MangoPort

Frequently asked questions

Everything about how MangoPort works — and how to keep the Video Portal running on stubborn phones.

SETUP GUIDE

Automatic video portal setup

Use this guide when one or both phones are dedicated portal frames. In MangoPort, the small note at the bottom of the idle main screen opens the same four steps without leaving the app; on Free it sits above the ad. For ordinary incoming calls with Answer and Decline choices, keep Auto-restore off.

What is MangoPort?

Reliable one-to-one video calls with an optional always-on Video Portal. Use ordinary Answer/Decline calls, or enable Auto-restore on a dedicated device for an unattended connection.

How much does it cost?

The app is free to use, with a banner ad at the bottom of the screen. Premium — $9.99/month — removes ads, prefers servers reserved for subscribers, and enables consent-based local recording of the remote call. There is no trial or time limit: calls never depend on payment.

Is it private?

Yes. Live video and audio are peer-to-peer and end-to-end encrypted (WebRTC DTLS-SRTP). Relays forward only opaque encrypted packets, so our servers cannot read or record calls. Optional Premium recordings stay only in the folder selected on the recorder's device.

How does Premium call recording work?

The Premium user turns on Remote recording, chooses a device or SD-card folder, and sets one total storage limit. Either the caller or receiver may record. The other person must allow that direction once and can revoke it later in Settings → Remote recording → Recording permissions; every recorded call continuously shows This call is being recorded. Files are standard five-minute H.264/AAC MP4 segments under MangoPort/Videos/<contact email>/. MangoPort deletes only its oldest indexed recordings when the limit or real free space requires it. Nothing is uploaded to our servers. Two Premium users may record independently at the same time. The protocol and file format are designed for a future iPhone client, but an iOS version is not available yet.

If the other person taps Not now by mistake during an active call, the recorder can open Settings and turn Remote recording off and on to send a fresh request. Recording still waits for a new Allow.

How do I add contacts?

Your address book is your contacts. Call anyone by their email (“Make a call”); a successful call saves you both. People from your phone's contacts who use MangoPort appear automatically. Mark favorites to keep them on the main screen.

Which connection mode should I choose?

Ordinary mode: keep Auto-restore off; incoming calls ring with Answer and Decline, like a normal call. Auto-restore: silently reconnects only your last portal partner whenever MangoPort opens. MangoPort as Home is a separate setting that makes Android open MangoPort after reboot. You can leave MangoPort as Home but turn Auto-restore off whenever you want the portal to stay idle. A different caller is never accepted silently. While Auto-restore is on, the waiting screen has no Cancel button. Hang up ends only the current session; the receiver keeps waiting for its saved caller. Turn Auto-restore off in Settings to leave portal mode and restore Answer/Decline.

What if someone calls me while I'm already on a call?

On a regular phone (version 0.3.39 or newer) a small Second call banner names the new caller, and a soft double beep sounds inside the call — audible even with the phone at your ear. Your current call keeps running until you decide. Accept ends the current call and connects the new one. Decline is invisible to the caller: for them the call simply rings out, as if nobody picked up — and your phone keeps a missed-call notification. Doing nothing has the same effect. Portals never show this banner — see the next question.

Who can connect to a portal?

One person only. When you enable Auto-restore, the portal is pinned to the person from its last successful ordinary call — that person reconnects silently, exactly as configured. Everyone else hears busy: the portal does not ring, does not light up, and an ongoing portal call is never interrupted by another caller. To point the portal at someone else, turn Auto-restore off, take an ordinary call from the new person, then turn Auto-restore back on.

How do I configure a dedicated portal?

  1. Install version 0.3.10 (build 57) or newer from Google Play on both phones.
  2. Open Settings → Portal mode and startup. The app presents the four controls in setup order; all remain visible and reversible.
  3. 1. MangoPort permissions: allow camera, microphone, notifications and unrestricted background use. Manufacturer Autostart controls are supplementary.
  4. 2. Auto-restore connection: enable it on each phone that should silently resume its saved caller or receiver role.
  5. 3. MangoPort as Home: tap Use MangoPort as Home screen, confirm Android’s Home-app prompt, then press Home once. This is the cross-manufacturer startup mechanism; ads are disabled only after Home setup is confirmed.
  6. 4. Screen lock after restart: for fully unattended startup choose None in Android settings. Confirmed Home then asks Android to dismiss the remaining non-secure Swipe screen automatically when system security permits it. MangoPort never bypasses a PIN, pattern, password or locked SIM; removing the credential means anyone holding the phone can access its data.
  7. Make one successful call from the phone that should normally start it. MangoPort saves who called, who waited, and the portal partner on both phones.
  8. Reboot. With no secure credential, MangoPort should open and remove Swipe automatically; with a PIN, pattern, password or locked SIM, unlock manually first.
  9. To pause automatic connections, turn Auto-restore off; MangoPort can remain Home and stay idle. To restore the normal launcher, separately tap Stop using MangoPort as Home.

What happens after the app is closed or the phone restarts?

After an ordinary swipe-away, a push message can wake MangoPort for an incoming portal connection. The saved caller redials the last partner; the saved receiver waits for and silently accepts only that same partner. After reboot, automatic opening requires the separate MangoPort as Home setup. Confirmed Home asks Android to remove a non-secure Swipe screen automatically; a PIN, pattern, password or locked SIM always requires manual unlock. Choose None in Android’s screen-lock settings only if unattended startup matters more than physical device security. Without Home setup, open MangoPort or tap its notification. If there is no saved role, MangoPort stays idle instead of guessing.

Why might I still see an incoming-call notification?

Android and the phone manufacturer decide whether an app may open a screen from the background. If that launch is blocked, MangoPort shows a CallStyle incoming-call notification with Answer and Decline, so the connection remains one tap away. If you open MangoPort manually while that call is still pending, the coordinator restores the same request automatically. A deliberate Force stop disables Android wake-up delivery until you open MangoPort manually again; no app can bypass that system action. Xiaomi/Redmi/POCO phones also need the permissions listed below.

The app keeps closing in the background, or the camera turns black (Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO / Huawei / Samsung)

Some phones have aggressive battery management that kills apps in the background — which can drop the always-on connection or interrupt the camera. Allow MangoPort to run freely:

  • Xiaomi / Redmi / POCO (MIUI/HyperOS): Settings → Apps → Manage apps → MangoPort: turn on Autostart, set Battery saver → No restrictions, allow notifications and lock-screen notifications, and allow background pop-ups / opening new windows while running in the background. In Recents, pull the app card down and tap the lock so it isn't cleared.
  • Samsung: Settings → Apps → MangoPort → Battery → Unrestricted.
  • Huawei: Settings → Battery → App launch → MangoPort → Manage manually, enable all.
  • General (any phone): Settings → Apps → MangoPort → Battery → Unrestricted, and allow notifications.

What permissions does it need?

Camera & microphone for the video link, Contacts (optional) to find contacts who use MangoPort, and Notifications so incoming calls can wake the app. Nothing is used for anything else.

Does it work on older Android?

Yes — Android 7 and up. If the camera ever shows black after a while, it's almost always the phone's battery manager (see the Xiaomi/Samsung answer above) — allow MangoPort to run unrestricted and it stays solid.

How do I report a problem?

Use the feedback form, or from inside the app: Settings → Send feedback. Reporting a problem from the app attaches a small diagnostic log so we can find the issue faster.