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

# Test your line

> The five-minute verification loop — ring your Rivet number from another phone, confirm push, voicemail, transcription, and auto-reply all fire end-to-end.

Once your line is live, the fastest way to know it's working is to
ring it yourself from another phone. The whole loop takes about five
minutes and proves push notifications, voicemail recording,
transcription, and auto-reply are firing end-to-end.

If you don't have a second phone handy, ask a colleague — the same
test doubles as a chance to introduce them to Rivet.

## Before you start

Two things should already be true:

* The **native app is installed** on your phone and you're signed in.
  Without the app, push notifications and the in-app incoming-call UI
  don't have a destination. See [Install the Rivet app](/getting-started/install-the-app).
* Your **practice line is ready.** It's set up within a few hours of
  signing up; while the keypad still says **Rivet Line — setting up**,
  there's nothing to call yet. Do the other setup steps first and come
  back. You don't have to keep checking — an email arrives with the
  number in it the moment the line is ready.

If both are true, your Rivet number is on the keypad; you can also find
it any time under Settings → Phone.

## The test loop

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pull your Rivet number">
    Welcome screen, Settings → Phone, or the practice line section in
    the inbox header — all three show the same `+1` number.
  </Step>

  <Step title="From a different phone, dial it">
    The phone needs to be one not signed into your Rivet account.
    A colleague's phone, your partner's phone, your old line — anything
    that won't be intercepted by the Rivet app routing to itself.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Expected: your phone rings the same way a regular call does">
    The OS treats it like a phone call. The practice name shows as
    the caller (it's actually the OTHER phone calling YOU, but the
    UI shape is "Rivet — incoming").
  </Step>

  <Step title="Don't pick up. Let it go to voicemail">
    Your custom greeting plays if you've recorded one; otherwise the
    Rivet default greeting plays. Speak for 15-30 seconds on the
    caller side — long enough to test transcription.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Hang up. Expected, within 5-15 seconds:">
    * A **push notification** lands on your Rivet phone — "New
      voicemail from the calling number".
    * The **inbox** shows a new row with the voicemail at the top.
    * The **transcription** appears under the row within a few seconds
      of the recording finishing.
    * An **auto-reply text** is sent back to the calling number —
      check the calling phone's SMS app to confirm.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap the inbox row → listen to the recording">
    Audio playback works; the transcription updates a few seconds
    after if it was still processing.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If all six expected outcomes fire, the line is working end-to-end.

## Or test it with a text

Texting works as a check too, and it needs no second person. Send a
text from your Rivet number to your own phone, or text your Rivet
number from another phone — either direction proves the line carries
messages, and either one marks **Test your line** complete on your
setup checklist.

The call loop above is still the fuller test. It's the only one that
exercises voicemail, transcription and the auto-reply. A text confirms
the line is live; the call confirms everything that happens after it.

## What to do if a step doesn't fire

| Doesn't happen | Likely cause | Fix |
| - | - | - |
| Your phone doesn't ring | Notification permission off | Allow notifications for Rivet in OS settings |
| Phone rings but no audio when you pick up | Mic permission off, or carrier audio routing quirk | Settings → Apps → Rivet → Microphone; if the issue persists, see [calls-not-coming-through](/troubleshooting/calls-not-coming-through) |
| Voicemail recorded but no push | Push token not registered — re-open the Rivet app once after sign-in | Open the app, confirm the inbox loads, try again |
| Transcription stuck on "Transcribing…" | Slow processing for very long messages | Wait 60 seconds; if still stuck, the message is over 5 minutes — long messages process slower |
| No auto-reply text | Auto-Reply switched off, or the caller number is a landline | Settings → Auto-Reply (master toggle); landlines can't receive SMS — that's expected |

## Why this matters

If your line ever stops working, this is the same loop you'll run to
diagnose it. Train your fingers on it now while there's no pressure;
the muscle memory carries over.

A weekly run of this test (Monday morning takes 90 seconds) catches
any silent breakage before a real client hits it.

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Install the Rivet app" icon="mobile" href="/getting-started/install-the-app">
    The native phone app is what rings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="How voicemail works" icon="voicemail" href="/practice-phone/voicemail">
    The full lifecycle of an incoming voicemail.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Auto-reply explained" icon="message" href="/practice-phone/auto-response">
    What the caller sees within seconds of leaving a voicemail.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Calls not coming through" icon="phone-slash" href="/troubleshooting/calls-not-coming-through">
    Push permission, Do Not Disturb, weak network at the call window.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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