This is a guide to help you set up and start using your Portal. Scroll down for Portal TV instructions.
If you need help getting started or have questions about a Portal device that's not related to an issue, visit Facebook Reality Labs Demos to schedule a session with a Product Experience Specialist.
You can sign up for Portal emails to receive updates, essential tips, special offers, new partner apps and more.
This article applies to Portal
Before setting up your Portal, make sure to review our health and safety guidelines. To set up your Portal, you'll need a Facebook or WhatsApp account.
If you would like to use screen reader to set up your Portal, learn more about setting up your Portal using screen reader. If you're having trouble using your Portal's touchscreen during setup, learn more about turning off accessibility options.
Once your Portal is plugged in, follow the on-screen instructions to begin setup.
If you have trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi, learn how to check your signal.
Follow the on-screen instructions to continue setup.
Once you have finished connecting an account, follow the remaining on-screen instructions to complete setup. You can do things like connect your Portal to music accounts, set up Amazon Alexa, display your photos and learn more about using Portal.
“Hey Portal” and other functionality is affected by language selection. Learn more about “Hey Portal” availability. Some features, including Facebook Watch, Facebook Gaming, Facebook Live and display settings aren't available when you set up your Portal with WhatsApp only or when a WhatsApp-only login exists on a shared device. See portal.facebook.com/usage for more information.
This article applies to Portal
During the initial setup of your Portal, you'll choose and connect to a Wi-Fi network. You can change your Portal's Wi-Fi network at any time.
Learn more about what you can do if your Portal can’t find your Wi-Fi router (internet connection device).
This article applies to Portal
To turn off the camera or microphone, slide the switch on top of Portal’s frame all the way to the left. A red light lets you know the camera and microphone are both off.
To turn off just the camera, slide the switch on top of Portal’s frame into the middle position. You will see a shutter covering the camera’s lens when you’ve turned the camera off.
To turn the camera and microphone off on your Portal, press the circle button on top of your device. A red light on the front of your Portal will indicate when the microphone and camera are turned off.
You can also use the included camera cover to block your Portal camera when you're not using the camera.
This article applies to Portal
You can put your Portal in “sleep” mode, which turns the screen off, but allows your Portal to be woken up by touch, voice commands, motion detection or incoming calls. Your Portal will go to sleep automatically after 15 minutes without use, or you can make your Portal sleep manually.
This article applies to Portal
You can't call Messenger connections that don't have Facebook accounts or upload contacts from your phone. Learn more about adding or removing contacts.
“Hey Portal” availability varies. Learn more about “Hey Portal” availability.
"Hey Portal" may ask you to confirm which contact you're trying to call by saying "Yes", "No" or by saying the full name of the contact you're trying to call.
If you have a Facebook and WhatsApp account connected to your device, voice commands will automatically default to your Messenger contacts. To call someone on WhatsApp you can say, "Hey Portal, call [contact name] on WhatsApp" or change your Default Call Provider to WhatsApp.
When you change your Default Call Provider to WhatsApp, all calls made from "Hey Portal" will be made on WhatsApp, unless you say "Hey Portal, call [contact name] on Messenger."
When receiving a call, tap Answer to join the call.
This article applies to Portaland Portal TV
On Portal you can call the Facebook friends, Messenger connections and WhatsApp contacts of any accounts linked to your Portal. While Portal is only sold in select countries, you can use your Portal to call friends located in any country where the Messenger app or WhatsApp are supported.
Currently, Portal calls can only be received from other Portal devices, from WhatsApp on mobile devices, from the Messenger app on mobile devices or tablets, from messenger.com or from facebook.com. Portal can’t be called from Messenger Kids accounts or the Messenger Lite app.
Your Portal contacts are the Facebook friends, Messenger connections and WhatsApp contacts of all accounts linked to your Portal. If you share a Portal with others, all accounts that have been linked to your Portal will share contacts on Portal. Anyone who shares your Portal will have access to the contacts on the device and will be able to make and answer calls.
From Home on your Portal, tap Contacts. From there, you can browse by Suggested contacts, Recents contacts or contacts by account type.
This article applies to Portal
During a call you can move around the room and talk freely while Portal's Smart Camera and Smart Sound adjust to keep you audible and in the frame. You can also manually adjust the zoom and focus of your camera using gestures on your Portal's touchscreen.
This article applies to Portal
You can make group calls on your Portal using your Portal contacts, Messenger Rooms, and other apps. Other call participants do not need a Portal to join the call.
When you make a call from your Portal contacts, you can't have both Messeger and WhatsApp users on the same call.
With Portal, you can add up to 7 Messenger connections to a call for a total of 8 people, including yourself. You or other connections on your call can add any Facebook friends or Messenger connections to your call.
A total of 4 participants can be on a group call. However, if a call is started from WhatsApp on an Android phone or iPhone, you can have a total of 8 participants, including yourself. You or other contacts on your call can add any WhatsApp contacts to your call. In order to call any WhatsApp contact from your Portal, the contact must have WhatsApp open or in standby mode on their mobile phone.
This article applies to Portal
On Portal, Story Time allows you to share interactive stories with animations, music and effects during a call or using the Story Time app.
This article applies to Portal
You can have up to 5 accounts linked to your Portal. These accounts can be Facebook, WhatsApp or Workplace accounts.
Only invite people you trust to add an account to your Portal. When someone adds their Facebook account on your Portal, their Facebook friends and Messenger connections will become contacts on your Portal, and you will be able to call their contacts. To add WhatsApp contacts to your Portal, connect your WhatsApp account to your Portal.
Learn more about adding a Facebook or Workplace account to your Portal.
When someone adds an account, they’ll be able to:
This article applies to Portal
To use Alexa on your Portal, you must connect an Amazon Alexa account to your Portal. You can connect to Alexa during the setup of your Portal, or from Settings.
Learn more about using voice interactions on your Portal.
This article applies to Portal
Learn how to set up your Portal using a WhatsApp account. Some features, including “Hey Portal,” Facebook Watch, Facebook Gaming and Facebook Live aren't available when you set up your Portal with WhatsApp only or when a WhatsApp-only login exists on a shared device.
This article applies to Portal TV
Before you begin, learn what you need to set up your Portal TV. If you would like to use screen reader to set up your Portal, learn more about setting up your Portal TV using screen reader.
Your Portal TV may be mounted on top of your TV or placed on a flat surface underneath. Avoid placing your Portal TV directly on top of a speaker, too close to a speaker, directly on top of a sound bar or too close to a sound bar.
Your Portal TV is equipped with Dolby Atmos® sound, which requires Dolby Atmos® encoded streaming content and a compatible audio system to use.
Your Portal remote may require updating. This can take up to 5 minutes, depending on your connection. Make sure you don’t press any buttons or remove the batteries while the update is happening.
Learn more about what to do if you’re having trouble with your Portal TV remote.
Language selection will affect “Hey Portal” and other functionality.
“Hey Portal” availability varies. Learn more about “Hey Portal” availability.
Follow the on-screen instructions to continue the setup process.
To finish setting up your Portal TV, follow the remaining on-screen instructions to complete setup. You can do things like add favorite contacts, see how Smart Camera works, display your Facebook photos, connect Alexa to your Portal TV and learn more about using Portal TV.
"Hey Portal" and other functions are affected by language selection. Some features, including “Hey Portal,” Facebook Watch, Facebook Gaming, Facebook Live and display settings aren't available when you set up your Portal with WhatsApp only or when a WhatsApp-only login exists on a shared device. See portal.facebook.com/usage for more information.
This article applies to Portal TV
During the initial setup of your Portal TV, you'll choose and connect to a Wi-Fi network. You can change your Portal TV’s Wi-Fi network at any time.
If you don’t see your Wi-Fi network listed, enter it manually. If you have trouble connecting to your Wi-Fi, learn how to check your signal.
This article applies to Portal TV
Press the camera and microphones on/off button on the side of your device. Once the button has been pressed, a red light on your device indicates that the camera and microphones are off. Keep in mind that pressing on your Portal TV remote will continue to work, even when your microphone is turned off.
Press the camera and microphones on/off button on the side of your device.
Use the integrated camera cover.
This article applies to Portal TV
You can put your Portal TV in “sleep” mode, which turns the display off, but allows your Portal TV to be woken up by voice commands, using the remote or receiving an incoming call. When your Portal TV is in sleep mode, it is still connected to Wi-Fi and its sensors are still active.
You can also learn how to turn the camera and microphone off on your Portal TV.
You can put your Portal in sleep mode manually by pressing on your Portal TV remote.
Your Portal will go to sleep automatically when no motion is detected for a preset amount of time. You can adjust your display settings in Settings > Display.
This article applies to Portal TV
With Portal TV, you can make and receive calls to and from your Facebook friends and WhatsApp contacts. You can't call Messenger connections that don't have Facebook accounts.
Currently, Portal TV calls can only be received on Portal devices, on the Messenger app on mobile phones or tablets, on messenger.com or facebook.com, or on WhatsApp on mobile phones. Calling on messenger.com or facebook.com is only available using the browsers Chrome or Opera. In order to call a WhatsApp contact from your Portal TV, the contact must have WhatsApp open or in standby mode on their mobile phone.
You can also use voice commands to make a call:
“Hey Portal” availability varies. Learn more about “Hey Portal” availability.
You can still make calls on your Portal using the touch screen, and we're hard at work to add “Hey Portal” functionality in additional languages.
If you have HDMI-CEC enabled on your TV and on Portal TV, when you receive an incoming call, Portal TV will not turn on your TV or switch the input until you’ve answered the call. If you don’t have HDMI-CEC enabled or if your TV doesn’t support HDMI-CEC, when you’re receiving an incoming call you should first turn on your TV and switch to the correct input before answering a call.
When answering a call using voice commands on a CEC unavailable/disable device, your camera will be off by default. Learn how to turn your camera on.
To end a call:
To end a Messenger or WhatsApp call using voice commands say “Hey Portal, hang up.”
During a call you can do things like:
This article applies to Portaland Portal TV
On Portal you can call the Facebook friends, Messenger connections and WhatsApp contacts of any accounts linked to your Portal. While Portal is only sold in select countries, you can use your Portal to call friends located in any country where the Messenger app or WhatsApp are supported.
Currently, Portal calls can only be received from other Portal devices, from WhatsApp on mobile devices, from the Messenger app on mobile devices or tablets, from messenger.com or from facebook.com. Portal can’t be called from Messenger Kids accounts or the Messenger Lite app.
Your Portal contacts are the Facebook friends, Messenger connections and WhatsApp contacts of all accounts linked to your Portal. If you share a Portal with others, all accounts that have been linked to your Portal will share contacts on Portal. Anyone who shares your Portal will have access to the contacts on the device and will be able to make and answer calls.
From Home on your Portal, tap Contacts. From there, you can browse by Suggested contacts, Recents contacts or contacts by account type.
This article applies to Portal TV
During a call you can move around the room and talk freely while Portal TV’s Smart Camera and Smart Sound adjust to keep you audible and in the frame. You can also adjust your camera to focus on one individual (Spotlight) or turn your smart camera off during a call.
Use your Portal TV remote to navigate to and select on your Portal TV display. You will see a notification on your Portal TV display letting you know that Spotlight is off.
This article applies to Portal TV
This article applies to Portal TV
On Portal TV, Story Time allows you to share interactive stories with animations, music and AR Effects during a call or while you’re using the Story Time app.
This article applies to Portal TV
You can have up to 5 accounts linked to your Portal. These accounts can be Facebook or WhatsApp accounts.
Only invite people you trust to add an account to your Portal TV. When someone adds their Facebook account on your Portal TV, their Facebook friends and Messenger connections will become contacts on your Portal TV, and you will be able to call their contacts. To add WhatsApp contacts to your Portal TV, connect your WhatsApp account to your Portal.
When someone adds an account on your Portal TV, their Facebook friends and Messenger connections will become contacts on your Portal TV. If they add their WhatsApp account to your Portal TV, their WhatsApp contacts will also become contacts on your Portal TV. You will then be able to call their contacts and they will be able to call your contacts from Portal TV.
When you add an account to your Portal, they’ll be able to:
This article applies to Portal TV
To use Alexa on your Portal, you must connect an Amazon Alexa account to your Portal. You can connect to Alexa during the setup of your Portal, or from Settings.
Learn more about using voice interactions on your Portal TV.
This article applies to Portal TV
Learn how to set up your Portal TV using a WhatsApp account. Some features, including “Hey Portal,” Facebook Watch, Facebook Gaming and Facebook Live aren't available when you set up your Portal with WhatsApp only or when a WhatsApp-only login exists on a shared device.
Get emails from Facebook about Portal and other Facebook hardware products.
“Hey Portal” voice command availability varies. Learn more. Screen images simulated. User experience may vary. Requires wireless internet connection and Facebook or WhatsApp account. WhatsApp is not available on tablets. Features, functionality, and content vary and may not be available on all Portal models or in all areas and languages. Some features may require a Facebook account and downloading the Portal mobile app. Additional account registration, terms and fees may apply.
*Represents savings off of regular, non-promotional prices. Both products must be purchased on same receipt to qualify. Valid on qualifying purchases at portal.facebook.com. Not valid on prior purchases and non-transferable. Not valid for cash or cash equivalent. Valid on in-stock products only. Offer may be cancelled or modified at any time without notice. Void where prohibited.
†Extended Holiday Return Period: Products ordered November 16, 2020 through January 1, 2021 on portal.facebook.com are eligible to be returned through January 31, 2021. Return requests must be completed by end of day January 31, 2021 (local time) to be eligible. All other terms and conditions of our standard return terms apply.
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