A second way to check.

Totem helps people who already know each other check an unusual conversation. Open Totem yourself and choose a saved contact. Don’t establish trust from a link sent by a suspicious caller.

1. Add someone you know

Create a profile with a passkey, then choose Invite someone with a link. Share it privately through text, email, or another app. The recipient opens it and creates a profile or signs in—installation is optional. Shared links last 24 hours and accept one person. Return to Pending invitations in Contacts to finish or cancel.

If you’re together, Show my pairing code and the built-in scanner are also available. QR invitations last five minutes. With either method, compare the four words and each confirm using a passkey. Opening a link or scanning alone never establishes a new trusted contact. For remote pairing, confirm through an independently trusted channel; comparing words in the same compromised conversation does not establish identity.

How you first paired

Both people answer “Are you together in person?” during confirmation. If both choose yes, the contact says Confirmed in person. Otherwise it says Paired remotely. These labels record your answers, not an independent identity verification. A QR code alone does not prove you met in person.

Earlier contacts say Pairing method not recorded. Open a contact and choose Confirm together in person to compare a fresh code and words while together. Both people must confirm with their passkeys; the existing contact and check history are kept.

2. Request a check

Choose your saved contact and tap Request a check. Approve the request with your passkey. If your contact has enabled notifications, Totem sends an alert that opens the check. Otherwise, ask them to open Totem. Delivery may be delayed by connectivity or device notification settings.

Put Totem on your home screen

Open Settings in Totem to install the app and enable notifications. On iPhone or iPad (iOS 16.4 or later), use Safari’s Share → Add to Home Screen, then open the Totem icon before enabling notifications. On Android, use Chrome’s Install or Add to Home screen option. Use Send a test notification in Settings to check this device.

Each device needs its own permission. Alerts contain no names or comparison words. Signing out turns off alerts for that session; sign back in and enable them again. Totem requires an internet connection and never keeps check words available offline.

3. Approve, then compare

Your contact approves with their passkey. They should only approve if they’re speaking with you and expect this check. Ask them to read their four words first, and compare with your screen. Tap whether they match. Approval alone never completes a check.

You have two minutes for approval and another two minutes for comparison. If a check expires, is declined, or the words differ, pause and contact the person through a method you already know.

What a check can—and cannot—tell you

A completed check means the paired credential approved and the requester reported matching words. It does not certify someone’s legal identity, authenticate the phone network, or prove that a payment or request is safe.

Totem does not listen to calls, record audio, or analyze calls. The optional camera scanner only reads pairing QR codes on your device. It cannot protect against someone controlling a device or shared passkey, a compromised passkey provider or Totem server, or a person relaying and manipulating both sides of a conversation. Stop if you’re being pressured, even when words match.

Passkeys and lost access

Your phone may ask for face recognition, a fingerprint, or a screen-lock PIN. Totem receives a signed response, not your biometric data. A passkey may synchronize through its provider; it is not necessarily limited to one phone.

If you can still use that same passkey, sign in. Otherwise, create a new profile and establish the pairing again with someone you know. A new profile with the same name does not inherit trusted contacts. There is no email or SMS reset.

Profiles and passkeys are tied to the website address where you created them. Earlier test profiles remain at the original Totem address. To use meettotem.com, create a new profile there and pair again.

Before relying on this first version

This is an early release. Cross-device passkey and two-person usability testing are still being completed. Try the flow together before you need it, and keep another known way to contact each other.