Backup/Restore

 

A backup can be transferred from one Ghost Phone to another at setup time.

To back up from your current Ghost Phone, go to Settings > System > Backup and follow the on-screen instructions. Please note you will need a USB flash drive and USB-C adapter to be able to install the backup on your new device. The drive and adapter that come with each Ghost Phone will do nicely.

You will also need a piece of paper or a similar way to store the 12 word security code needed to restore from a backup. The words must be written down/saved in order. You will have to enter the combination of words on the new device to un-encrypt the backup. 

You can also take a photo of the 12-word code with another phone. 

Users restoring from the Ghost Phone to the Ghost Phone Plus: the Ghost Phone Plus uses different messaging, navigation and notes app than the original Ghost Phone. Data in these apps will not transfer automatically through the backup process.

Please Note: not everything always transfers perfectly from the backup process. Always check and make sure you have all the data transferred before wiping your previous phone. We're always trying to make the backup application better and more thorough, but some bugs and errors remain. Files can be manually transferred over using the included flash drive if the backup doesn't catch them.

 

 

 

Post-Setup

 

Importing contacts is done by downloading your contacts list as a .vcf file and copying it to the phone. Multiple .vcf files can be added to contacts (useful if you have contacts spread across multiple accounts). The Ghost Phone will combine duplicate contact entries automatically. 

Please note that although we try to keep instructions up-to-date, sometimes it takes a bit for us to get to the latest changes. If our export instructions for contacts don't seem to match up:

1. Let us know

2. Just know that really all you need to do is login to wherever your contacts are hosted (usually best done on a separate computer), export them as a .vcf file, and transfer it to a USB drive.

For iCloud Contacts:

1.  Sign in to iCloud on your computer

2. Go to "Contacts."

3.  Select "Settings" on the bottom left of the screen. Tap "Export." Export as .vcf file.

4. Copy the exported .vcf file to a flashdrive.

For Google Contacts:

1. Sign into Gmail on your computer
2. Select "Apps" (the dotted square next to your profile image at the top right) and select "Contacts."
3. Select "Export" from the bottom left and export as a .vcf file
4. Copy the exported .vcf file to a flashdrive.

Regardless of source, adding the contacts from the .vcf file to the device is the same. Simply plug the flash drive with the contacts file into the phone and open it in the file explorer. From there tap the file and select the "Open in Contacts" option.

Alternately, you can open the contacts app, tap "Import" and select the file from the file explorer that appears.

 

Messaging

SMS to Email

Photos, links and text can be sent to any email address from the built-in messaging app. To do so, tap the New Message icon on the bottom right corner of the messaging app. Instead of selecting a contact or a phone number, type in the email address you would like to send the message too.

Long pressing on the Send arrow will allow you to add a subject line to the message.

You will need both carrier support and a cell plan with data to use this feature.

Most carriers support this functionality, you can check yours at the link below.

Check Carrier Compatibility 

Keyboard Settings

To access keyboard settings (to enable emoji key, change keypress behavior, etc.), hold down the comma key and drag up to the settings icon that appears. From there, select AOSP Keyboard Settings.

 

Navigation/GPS

Data in our maps app is provided by Mapbox, and is regularly updated. However, given the lack of an internet browser on Ghost Phone devices, we recommend the precaution of double checking address on a computer for long or mission-critical trips if the exact address or area is unknown. 

Errors in business phone numbers or business hours can be reported to Mapbox from the app.

If you need offline maps, or would just like to try a different navigation app, our beta navigation app powered by HERE Technologies is available to download from the add-ons section of our website.