Introduction

Welcome to PhoneShield.ai! This guide will help you set up your account, get your PhoneShield number, forward your phone to it, and put a front desk in front of your calls in a few minutes.

What You’ll Learn

How to create your PhoneShield account

Installing the app and getting your PhoneShield number

Naming your assistant and choosing her voice

Setting up notifications and making your first test call

Step 1: Create Your Account

Begin by creating your PhoneShield.ai account:

  1. Visit PhoneShield.ai Signup to create a new account

    Navigate to our signup page to begin the registration process.

  2. Enter your email address and create a secure password

    Choose a strong password with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols.

  3. Complete the verification process

    Check your email and click the verification link we send you.

  4. Log in to your new account

    Return to PhoneShield.ai and sign in with your credentials.

Pricing

There is one plan, one flat price, and no tiers. Only Nora's talk time is metered:

$29.99 a month

Includes your PhoneShield number, scam calls refused before they ring, front-desk screening, messages, calls that ring you, and 150 minutes a month of Nora. Screening is never metered and there is no monthly minimum.

$0.12 a minute after 150

Only Nora's talk time counts. Blocked numbers are refused before answering and cost nothing. Once Nora connects a caller to you, the rest of that call is not metered, and neither is time with a caller who rang through.

Step 2: Install the PhoneShield App

Calls that pass the front desk ring right in the PhoneShield app, like any phone call, with the caller's name on the screen. No second line and no new SIM.

  1. On the iPhone, open phoneshield.ai/app and install PhoneShield

    It opens the App Store page. Setting it up for a parent? Do this on their iPhone.

  2. Sign in with the same email as your account

    That is the whole step: calls that pass now ring the app, and the front desk switches on.

  3. Allow the microphone when the iPhone asks

    So you can talk on the calls that come through.

Step 3: Get Your PhoneShield Number

Your PhoneShield number is the line your phone forwards to. Callers never dial it; they keep using the number they already have.

  1. Subscribe to a plan

    We assign your number after you subscribe and email you when it is ready.

  2. Find it on Shield settings

    It appears at the top of Screening, along with the carrier codes for forwarding your phone to it.

  3. Forward your phone to it

    Dial your carrier’s forwarding code from the phone people already call, then use “Test that forwarding is on” to confirm calls come through.

Step 4: Configure Your Assistant

Two places shape how callers are handled. The Shield settings page sets the mode, the assistant’s name and voice, and what the front desk says. The AI profile sets how your assistant thinks and what she knows.

  1. Pick a mode on Shield settings

    Open (vetted calls ring you), Do not disturb (callers leave a message), or Receptionist (your assistant answers and decides).

  2. Name your assistant and choose a voice

    She is Nora unless you rename her. Choose between the Marin and Cedar voices.

  3. Write the greeting and the message prompt

    The greeting is what callers hear first; the message prompt is what they hear when a message is being taken.

  4. Open AI profile and add instructions

    Set her personality, language and speech speed, and tell her how to treat callers and what to collect.

  5. Add knowledge and conditional responses

    Opening hours, your address, prices, and “if the caller asks X, say Y” rules.

  6. Save your changes

    Click “Save” to apply your configuration.

Step 5: Set Up Call Notifications

Messages and assistant calls always land in your Messages feed. Connect a channel under Integrations to have them delivered as well:

Email Notifications

Receive each message and assistant call summary via email.

Setup guide →

Telegram Messages

Get instant notifications on your phone via Telegram.

Setup guide →

Slack

Post every message to a channel your team reads.

Setup guide →

Webhook

Send a JSON POST to your own systems.

Setup guide →

Step 6: Make a Test Call

Test your PhoneShield setup to make sure everything is working properly:

  1. Using a different phone, call the number you forwarded

    Call from a phone that is not on your Favorites list, so you meet the front desk like a stranger would.

  2. Say who you are and why you are calling

    Then follow the path your mode takes: ring through, talk to your assistant, or leave a message.

  3. Check that notifications are delivered

    Verify that you receive the note through your configured channels.

  4. Review the call in Call History

    You should see its outcome (RANG YOU, MESSAGE or ASSISTANT) and the reason.

  5. Open the Messages feed

    If you left a message, it is waiting there with a callback button. Mark it done.

  6. Adjust settings if needed

    Fine-tune your greeting, instructions or mode based on what you heard.

What to Check For

Did the front desk greet you the way you wrote it?

Did the app ring with the caller's name on the screen?

Are notifications received promptly?

Is the summary in the message accurate?

Next Steps

Now that you’ve set up PhoneShield.ai, consider exploring these features:

Call Forwarding

Carrier codes for every major carrier and how to test forwarding

View guide →

Scam Protection

How the front desk, the shared block list and FTC data keep scams out

View guide →

Slack and Webhook Delivery

Post every message to a Slack channel or your own endpoint

View guide →

Favorites

The people who ring you straight through

View guide →