> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unify.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Setting up channels

> Contact details, verification, and what channels cost

Every channel beyond Console chat and Unify Meet is switched on from two
places in the Console: **your** contact info, and your **assistant's** contact
details.

## Step 1 — Verify your own contact info

Go to **Account → Contact Info**. This is where you tell the platform how to
recognize you on external channels:

| Field           | How it's verified                                                                               |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Email           | Your login email — already verified                                                             |
| Phone number    | 6-digit code sent by SMS                                                                        |
| WhatsApp number | 6-digit code sent on WhatsApp                                                                   |
| Discord user ID | Entered directly (enable Developer Mode in Discord, right-click your profile, **Copy User ID**) |

Verification matters: it's how a text from your number, or a WhatsApp message
from your account, gets routed to your assistant as *you* — with all your
shared context — rather than treated as a stranger.

## Step 2 — Give your assistant its channels

Hover over your assistant in the assistant list, open the **⋮** menu, and
choose **Contact Details** (or open the Contact Details card on its profile).
From there:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Phone number">
    Choose the country the number should be based in — available in the US,
    UK, Australia, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Thailand, and
    Poland — then create it. The number handles both
    [calls](/communication/phone-calls) and [SMS](/communication/sms). You'll
    need a verified phone number on your own profile first.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="WhatsApp">
    Create the WhatsApp contact (your own WhatsApp number must be verified
    first), then **send the first message** — that opens the conversation and
    lets your assistant call you on WhatsApp later. See
    [WhatsApp](/communication/whatsapp).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Email">
    Choose **Configure** and connect a Google or Microsoft account for your
    assistant. For hired assistants, create a brand-new account rather than
    connecting your own. See [Email](/communication/email).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Discord">
    Add Discord and your assistant gets a bot identity that can DM you and
    join your servers. See [Discord](/communication/discord).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Note>
  **Using T-W1N (your digital twin)?** Its contact details are
  platform-managed — channels are provisioned automatically, and messages
  from your verified identity are routed to it. There's nothing to create or
  configure beyond verifying your own contact info.
</Note>

## What channels cost

Some channels carry real-world costs (phone numbers are leased, WhatsApp
senders are registered), which are paid in credits from your wallet:

| Channel                    | One-time setup | Monthly fee |
| -------------------------- | -------------- | ----------- |
| Phone number (calls + SMS) | Yes            | Yes         |
| WhatsApp                   | Yes            | Yes         |
| Discord                    | Yes            | Yes         |
| Email                      | Free           | Free        |
| Console chat & Unify Meet  | Free           | Free        |

Exact amounts vary by channel and country, and are always shown in the
Console before you confirm. Monthly fees are deducted from your credit wallet
at the start of each month; if your balance runs short, there's a grace period
before a channel is deactivated, and you'll be notified by email first.

Deleting a contact method is irreversible — the phone number or WhatsApp
sender is released — but you can create a new one at any time.

## Let your assistant drive

The Console walks you through channel setup with an onboarding checklist —
first message, first call, email, phone, WhatsApp — and your assistant guides
you through each step, testing every channel with you as you go.

And remember: your assistant knows how all of this works. If in doubt, hop on
a [Unify Meet](/communication/unify-meet) call, share your screen, and it
will walk you through the whole thing in a couple of minutes.