Create your account
To create a DonutChat account, you need an invite link from someone who already uses DonutChat. With the link, you can sign up with Google, Apple, or your email and a password, then sign in on your other devices with the methods each app supports.
Get an invite link
Section titled “Get an invite link”DonutChat is invite-only, and there’s no waitlist.
- Ask someone who uses DonutChat for their invite link. They can share it from Search > Invite friends, or from People > Invite in the desktop app.
- Open the link on your iPhone or Android phone.
- If you don’t have DonutChat yet, a page shows who invited you. Install DonutChat from the App Store or Google Play, then open the invite link again.
- If DonutChat opens, sign up with one of the methods below. If you see the invite page instead, tap Open DonutChat first. Your invite is applied when you create the account.
A link that invites you to a group chat isn’t a DonutChat invite. Sign up with a personal invite link first, then use the group link to join the group.
Create your account in the iPhone or Android app. The web and desktop apps can’t use an invite link, so sign in to them after you’ve signed up on your phone.
Choose how to sign in
Section titled “Choose how to sign in”On iPhone, Android and the web app, select Get Started to see the sign-in methods. The method you used last on that device is marked Last used.
| Method | iPhone | Android | Desktop app | Web app |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continue with Google | Yes | Yes | Mac only, existing accounts | Yes |
| Continue with Apple | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Magic Link (No Password) | Yes | Yes | No | No (see below) |
| Email & Password | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
- Sign in with the method you used to sign up. An account created with Google or Apple doesn’t have a password.
- Magic Link (No Password) signs in to any existing account, because the link goes to your account’s email. If you signed up with Apple on an iPhone, use it to sign in on Android.
- The web app also shows Magic Link (No Password), but the emailed link opens only in the iPhone or Android app, so it can’t sign you in to your browser.
Sign up with Google or Apple
Section titled “Sign up with Google or Apple”- Tap Get Started, then Continue with Google or, on iPhone, Continue with Apple, and choose your account.
- DonutChat shows Account not found. Create an account first. Then a Welcome! screen opens with your name and email.
- Enter a Username (see the rules) and tap Create Account.
- On Set Up Your Profile, optionally tap the camera button to add a photo, and check your Display Name. Tap Continue to DonutChat, or Skip.
- A four-step welcome tour follows, which you can skip. On Stay Connected, tap Enable Notifications to get notified about new messages, or Maybe later. Tap Start Chatting to finish.
Sign up with email and password
Section titled “Sign up with email and password”- Tap Get Started > Email & Password, then tap Sign up next to Don’t have an account?.
- Enter your Email, a Username, a Display name and a Password of at least 8 characters, then tap Sign up.
- Open the email “Verify Your Email - DonutChat” and enter its 8-letter code in Verification Code.
- Tap Verify Email. DonutChat opens your chats.
The code expires after 24 hours. If the email doesn’t arrive, tap Resend Code; you can request a new code once a minute. The link in the email only shows the code again, so enter the code in the app to finish. If you leave before verifying, sign in with your email and password later, and the app asks for the code.
Accounts created with email skip the profile setup and the tour. You can add a photo later from the Profile tab.
Choose a username
Section titled “Choose a username”People find and mention you by your username. It must:
- be 3 to 30 characters long
- use only letters, numbers and underscores (_)
- not be taken already. Some usernames aren’t available.
You can’t change your username or display name in the iPhone, Android or web app after you sign up. The desktop app can change both, under Settings > Profile. Your photo and introduction can be changed from the Profile tab on iPhone, Android and the web.
Sign in with a magic link
Section titled “Sign in with a magic link”On iPhone and Android, a magic link signs you in to an existing account without a password. It can’t create a new account.
- Tap Get Started > Magic Link (No Password).
- Enter your account’s email and tap Send Magic Link.
- On the phone you want to sign in on, open the email “Sign in to DonutChat” and tap the link. The app may ask you to confirm before it signs you in.
The link works once and expires after 15 minutes. If you request another link, the earlier one stops working. The screen is titled Sign in with Magic Link on iPhone and Sign in with Email on Android.
Reset a forgotten password
Section titled “Reset a forgotten password”If your account has a password, select Forgot password? on the sign-in screen to get a reset email. Accounts created with Google or Apple don’t have a password. For the steps on your phone and in the desktop app, see Reset a forgotten password.
Sign in on the desktop app
Section titled “Sign in on the desktop app”The desktop app opens on Sign in to DonutChat:
- Continue as lists accounts that are already signed in on this computer.
- To sign in with a password, enter your Email or username and Password, then click Sign in.
- On a Mac, Continue with Google opens your browser to finish signing in. It works only for an existing account. If no account uses that Google account, you see No DonutChat account uses this Google account yet. Sign up in the mobile app first.
- On Linux, sign in with your email or username and password. Google sign-in works only in the Mac app, so an account created with Google can’t sign in to the desktop app on Linux.
- There’s no Apple or Magic Link sign-in, so an account created with Apple can’t sign in to the desktop app.
The desktop app’s Create account form asks for an invite code, but personal invites come only as a link or a QR code. Create your account on your phone from your invite link, then sign in to the desktop app.