Yes, you need to make Mei your default texting app.  Google requires that an app be the default SMS app in order to send/receive SMS.  If you skip this step, you won’t be able to use the messaging app and/or AI.  You can always choose to switch back to your old SMS app and delete your information from our systems after you give Mei a try.

When signing into Mei, pick your country code on the left side and add your phone number without – and (). If you don’t see your country code, please reach out to feedback@textmei.com. After you’ve added your phone number tap “Log In”. You will then be taken to the verification screen. The verification code will be added automatically, or you’ll receive a SMS and need to type it in manually.

What if I don’t receive the verification code?

1. Your carrier has blocked short code numbers (T-Mobile is known for doing this). You need to call your carrier and ask them to unblock it. You should then be able to receive the verification code.
2. You don’t have connection/service.
3. You don’t have a working phone plan/number.

We support all Android phones that meet the following requirements:

• You Android phone is running Android OS 4.4 or later.
• Your Android phone is able to receive SMS during the verification process.

Note: We don’t support tablets and Wi-Fi only devices at this time.

You can easily update Mei from your phone’s application store (if it doesn’t do it automatically).

Go to the Play Store, then tap Menu (icon) -> My apps & games. Tap update next to Mei.

• Alternatively, go to the Play Store and search for Mei. Tap update under Mei.

We encourage you to always use the latest version of Mei. Latest versions contain the newest features and bug fixes.

If you decide to turn on RCS, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Account and Advanced Features” and toggle “RCS” on.

You will then send end-to-end encrypted messages via internet, instead of SMS/MMS via telephone carrier, when you messages other Mei users. Enjoy better texting with rich messages, media, big groups and extra features.

If you decide to use the AI, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Account and Advanced Features” and toggle “Mei AI Assistant” on.

You will then get a popup you need to accept before the upload process starts. Once you have agreed to the terms, you’ll be taken to the upload screen. The upload process can take up to 15 minutes so be patient. It depends on how many messages you have and how good the reception is.

You can either stay on the upload screen until it’s done, or you can click the “Exit This Screen” button to get back to your conversation list. The upload process will continue in the background and you’ll see the process bar above your folders and labels. You’ll not be able to use any intelligence features until initialization process is complete. If the upload is successful, you’ll see credits on the top right side.

What if the upload fails?

1. If the upload process stops at 80% it means that it timed out. The most common issue is that you have too many messages. Email feedback@textmei.com if this occurs.
2. Once in a while our server might be down or we’re doing some maintenance. If you see any of these error codes, just try again later. “Sorry our servers are temporarily unavailable or at capacity”, “Slow network connection, please check your network status”, “Network connection gone down”. 

To enable polling, you’ll need to have the AI assistant turned on first and then follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Account and Advanced Features” and toggle “Anonymous Polling” on.

You will then get a popup explaining how polling works. Only people who have opted into polling will be able to create or participate in polls.

For more information about polling click here.

To create a poll, follow these steps:

1. In the “Folders and Labels” bar over your conversation list, click “Polls”.
2. Click the “+” sign and you’ll be taken to the poll creation screen.

You can create an anonymous poll with multiple questions and answer choices, ask 20 people or 1000 and award them as many credits as you choose for answering your question(s). You can also target particular demographics, currently; Gender, Age and Marital Status, but we’re looking to expand this. Once your poll is approved, you’ll start receiving answers on your poll straight away.

For more information about polling click here.

To see poll results, follow these steps:

1. In the “Folders and Labels” bar over your conversation list, click “Polls”.
2. Tap the poll you want to see the results on.
3. Then click the box with the question and answers. If the poll has several questions, you’ll see multiple boxes you can tap to see the results.

For more information about polling click here.

If after turning on the AI assistant you decide at any point you no longer wish to share information and earn credits, you can simply turn the AI assistant off or if you want to delete all of your data from our systems you can delete your account at any time.

1. To turn AI assistant off go to “Settings” -> “Account and Advanced Features” and toggle “Mei AI Assistant” off.
2. To delete your Mei account, go to “Settings” -> “Account and Advanced Features” and tap “Delete Mei Account”.

Once you delete your Mei account:

• We will not collect any data from you unless you turn back on any Advanced Features. We only collect data when you allow us.
• Mei will simply operate as your texting (SMS/MMS) app but (hopefully) better than the one that came with your phone.

Deleting your account will:

• Delete any copy of information we’ve collected from you from our systems.
• Delete any credit balance you have. Re-creating an account at a later date may result in fewer credits awarded. We do this to prevent anyone from abusing our system by repeatedly deleting and re-creating account.
• No delete your message history. This history will remain on your phone, so you are free to choose other texting apps without losing your conversations.
• Not delete our app. To do this, you need to uninstall from outside our app.

To block a contact, follow these steps:

1. Open the conversation with the person you want to block.
2. Tap the name on the top of the conversation -> Block “contact”.

When you block someone inside the Mei app, you will no longer see any messages from those contacts. However, they can still call you and text you through other messaging apps. This is something we are working on, so you’ll no longer receive any calls or messages from them.

If you want to get a pop-up window to quickly reply to new messages, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Notifications” and toggle on “Quick Reply Pop-Up”.

To change the overall notification sound, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Notifications” -> “Notification Sound”

Note: If you’re having issues with the notification sound try go to the phone settings (not app) and apps and notifications. Find Mei -> notifications and set the sound you want.

To change notification sound for specific people, follow these steps:

1. Open the conversation with the person you want to change notifications for.
2. Tap the three dots on the top right side and “Conversation Settings” -> “Notification Sound”.

If you don’t want to see the pulsating ball or the moving credit score, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Appearance” and toggle on “Hide Mei pulsating ball” and “Hide credit badge”.

To change color and background themes, follow these steps:

1. Tap the three dots on the top right side and go to “Settings”.
2. Click “Appearance” and you can select custom theme color, background color (light, dark and black modes) and background picture. You can also customize the tinting of some bars.

If you’re not happy with the default font and message bubbles, you can also change font family, size and weight and message bubbles shape and colors.

To send a scheduled message, follow these steps:

1. Hold down the send button and tap “Scheduled”.
2. Set the date and time you want the message to be sent.
3. Type your message and hit send. You’ll then see the label “Scheduled (Will be sent at ‘time’)

If you’re having issues with sending and/or receiving messages, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you have the most updated version of Mei.
2. Ensure your SIM card is inserted properly.
3. Verify that Mei is set as your default texting app.
4. Make sure your carrier supports SMS and MMS.
5. Check your plan or credit balance to see that you have enough to send/receive messages.
6. See if you have signal.
7. Check if you’re on airplane mode. If you are, turn it off.
8. If you’re switching from an iPhone, make sure you’ve deactivated iMessages for your number.
9. Try turn data messages off in “Settings” -> “Account and Advanced Features”.

If you’re having issues with sending and/or receiving messages from specific contacts, follow these steps:

1. Delete the contact and add it again.
2. Check if you blocked them.
3. Verify that their phone number is correct.
4. Check if you need to specify a country code (e.g. +1 for US numbers).

If you’re having issues with sending MMS messages, follow these steps:

1. Ensure that you have a data connection.
2. In your device’s setting app, reset your APN settings to default.