latest version, consider manually adding the repository.
3. Registering the Above Privacy Suite account
Note: this section is only relevant if you purchased the optional Above Privacy Suite
After making the purchase of the Above Privacy Suite (APS), you will get an Email to the address you provided with the subject line: "Above Privacy Suite"
It will give you a link to the website where you can create your new account on our private servers:
register.above.im
On this site in the field for 'CUSTOMER EMAIL' just put in your original Email that you made the purchase with.
Then feel free to define the username and password for your new APS account.
Note: We recommend to use a strong password (and save it in a password manager like Bitwarden or KeepassXC).
Once your account is created you will get another Email to your customer Email with the subject: "Your Above Privacy Suite Account Information"
You are now ready to use your accounts and services from your Above Privacy Suite!
To set those up we invite you to check out our guides.
4. Joining the call on Jitsi
We recommend to join the call directly from the above phone.
Here is how to manually join any call directly with the URL:
1. Open the Jitsi app on your phone.
2. On the top part there is a field that just generates random room names. This is where you can enter the complete URL that was provided in the Email.
3. Then just tap on CREATE / JOIN
It will take you to the lobby of the chatroom where you can test your microphone and camera.
4. Just tap on Join Meeting to jump in.
As an example, for free calls we generally use:
https://jitsi.above.im/free-call
Once in the call, you can activate the Microphone and the Camera using the buttons of the navigation menu on the bottom side of the screen - the app may prompt you asking for the specific permissions, which can be allowed (this app is open source and privacy friendly).
Note: for Screen sharing the camera permission is required.
Connecting from another device
You may also join the call from any other device. On a desktop computer just use a web browser and type the URL into the web address bar. Be sure to give the required permissions inside the browser, as well as in the system settings of your operating system - consider checking the permissions and privacy sections.
For iOS devices you can install the Jitsi App from Apple's App Store.
For Android devices we recommend getting the Jitsi app through F-droid.
Caution: When connecting with multiple devices to the same call, be sure that before you enter the call with a new device you turn off the microphone and turn the sound / speaker volume completely down on one device!
Otherwise it will create a very distracting audio noise loop with the nearby devices 'hearing' each other.
Info on Jitsi:
Jitsi is a decentralized video conferencing platform that respects your privacy (unlike Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Duo, etc.).
It can be used on all the popular platforms and even through a web browser without requiring any account or personal data of any sort - this is why we use it for our calls.
Feel free to check out our guides on Jitsi Meet to learn more about all the features and ways to use it.
5. Showing up for the call
In order to get the most out of the call it is recommended to show up right on time. Please consider that our appointment times are according to central time timezone, so CST in winter and CDT in summer.
If you are not sure about the time difference, you can use this site: https://time.is/CT
Please note that the call will be canceled if you are not on the call within 10 minutes after the scheduled time. If you can not make it after all, please let us know as soon as possible. If you cancel at least 24 hours before the set appointment, we are happy to reschedule the call for you.
We are excited to help you in your process of achieving solid digital privacy!