You can let users sign in to your Applaud platform using their phone number as well as their email address. This gives users more flexibility and supports mobile-first authentication.
Enable phone number sign-in
- In the Applaud platform, open the Admin home page and select Settings.
- Under Username settings, select Email and phone number username.
When enabled, a new Phone number field appears on the Invite user dialog.
Inviting new users
- Enter the user’s phone number when sending an invite.
- The user will receive a text message with a link to set their password.
Users can then sign in with either their email address or phone number.
Phone number format
Phone numbers must include the country code, followed by the number.
- Example:
+447766554433
When a user signs in with their phone number for the first time, Applaud sends them a verification code by SMS. The user must enter this code to complete sign-in.
Managing phone numbers
- Phone numbers are stored in the Phone number property on the user model.
- For existing users, after you enable phone sign-in, you can add phone numbers manually on the User definition page.
- You can also bulk import numbers using the User model import feature.
Notifications
Applaud automatically notifies users by email when:
- A new phone number is added to their account (confirmation required).
- A phone number is removed from their account (they will no longer be able to use it for sign-in).
Best practices
- Always use international format – Include the country code (for example,
+44for the UK). - Encourage updates – Ask users to keep their phone numbers current to avoid sign-in issues.
- Use phone numbers as a backup – Even if you enable single sign-on (SSO), allow phone number sign-in as an alternative if SSO access fails.
- Bulk import carefully – When importing numbers, double-check data accuracy to prevent errors at login.
- Monitor verification – Remind users that they will need to enter a verification code the first time they sign in with their phone number.