> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.scaling.cloud/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Set Up Phone Paging (SMS & Voice)

> Register and verify a phone number so incidents reach you by SMS and automated voice call, and acknowledge straight from your phone.

By default scaling.cloud pages you by email (and Slack, if connected). Adding a verified phone number gives you two faster channels — **SMS** and an **automated voice call** — and lets you acknowledge an incident without opening the app.

For the concepts behind this, see [Contact methods](/concepts/contact-methods) and [Paging & notifications](/concepts/paging-and-notifications).

<Frame caption="Settings → Contact methods">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/scalingcloud/5-FlXcH6ySIwHzG0/images/placeholder.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=5-FlXcH6ySIwHzG0&q=85&s=18ab9c45531fe92b117df1f9652cb357" alt="Contact methods settings" width="1200" height="675" data-path="images/placeholder.svg" />
</Frame>

## Before you start

* You can register a number for **yourself**, in the org you're signed in to. If you respond for multiple orgs, repeat this in each.
* To actually receive a page, you also need to be a target of an incident's [escalation policy](/concepts/escalation-policies) — usually via an [on-call schedule](/concepts/oncall-schedules).

## Register and verify a number

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open Settings → Contact methods">
    Add a number in **E.164** format — a `+`, country code, and number with no spaces, e.g. `+15551234567`.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Receive the code">
    scaling.cloud detects the line type and sends a one-time code. A **mobile** gets the code by **SMS**; a **landline** gets an **automated call** that reads the code aloud.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the code">
    Submit the code to verify the number. It flips to verified with the default channel for its line type enabled.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your channels">
    Toggle **SMS** and **voice** to match how you want to be paged. (SMS can't be enabled on a voice-only landline.)
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  Codes are short-lived and rate-limited. If you ask for too many in a short window, wait a few minutes and retry.
</Note>

## What a page looks like

When an incident pages you, every enabled channel fires in parallel — email always, plus your phone channels:

* **SMS** — the incident title, severity, a link to open the incident, and a line like `Or reply K7Q3M to ack`.
* **Voice** — an automated call that speaks the incident title and severity.

## Acknowledge from your phone

<Steps>
  <Step title="By SMS — reply the code">
    Text the short code back **from the number that was paged**. The incident acknowledges and escalation stops. The code only works from your verified number, and stops working once the page is acknowledged or escalation has moved past your layer.
  </Step>

  <Step title="By voice — just answer">
    Pick up the call. A live answer acknowledges the incident — no keypress. If it goes to voicemail, that counts only as delivery and escalation continues to the next layer.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Both routes do exactly what the dashboard **Acknowledge** does: cancel the escalation timer and record you as the acknowledger. See [Acknowledgment & handoff](/concepts/acknowledgment-and-handoff).

<Warning>
  Email can't be turned off — it's the floor that guarantees a page always has a channel. SMS and voice are additive, so turning one off never leaves you unreachable.
</Warning>

<Tip>
  Verify your number and enable channels **before** your on-call shift. Test it by triggering a low-severity incident on a policy that pages you, then reply to the SMS or answer the call to confirm the acknowledgment lands.
</Tip>