VEYA ← What you prepare
Step by step

Your Companion gets its own Signal number.

You can talk to your Companion over Signal instead of Telegram. For that it needs a Signal account of its own — and every Signal account hangs on a phone number. So you get hold of a second number, sign the Companion up with it and write to it. The web interface does the rest.

A second phone number About 20 minutes Around €10, one-off — or nothing

Before we start: why a second number?

Because on Signal your Companion is meant to be a participant in its own right — just like a person you write to. It gets its own account, and with it its own number. It deliberately does not attach itself to your account as a second device: otherwise it would see all of your chats and contacts, and to everyone else the two of you would be the same person.

Your number
stays yours. From it you steer your Companion — and only from it. If a stranger writes to it, it does not answer.
Its number
the new card. It receives one text message with a code, once. After that the card needs neither reception nor a phone — Signal runs over the internet.
No time pressure. Unlike linking by QR code, there is no window of a few seconds here. You can stop in the middle and carry on later — the page remembers where you are.
The pictures are example sketches. Your mobile provider's interface looks different from what is drawn here — but the steps and terms are the same everywhere.
1

Have a second phone number ready

First check what you already have — only buy if you need to

  1. First check whether you already have a second number: a second SIM in your phone, an old work phone, a number you barely use any more. Then there is nothing to buy.
  2. If not, buy a prepaid SIM card. It usually costs around ten euros, and the credit is often already on it. Activate it the way the provider describes — in Germany that includes a one-off identity check by video or in a shop, required by law and done in a few minutes.
  3. Write down the new number. You will need it in a moment in the form with the country code: 0162 3456789 becomes +491623456789.
  4. Put the card into any phone — only for as long as it takes the code to arrive. After that it can go in a drawer.
Prepaid card new number, about €10 one-off New message Your code: 123456 Only this one code has to arrive. After that the card needs no phone.
The new card only has to be able to receive one text message.
The number must not have Signal on it yet. Signal allows at most one account per phone number. If you register your Companion with a number you already use for Signal yourself, it takes over that account — and your own device is signed out of it. So use a number that has never been used with Signal. If you are unsure, check which number your Signal app lists under settings.
Important for next year: Prepaid numbers expire if they are not used. Depending on the provider that happens after roughly 6 to 15 months without a top-up or any use — and an expired number is handed out to somebody else sooner or later. So top it up with a small amount once or twice a year and it stays yours. The rules are in your provider's terms.
Landline numbers work too. If you have a landline number to spare: Signal can also read the code out to you. Internet numbers from providers such as voice-over-IP services, on the other hand, are often rejected by Signal.
2

Signal on your own phone

Your phone's app store — skip this step if you already use Signal

  1. Install Signal on your phone and set it up with your own number.
  2. That is the number you will write to your Companion from later — it listens to that number and no other.
Why Signal? Signal encrypts every message end to end, its program code is open for anyone to inspect, and behind the app stands a non-profit foundation rather than an advertising company. Several EU institutions recommend Signal to their staff for internal communication.
3

Enter both numbers

In your web interface: Setup → the Signal section

  1. At the top, enter your Companion's number — the new card from step 1.
  2. Below it, enter your own Signal number.
  3. Both with the country code and without spaces: +491623456789.
  4. Click “Register with Signal”.
SIGNAL (INSTEAD OF TELEGRAM) How it works: you enter both numbers here, Signal sends a code by text message, and you enter that code in the next step. Phone number for your Companion +491623456789 Your own Signal number +491701234567 Register with Signal
The “Signal” section on your setup page.
Don't mix them up. The new number goes on top, yours underneath. Swapped round, the wrong line gets the text message. If that happens: the page offers “Number was wrong — start again from scratch”. That lets you correct both numbers.
4

If a picture puzzle appears

Only if the page asks for one — otherwise carry on to step 5

  1. With brand-new numbers, Signal sometimes wants to know whether a human is at work. The page then shows the expandable section “Signal is asking for a picture puzzle”.
  2. Open the link inside it. A new tab shows the puzzle — take your time, nothing expires.
  3. Once you have solved it, a button appears for opening the Signal app. Do not click it — instead copy the address behind it: right-click on it, then “Copy link address”.
  4. Paste the copied address into the field on the setup page and click “Register again”.
If the right-click won't work: Some browsers first put a window on top asking whether the Signal app should be opened. Dismiss that window with “Cancel” — then the right-click on the button works.
5

Enter the code from the text message

The text message on the new card → the field “Code from the text message”

  1. A text message with a six-digit code arrives on the new card.
  2. Type it into the field and click “Confirm code”.
  3. That's it. The page reports that your Companion now has its own Signal account, and restarts it once so that it actually uses the new route.
Taken care of at the same time: While confirming, your Companion secures its new number against being taken over by someone else. That matters for the case where the prepaid number expires one day and is handed out again — without this protection, its next owner could claim the account.
6

The first message

In your Signal app

  1. In Signal, write to your Companion's new number — for example just “Hello”.
  2. At first Signal shows this as a message request, because the two of you have never written to each other. Accept it.
  3. The answer can take a minute: your Companion thinks just as thoroughly as it does in the normal chat.
  4. The other way round, you can click “Send a test message” on the setup page — then it gets in touch with you.

Done!

From now on you can write to your Companion over Signal — text, voice messages and photos. It answers the same way. If you also want reminders and the daily overview over Signal instead of Telegram, the setup page has the button “Reminders over Signal too” for that.

What does it cost?

The card once, nothing after that

The prepaid card costs about ten euros, once. Signal itself is free and funds itself through donations — there is no charge per message and no subscription. Only to keep the number yours should you top it up with a small amount once or twice a year (see step 1).

What you should know

Who can steer my Companion over Signal?

Only the number you entered as yours in step 3. If somebody else writes to it, the message does not even reach the language model — it simply does not react.

Does Signal see my messages?

No. Signal encrypts end to end: the content can only be read on your phone and on your own server. Whoever runs the route in between does not see it. But bear in mind: on your server the conversation lies there decrypted — that is where your Companion's memory lives anyway.

Does the SIM card have to stay in the phone?

No. After the code from step 5, your Companion no longer needs the card: Signal runs over your server's internet connection. The card itself can go in a drawer — the number just must not be allowed to expire.

Can I keep Telegram?

Yes, both work at the same time. Your Companion always answers by the route you wrote to it on. Only for messages it sends of its own accord — reminders, the daily overview, notifications — does one route have to be the main route; you decide that with the button on the setup page.

Is this officially supported by Signal?

Honestly: no. Signal does not offer an official interface for programs. Your Companion uses a freely available tool that has been maintained for years and that many home and server systems use for this. It works reliably, but there is no guarantee from Signal that it will stay that way. That is why Telegram remains available as a second route.

Common stumbling blocks

“The number needs the country code”

The number starts with the leading 0 instead of the country code. Replace the 0 with +49 (for Germany): 0162 3456789 becomes +491623456789. Nothing is guessed here on purpose — a wrongly guessed country code sends the text message to a stranger.

No text message arrives

Check whether the card really is activated (the provider's identity check has to be through) and whether it has reception. Some providers need an hour after activation. After that, click “Register again” once more.

“The connection isn't running at the moment”

Your account is ready, but the program behind it has stopped. Click “Start the connection”. If that doesn't help, let the person who looks after your system know — they can see the reason in the system check.

Your Companion doesn't answer on Signal at all

Most common reason: the message came from a different number than the one entered as yours — from a second line, for instance. Have a look in the Signal section to see which number is in there.

A program for Signal is still missing on the server

Then the page shows a note instead of the fields. Tell the person who looks after your system that you would like to use Signal — they set that up once, and afterwards you carry on here on your own.