This guide is for technicians, whether you work in-house for a property manager or for a third-party vendor company.
In other words:Save Latchel’s numbers as one contact, mark it a Favorite, and let it through your phone’s silence and spam filters.
The Numbers to Save
Latchel contacts you from up to three numbers. Save every one that applies to you.How Emergency Alerts Work
Emergency job offers
You get a text and a call from (206) 900-9466. To accept, tap the link in the text, answer the call, or call back.
On-call alerts
When you’re on call, you get a text and a call from (978) 848-4371. Reply 1 to the text, or answer and press 1. The full work order follows by text.
Start Here: Three Fixes for Every Phone
Save the numbers as one contact
Save every number that applies to you in one contact, for example “Latchel Emergencies” or your property manager’s name. Phones trust saved numbers and are far less likely to silence or filter them.
Mark the contact as a Favorite
- iPhone: open the contact, then tap Add to Favorites.
- Android: open the contact, then tap the star.
Text START if you ever replied STOP
If you ever replied STOP to one of these numbers, its texts are switched off. Text START to that same number to turn them back on.
iPhone Settings
Menu names can vary by iOS version.Let Favorites through Focus
Go to Settings › Focus › Do Not Disturb › People. Allow calls from Favorites, add your Latchel contact, and turn on Allow Repeated Calls. Repeat this for every Focus you use, including Sleep.
Stop screening unknown callers
Go to Settings › Apps › Phone › Screen Unknown Callers and set it to Never. On older iOS versions, turn off Silence Unknown Callers.
Check filtered texts
Go to Settings › Apps › Messages › Unknown Senders. Latchel texts may be sitting in the Unknown Senders or Spam list. Saving the contact moves them to your main inbox.
Make sure no numbers are blocked
Go to Settings › Apps › Phone › Blocked Contacts. If any Latchel number is listed, swipe left and tap Unblock.
Turn on Emergency Bypass
Open Contacts, choose your Latchel contact, then tap Edit › Ringtone and turn on Emergency Bypass. Do the same under Text Tone. Calls and texts then come through even on silent or in a Focus.
Android Settings
Pixel and Samsung menus are shown. Other Android phones are similar.Let starred contacts through Do Not Disturb
- Pixel: go to Settings › Modes (or Notifications) › Do Not Disturb.
- Samsung: go to Settings › Notifications › Do not disturb.
Check spam and call screening
Open the Phone app, tap ⋮ › Settings › Spam and Call Screen (Samsung: Caller ID and spam protection). Make sure no Latchel number is filtered as spam or screened automatically.
Unblock numbers and unknown callers
In the Phone app, tap ⋮ › Settings › Blocked numbers. Remove any Latchel number if it’s listed, and turn off Block unknown callers.
Rescue texts from Spam
Open Messages, tap ☰ or ⋮ › Spam & blocked. If a Latchel text is there, open it and tap Not spam or Unblock.
Still Not Getting Alerts?
- Check your carrier’s spam blocking. Verizon Call Filter, AT&T ActiveArmor, and T-Mobile Scam Shield can stop calls before they reach your phone. Add the Latchel numbers to the allowed list in your carrier’s app.
- Use your regular phone number. Calling apps like Google Voice often block automated calls and texts. Make sure your property manager has your regular mobile number.
- On a rotation? Ask your property manager to check that your phone number is correct in their contact rotation.
- Still stuck? Email success@latchel.com with your name, your phone model, and the time of the missed call or text.
How to Call a Resident From an On-Call Alert
Call the resident straight from the alert page after you accept it.