Mobile App User Guide

About this guide

This guide explains how to use the SmartphoneKey mobile app for iPhone and Android — the app you use to open doors, answer the intercom, share temporary access with visitors, control smart devices and watch cameras.

It describes what each screen, button and message does, with the exact names you see in the app. What you see depends on what your administrator or property manager has granted to your account: a lock appears only once access has been given, cameras and devices only when they have been shared with you. So you may see only part of what is described here.

The app is organised around a bottom bar with five tabs — Home, Key, Devices, Camera and Profile. The guide follows the same order, then covers intercom calls, notifications, your profile, and support and troubleshooting. To see the screens in action, open the interactive walkthrough.

The same app is also published under the JustBell and Skillos brands. They differ in logo and colours only; everything described here works the same way.

Requirements

Install and sign in

Download the app

Install SmartphoneKey from the Apple App Store or Google Play and open it. The first screen is the sign-in screen.

Sign in without a password

There is no password. You sign in with a one-time code, or with your Google or Apple account:

• Sign in with Google or Sign in with Apple — a browser window opens for the provider and the app returns by itself when you are done.
• Email or Phone — choose the channel, enter your email address or pick your Country code and type your phone number, then tap Send code. Enter the 6-digit code you receive and tap Verify. Resend code becomes available after 30 seconds; Change email / Change phone takes you back a step.

Use the same email address or phone number that your administrator has on file for you. Signing in with a different one opens an empty account with no locks: the account is created automatically, but nothing is granted to it until an administrator does so in the SPK Portal.

If a code does not arrive, check the spam folder, check the country code and the number (no leading zero after the country code), wait for Resend code, or try the other channel. The message "Use international format, e.g. +380..." means the number is not valid for the selected country.

Permissions

After the first sign-in the app asks to allow notifications — they carry intercom calls and alerts. Camera and microphone access are requested the first time you answer a video call or start the Virtual Concierge. If you declined a permission, the related screen shows an Open settings button that takes you to the phone settings.

Sign in with biometrics

Turn on Sign in with biometrics in My Profile (section 11). The sign-in screen then offers Sign in with biometrics — Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint — instead of a code.

Staying signed in

The app keeps you signed in and refreshes the session in the background. If it shows "Please login to access locks.", or your lists stay empty after a long time offline, open Profile, tap Sign Out and sign in again.

The Home dashboard

The Home tab is your dashboard. The title reads My home; tapping it opens a small menu (My home, Friends' home, Home settings) that only changes the title in this version. The bell icon is reserved for later — your alerts arrive as phone notifications (section 10). Scenarios (automations) are not part of this version.

Sections appear only when there is something to show:

• Camera — a swipeable row of camera previews. Tap a preview to open the live stream full screen; tap the section title to go to the Camera tab.
• My key — two buttons, Guest Key (section 5) and Virtual Concierge (section 6), followed by your locks as cards in two columns. Tap the section title to go to the Key tab.

Each lock card shows the door icon, the lock name, its state (Locked, Unlocked or Loading...), a microphone button for the Virtual Concierge and the Slide to unlock rail. Press and hold a card to drag it to another position; the order is kept on this phone.

Pull down to refresh the locks and cameras at any time.

Keys: open doors

The Key tab

The Key tab lists all your locks, one card per lock:

• SmartphoneKey locks have the Slide to unlock rail, a microphone button (Virtual Concierge) and a … menu.
• Smart-home locks (Matter, Zigbee or LTE locks connected through a hub) show a Lock / Unlock or Open the door action instead of the rail, and no microphone button.

Pull down to refresh; the list also refreshes by itself every 30 seconds while the tab is open. "There is not a single key" means no lock has been granted to your account yet.

Slide to unlock

1. Drag the Slide to unlock handle to the right end of the rail.
2. The card shows Loading... while the command is sent (up to 15 seconds).
3. On success the card shows Unlocked with an open-door icon and returns to Locked after a few seconds. The door itself stays open for the time set on the lock.

If it fails, the card returns to Locked and a message appears:

Only one card can be dragged at a time. Every door you open from the app is recorded in your building's access log under your account.

Smart-home locks

Tap Unlock, Lock or Open the door on the card or in its actions sheet. Command sent confirms the hub accepted the command; the card updates when the lock reports its new state. Status not confirmed means the lock did not report back — for example the hub is offline, the lock is out of range or it needs a PIN that has not been set up. LTE locks open for about 4 seconds (Opened 4 sec.).

Key actions (the … menu)

Record a voice script and Send guest key are not offered for smart-home locks that are not SmartphoneKey locks.

Siri (iPhone)

The app adds an Open Lock shortcut to Siri. Say, for example, "Open Front door in SmartphoneKey" or "Unlock Front door with SmartphoneKey", using the lock name as it appears in the app. If you have several locks and do not name one, Siri asks "Which lock do you want to open?". You must be signed in to the app on that iPhone. The shortcut is also available in the Shortcuts app.

Wallet keys, cards and QR intercom access

These are issued by your administrator in the SPK Portal, not in the app:

• Wallet key — a pass for Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. You receive an email with one Add to Wallet button; open it on your phone to add the pass, then hold the phone to the reader to open the door. The app has no Wallet button. If you lost the email, ask support or your administrator to send it again.
• Physical NFC card — handed to you by your administrator.
• QR intercom access — set up by your administrator for the door's QR intercom.

What the app cannot do with locks

Adding a lock to your account, removing one, or renaming a lock for everyone is done by your administrator in the SPK Portal (or by support). Ask them, or leave a request on the support page (section 12).

Guest Keys: temporary access for visitors

A Guest Key is a temporary access link for a visitor. The visitor opens the link in a browser and unlocks the door from the web page during the period you set. They need neither the app nor an account.

Where to start

• Home tab → Guest Key button, or
• Key tab → … on a lock → Send guest key.

The Send guest key screen

The times use your phone's local time; the link works only between Start and End, and stops working once the number of openings is used up.

Good to know

• If Send seems to do nothing and the screen stays open, the key could not be created — check your connection and try again.
• The app can create and share Guest Keys but cannot list, change or revoke them. To cancel a Guest Key before it expires, ask your administrator or support.
• Guest Keys are available for SmartphoneKey locks only.

Virtual Concierge

The Virtual Concierge is a voice assistant for arranging a visitor's access. You say who you are, your apartment, who is coming and when; the assistant repeats what it understood, checks the request and, when it is approved, unlocks the selected lock right away.

Where to start

• Home tab → Virtual Concierge button (with several locks, a Select key sheet appears first);
• the microphone button on any lock card;
• Key tab → … → Record a voice script.

It works with SmartphoneKey locks only.

Step by step

1. The screen Give a guest temporary access shows an example: "I'm John Doe in apartment 12A. I'm expecting a plumber today from 2 to 4 PM."
2. The app checks the microphone permission. Microphone access needed offers Enable microphone; Microphone is disabled offers Open settings, because the permission must be allowed in the phone settings.
3. Tap Start speaking and say your name, apartment number, visitor and the access time. Recording stops by itself after a pause or after 20 seconds, or when you tap Stop recording.
4. Check the Recognized text — you can edit it — then tap Confirm, or Retry to record again.
5. The assistant answers out loud. When the request is approved, the app unlocks the lock and shows the green completed state. When it needs a clarification, it asks a question and listens again. When the request is denied, the screen turns red with Retry and Close.

If the request is denied, repeat it clearly with your name, apartment and time; if it keeps being denied, contact your building's administrator.

Devices: control your smart home

The Devices tab shows the smart-home devices connected through your SmartphoneKey hub and linked to your account — locks, lights, sockets, switches, door and window sensors, motion sensors, leak detectors, smoke alarms, thermostats, blinds and many other Matter, Zigbee and Thread devices. Devices are added (commissioned) by your administrator in the SPK Portal and appear here automatically; their states update live.

Cards

Each card shows the device icon, its name, a status line and, where available, the battery level and signal strength. Status texts include On / Off, Open / Closed, Motion detected / No motion, Leak detected / Clear, Alarm (the card turns red), Offline (the card is greyed out), Loading..., Command sent and Status not confirmed. Locks show Locked / Unlocked with an Unlock / Lock action.

Lights have an on/off toggle on the card; tap a dimmable light to open its brightness slider.

Device actions

Tap a card to open its actions sheet:

Adding or removing a device is done by your administrator in the SPK Portal, not in the app.

Messages

• There is not a single device — no device is linked to your account yet.
• Some devices couldn't be linked — the app found devices but could not finish setting them up; pull down to refresh or tap retry.

Cameras

Two kinds of cameras

The Camera tab

Video Surveillance shows a card per camera with a preview image and name; cameras with a working live stream come first. Card texts: Tap to open live stream, No preview, Image in progress :) (the preview is still being generated), Camera disabled, Stream isn't working. Previews refresh about every 4 minutes and when you pull down.

• Tap a card to open the full-screen player.
• Long-press an IP camera you manage to remove it: Delete this camera? → Confirm.
• You don't have any cameras yet — no camera is shared with you, or the list failed to load. Tap Retry first.

The full-screen player

The player shows the camera name, a Close control, pause/play and a rotate button for landscape viewing. Loading video... appears while the stream starts; Something went wrong. Please try again. means the stream is unavailable.

For 3dEye cameras only:

• Timeline — choose From and To, tap Load archive, then move along the timeline to watch the recording.
• Events — filter by period and type (motion by default; also camera status, tampering, line crossing, intrusion, licence plates, face recognition, audio, analytics and more), tap Load Events, then Open video on an event to jump to that moment.

Confirm camera terms and Camera Login

Cloud cameras cannot load until the 3dEye terms have been accepted for your camera account. The app then shows Confirm camera terms with Open Camera Login. On the Camera Login screen (also under Profile → Camera Login) you see your 3dEye Login and Password with Copy buttons and Open Camera Website: sign in on the camera website with those credentials, accept the terms, come back to the app and pull down to refresh. If the fields read Not available, no camera account has been set up for you yet — ask your provider.

Intercom video calls

Receiving a call

When a visitor presses the intercom at your door, everyone with access to that door gets an incoming call, even when the app is closed or the phone is locked:

• iPhone — the usual phone-style call screen with the door name; Accept or Decline, also from the lock screen.
• Android — with the app open, a full-screen Incoming call with Decline and Accept; otherwise the Android system call screen.

A call not answered within 60 seconds is recorded as Missed. When another household member answers or declines first, the call disappears from your phone.

During the call

The Call in progress screen shows the visitor's video (or Connecting... / Camera disabled if the panel has no video) and these controls:

Calls are limited to 5 minutes; Call will end in 10 seconds warns you before the limit.

Call History

Profile → Locks history opens Call History. Filter by View All, Accepted, Missed or Declined; each row shows the door, the date and the status. Open a call to see the visitor photo (when the panel took one), the Result — Lock opened, Missed call or Call declined — and Reacted by, the person who handled it. Scroll down to load older calls; No Calls in history yet means there are none.

Notifications and permissions

What the app notifies you about

• Intercom calls and their results (missed, answered elsewhere, ended).
• Device updates — a lock or door event, a device going online or offline, a low battery, a sensor change.
• Device alarms — smoke or fire, water leak, motion or security alarms (high priority).

Tapping a notification opens the related screen. Sign Out removes this phone from your account's notifications.

iPhone

Allow notifications when the app asks. Camera and microphone access are requested when you first answer a call. Nothing else is needed.

Android: make calls ring reliably

For intercom calls to reach you, check in Settings → Apps → SmartphoneKey:

1. Notifications — allowed.
2. Permissions — Camera, Microphone and Phone allowed.
3. Battery — set to Unrestricted, so Android does not stop the app in the background.
4. Display over other apps — allowed, for the incoming-call screen.
5. When the app asks to handle calls as a phone account (This app needs access to your phone accounts to show incoming video calls.), tap OK.

Some phones (Xiaomi, Huawei, Samsung, Oppo, Vivo) have their own battery savers or "sleeping apps" lists — make sure SmartphoneKey is excluded from them. Permissions required — Camera and microphone are required to answer video calls. means one of the two permissions is still missing; Open settings takes you to the right place.

Profile and account settings

The Profile menu

My Profile

• Language — nine interface languages: English, Ukrainian, German, Spanish, French, Greek, Portuguese, Polish and Georgian. The change applies immediately. On first start the app uses your phone's language when it is one of these.
• Change password — only for accounts created by an administrator with an email address and a password. Accounts that sign in with a code, Google or Apple have no password; the app then says so: This account signs in without an Auth0 password. Use the email code, social sign-in, or update the camera password separately.
• Sign in with biometrics — turn on Face ID, Touch ID or fingerprint sign-in. Biometrics must be set up on the phone first.
• Delete My Account — the app signs you out; the deletion itself is completed by support. Write to support@smartphonekey.com to request it.

Home

The Home screen lets you keep a list of homes on this phone: create a home, rename it, note its participants and change the order. This list stays on your phone only — it does not send invitations and does not change anyone's access. Sharing access to locks, devices and cameras is done by your administrator in the SPK Portal.

Sign out

Sign Out → Sign out? → Sign Out. The app removes this phone from your notifications, clears the saved session (so Sign in with biometrics is offered again only after your next sign-in with a code, Google or Apple) and resets the language to the phone's language.

Appearance

The app follows your phone's light or dark appearance; there is no separate switch in the app.

Support and troubleshooting

Contact support

Profile → Contact support opens your mail app with a new message to support@smartphonekey.com.

The company that operates your locks may also give you its Support page, opened from a link it shares with you. Depending on how the company set it up, the page shows:

• Contacts — tap a card to call, write an email, open a chat (WhatsApp, Telegram, Viber, Messenger or Signal), open the help center or show the office on a map. An emergency number, when there is one, comes first and is marked Available 24/7.
• Working hours — with an Open now / Closed now note and the next opening time.
• Leave a message or My requests — describe your issue and send it. When the company answers through its support desk, your requests are listed with their status; open one to read the answers, reply, attach photos and, once it is resolved, rate the help from 1 to 5. A New reply badge marks a request with an unread answer.
• Assistant — when the company switched it on, a chat answers right away about the app, your keys and their status, your recent door events and whether your lock is online. It cannot open doors or change access, and it offers to leave a request whenever a matter needs a person. Say It is solved when it helped, or Leave a message for the support team to hand the conversation, with everything already said, to a person. A conversation has a limited number of messages, and on emergency words the page shows the emergency phone first.

If the company has not published its own contacts yet, the page shows the SmartphoneKey support contacts instead. The page opens in the language of the app.

Common questions

Done by your administrator, not in the app