# Activating the mobile app by SMS

> Send an activation SMS to a phone that is not with you, so its user can activate the Venzeo™ mobile app with one tap.

Source: https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/activating-mobile-app-by-sms
Language: en
Updated: 2026-10-27

Only administrators can activate devices. First check that the device is supported: see [Mobile device requirements (Android and iOS)](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/requirements-of-the-mobile-device-android-and-ios).

Use SMS when the phone is somewhere else, for example with a driver on the road. Venzeo™ sends an activation link to the phone's number, so the SIM card with that number must be in the phone.

> **Note:** If your organisation uses groups, a new user needs at least one group in **User's Groups**, which appears after you choose **New user**.

## Send the activation SMS

1. Open the main menu, expand **Venzeo™ Mobile App & Devices** and choose **Activate new device with SMS**. The pop-up opens with **Via SMS** selected.
2. Under **Assigned user**, choose who will use the phone:
   - **Existing one**: pick the person in **User name**.
   - **New user**: type the person's full name in **User name**.
3. In **Phone Numbers**, enter or pick the phone's number. **Warning:** if an active device already uses this number, activating the new device deactivates the old one.
4. Click **Send activation SMS**. The message "Activation SMS has been sent to given mobile phone number" appears.

You can also send the SMS while you add the person, see [Adding a new user](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/adding-new-user).

To see SMS invitations nobody has used yet, open the main menu, expand **Venzeo™ Mobile App & Devices**, choose **Manage devices with Venzeo™ mobile app** and turn on **Show table with unused and expired SMS invitations**.

## Finish the activation on the phone

Send these steps to the phone's user, or do them yourself on the phone.

1. Tap the link in the activation SMS.
2. Optional: Install the app from Google Play or the App Store, if the phone does not have it yet.
3. Follow the instructions in the app and allow the permissions it asks for, such as location and the camera.

Activation needs an internet connection and takes up to 20 seconds. The app then shows the **Create new REPORT** button.

An activation link expires after a while: if it has expired, send a new SMS. If Venzeo™ says the name or the number already exists, or to activate a phone that is with you by QR code, see [Activating the mobile app on a device](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/activating-mobile-app). If the phone still does not activate, see [A phone doesn't activate](https://help.venzeo.com/en/article/phone-does-not-activate).