How to set up Finite Phone.
Setup runs from your account page on a computer, with your phone on a USB cable. You sign out of the phone's accounts, choose how the web works and check which apps will be hidden. When it's done, you sign back in. The phone isn't wiped.
Which phone are you setting up?
Already set up? Sign in the same way to ask for apps, block apps or remove Finite Phone.
The setup page has 6 steps and shows which one you're on.
Before you start
Have these ready:
- A computer with Chrome or Edge. Windows, Mac or Chromebook.
- A Pixel 6 or newer, on Android 14 or newer.
- A Galaxy phone on Android 14 or newer.
- A USB cable that carries data. The cable that came with the phone works if the computer has a USB-C port, the small oval one. If it has only the larger, rectangular USB ports, use a cable with one of each plug, or an adapter. A cable that only charges won't work.
- Your Google password, and a way to confirm it's you. You sign back in to Google on the phone at the end. If you usually confirm Google sign-ins on that phone, it can't do that while it's signed out. Have another way ready: a code by text or call, a backup code, or another phone or tablet signed in to your Google account.
- Your Samsung account password, if the phone has one. Setup has you sign out of every account on the phone, a Samsung account too. To remove a Samsung account, the phone asks for its password.
- The email you subscribed with.
- A backup of the phone. On the phone, open Settings, then System, then Backup. Tap Back up now, or Turn on if backup is off. Wait for the backup to finish.
- A backup of the phone. On the phone, open Settings, then Accounts and backup. Under Google Drive, tap Back up data and follow the steps.
Check the phone
On the phone, open Settings, then About phone. Model shows which phone it is, and Android version is further down.
The phone also needs to have just one user, with no work profile or private space. If your app list has a separate area for work apps or private apps, the phone has one. A phone your employer manages won't work. Setup checks these when you connect the phone.
Check the phone
On the phone, open Settings, then About phone. Model name shows which phone it is. Tap Software information to see Android version.
The phone also needs to have just one user, with no work profile or private space. If your app list has a separate area for work apps or private apps, the phone has one. A phone your employer manages won't work. Setup checks these when you connect the phone.
Sign in on the computer
On the computer, open my.finitephone.com/setup and sign in with the email you subscribed with. If that email is a Google account, choose Continue with Google. If not, choose Email me a link and open it in Chrome or Edge on the same computer.
Either way, there's no password, and the setup page opens once you're in. If it can't find a subscription for that email, it says so before you start on the phone.
What signing out can affect
Back up the phone, and check that anything you rely on is synced. Signing out of the phone's accounts has effects we don't control:
- If an app can only be signed out by uninstalling it, you'll reinstall it afterwards and restore it from its own backup.
- Google Wallet deletes a digital car key when the Google account is removed. You pair the key with the car again afterwards.
- Passkeys and authenticator codes that aren't synced may not come back.
Section 5 of the Terms lists these and a few more.
Your text messages stay on the phone. Until you sign back in to Google, texts from contacts in your Google account show phone numbers instead of names.
If you have cards in Google Wallet, your bank may ask you to verify them again after you sign back in.
Connect the phone
The setup page first lists what you need. When you're ready, choose Start setup. The page then shows these 5 parts one at a time.
Turn on Developer options
- On the phone, open Settings, then About phone.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Build number 7 times.
- If the phone asks, enter your PIN, pattern or password.
The phone says "You are now a developer!"
You can also search Settings for Build number. After the 3rd tap, the phone shows how many taps are left. If you leave About phone before your 7th tap, the count starts over. If the phone says "No need, you are already a developer", Developer options is already on.
Turn on Developer options
- On the phone, open Settings, then About phone, then Software information.
- Tap Build number 7 times.
- If the phone asks, enter your PIN, pattern or password.
The phone says "Developer mode has been turned on."
You can also search Settings for Build number. After the 3rd tap, the phone shows how many taps are left. If you leave Software information before your 7th tap, the count starts over. If the phone says "Developer mode has already been turned on.", Developer options is already on.
Turn on USB debugging
- Go back to Settings, then System, then Developer options.
- Scroll down to USB debugging and turn it on.
- When the phone asks "Allow USB debugging?", tap OK.
The phone warns that USB debugging lets a computer copy data and install apps. At the end of setup, Finite Phone turns USB debugging and Developer options off again. You can turn them back on any time.
The switch next to USB debugging is on.
Developer options is near the bottom of System. It shows up only after you tap Build number 7 times. Once Developer options is on, you can also search Settings for USB debugging.
Turn on USB debugging
- Go back to Settings, scroll to the bottom, and tap Developer options.
- Under Debugging, turn on USB debugging.
- When the phone asks "Allow USB debugging?", tap OK.
The phone warns that USB debugging lets a computer copy data and install apps. At the end of setup, Finite Phone turns USB debugging and Developer options off again. You can turn them back on any time.
The switch next to USB debugging is on.
Developer options is the last row of Settings. It shows up only after you tap Build number 7 times. Once Developer options is on, you can also search Settings for USB debugging.
Plug in the phone
- Plug the phone into the computer with a USB cable that carries data.
- If you use a Mac and it asks whether to allow the accessory to connect, choose Allow.
- Unlock the phone and leave it unlocked until setup is done.
- On the setup page, choose Find my phone.
Plug the phone straight into the computer. A hub, dock or monitor can keep the phone from showing up.
Find your phone
- The browser shows a list. Choose your phone in it.
- Choose Connect.
If your phone isn't in the list, unplug the phone, plug it back in, and choose Find my phone again. Check that USB debugging is on and that the cable carries data. If you use Android Studio, scrcpy or adb on the computer, close them, then try again.
Tap Allow on the phone
When the phone asks "Allow USB debugging?", tap Allow.
The setup page moves on once you tap Allow.
If the phone doesn't ask, unlock it and look again. If it still doesn't ask, unplug the phone, plug it back in, and choose Find my phone again.
Tap Allow on the phone
When the phone asks "Allow USB debugging?", tap Allow.
The setup page moves on once you tap Allow.
If the phone doesn't ask, unlock it and look again. If it still doesn't ask, unplug the phone, plug it back in, and choose Find my phone again.
The page reads the phone's model and Android version. If the phone can't run Finite Phone, the page says why.
Sign out of the phone's accounts
The page lists every account signed in on the phone. That includes your Google accounts and the accounts some apps create for themselves, such as WhatsApp. Android doesn't let Finite Phone manage a phone while any account is signed in.
How to remove an account
- On the phone, open Settings, then Accounts and backup, then Manage accounts.
- Tap an account.
- Tap Remove account.
- Tap Remove account again to confirm.
The account is gone from the phone's list.
Those are the steps on Android 17. On earlier versions, the accounts are in:
- Android 15 and 16: Settings, then Passwords, passkeys & accounts
- Android 14: Settings, then Passwords & accounts
If your phone shows a different name, search Settings for accounts.
Shown on Android 17.
How to remove an account
- On the phone, open Settings, then Accounts and backup, then Manage accounts.
- Tap an account.
- Tap Remove account.
- Tap Remove account again on the pop-up to confirm.
The account is gone from the phone's list.
If the phone also has a Samsung account, remove it the same way: tap it, tap Sign out, and enter your Samsung account password.
The phone warns that removing an account deletes its messages, contacts and other data from the phone. Your Google email, contacts and calendar stay in your Google account, and come back when you sign in again.
The phone warns that removing an account deletes all of its messages, contacts and other data from the phone. Your Google email, contacts and calendar stay in your Google account, and come back when you sign in again.
Removing WhatsApp's account doesn't sign you out of WhatsApp, and your chats stay. If WhatsApp puts the account back, remove it again. Don't open WhatsApp until setup is done.
Most apps keep their data, but a few can only be signed out by uninstalling them.
The page checks on its own for 10 minutes and moves on when the accounts are all gone. If it's been longer than that, choose Check now. When the page says the phone is ready, choose Install Finite Phone.
Install Finite Phone
The page downloads Finite Phone and installs it on the phone. If the phone asks you to allow the install, tap Allow.
Now or a little later, the phone may ask to send the app for a security check. It asks because Finite Phone was installed from the computer instead of from Google Play. Setup continues whichever you tap.
When the page says Finite Phone is installed, choose the button that says Choose how the web works.
Choose how the web works
The page asks how the web should work on this phone, and nothing is picked for you.
- Standard: sites on the block list are blocked, and everything else opens.
- Strict: only approved sites open. That's a list of widely used sites, the same for everyone, plus the sites you add.
After setup, you change this on your account page, and there's no switch on the phone. Switching to Strict takes effect the next time the phone checks in with Finite Phone, usually within 15 minutes. After your first 24 hours, switching back to Standard takes 48 hours.
If you choose Strict, a list called Your sites appears on the same page. You can change it on your account page afterwards.
Type web addresses there, one per line, up to 200. A site on the block list is refused. A site Finite Phone already knows opens right away, and anything else is reviewed first.
When you add a news site, its stories open and its front page stays blocked.
In Strict, a card payment that asks your bank to confirm may not finish in the browser. The retailer's own app usually works, and so does PayPal.
Review the apps
Before any app is hidden, the page shows the apps that will be hidden and the apps that stay. An app you install later that isn't on the approved list is hidden the same way.
A hidden app is off your home screen and app list, and it won't open. Its data stays, and it comes back if it's allowed later or if you remove Finite Phone.
Each app on the hidden list is marked Not allowed, with the reason, or Not yet reviewed. For an app that isn't reviewed yet, you can choose Ask for this app. It stays hidden until it's allowed, so ask before you continue.
We review each request, and your account page shows whether we allowed it.
Some apps that came with the phone are hidden too. The page lists them under Came with the phone.
Before you continue, the page explains how removal works. Check the box and choose Set up this phone.
Set up the phone
Leave the cable in while setup runs. The page shows each step and checks it off as it finishes. The last one turns USB debugging off.
When setup is done, the page says Finite Phone is set up. The phone then restarts on its own, and you can unplug the cable once it does. The search bar on your home screen now searches your apps instead of the web.
If the page says it couldn't confirm that USB debugging is off, turn it off in Settings, then System, then Developer options.
If the page says it couldn't confirm that USB debugging is off, turn it off in Settings, then Developer options.
If setup stops, the page says what happened. You can try again or stop setup. If USB debugging is still on after that, turn it off the same way.
After setup
Sign back in to Google
- On the phone, open Settings, then Accounts and backup, then Manage accounts.
- Tap Add account, then Google, and sign in.
Those are the steps on Android 17. On earlier versions, Add account is in:
- Android 15 and 16: Settings, then Passwords, passkeys & accounts
- Android 14: Settings, then Passwords & accounts
If your phone shows a different name, search Settings for accounts.
Open Settings, then System, then Backup, and check that backup is on. If you use Google Photos, check that photos and videos are backed up too.
Shown on Android 17.
Sign back in to Google
- On the phone, open Settings, then Accounts and backup, then Manage accounts.
- Tap Add account, then Google, and sign in.
Open Settings, then Accounts and backup, and check that Back up data under Google Drive is on.
To install an app from the approved list, open the Finite Phone app and go to Approved apps. If an app you need isn't there, choose Ask for an app in the same app.
Stuck? Support has quick answers and a form, or write to support@finitephone.com.