Fortress Communicator is a hosted business phone — real phone numbers, real PBX features, end-to-end encryption on the leg between two Fortress users, and a price that lands well under RingCentral. This guide walks you through your first five minutes: download, sign in, pick a plan, and place a call.
1. Download the app
Fortress Communicator is an iOS app. Open the App Store on your iPhone or iPad, search for Fortress Communicator, and tap Get. The Android client is in development and will land in a later release; in the meantime, Android users can use the browser-based WebRTC fallback from a desktop.
iOS 16 or later is required. CallKit, the Apple framework that lets the app behave like a real phone, needs at least that version to play nicely with the lock screen and the Phone app.
2. Sign in with Apple
The first screen after install is Sign in with Apple. We use Apple’s identity service for two reasons: you do not have to invent another password, and we never see your Apple ID’s email address unless you choose to share it. If you have used Sign in with Apple before — for any app — the flow is the same one-tap confirmation. If this is your first time, iOS will offer to generate a hide-my-email relay address; either choice works for us.
Once you tap through, your account exists. There is no email verification step, no SMS code, no captcha.
3. Pick a path — Free or Paid
Fortress has a Free tier and three paid consumer tiers. The right choice depends on whether you need a real phone number and how much you call:
- Free — calls and messages between Fortress users only. No real phone number, no calls to the outside world. Great for trying the app, talking to other Fortress users, and seeing the encryption UI before paying.
- Basic — $11.24/mo — your first real phone number, 500 outbound US/Canada minutes, 500 SMS segments, and 50 MMS messages per month. The right starting point for most new users.
- Pro — $18.99/mo — 2 phone numbers, 2,000 minutes, 2,500 SMS, 250 MMS, plus end-to-end encrypted conferences. Built for solo professionals.
- Premier — $26.99/mo — 5 phone numbers, unlimited US/Canada minutes and SMS, plus an audit-log retention policy. For power users.
For a fuller breakdown of who each tier is for, see our Pricing Plans article.
4. Place your first call
- Open the Dialer tab at the bottom of the screen.
- Type the phone number you want to reach (PSTN — paid tier only) or tap a contact in the Directory to call another Fortress user.
- Tap the green call button. iOS will ask for microphone permission the first time — say yes.
- Watch the top of the call screen. You’ll see one of three security badges: a green check (verified end-to-end encrypted), a yellow shield (encrypted but not yet verified), or an orange band (routed through our PBX — always shown for calls to regular phone numbers).
Want to know what those badges actually mean? Read our Security & Encryption article.
5. Explore the menus
The app has nine tabs across the bottom: Dialer, Directory, Recents, Messages, Groups, Private Chat, Voicemail, Video, and Settings. For a walk-through of each, see Navigating the App: Every Menu Explained.
6. Need help?
If you get stuck:
- Check the rest of this Help Center — there is a good chance the answer is here.
- Email support@fortressdms.com for account-level questions.
- Reach out via our Contact page for sales or partnership inquiries.
We just rolled this out to our shift supervisors last week and honestly the setup was faster than I expected — got three of them up and running before briefing was even over. One question though: does the end-to-end encryption hold up when someone’s connecting over a personal hotspot rather than the facility network? That’s been a sticking point with other apps we’ve tried.
We just rolled this out to our transport deputies last month and the setup really was as fast as advertised — most of them were up and running before I even finished the briefing. One question though: does the Apple sign-in work smoothly on older department-issued iPhones, or do you need a certain iOS version for the encryption to function properly?
We rolled this out to our shift supervisors last month and the setup really was as quick as advertised — had everyone making encrypted calls before the afternoon briefing wrapped up. My only question is whether there’s a way to restrict which contacts each user tier can reach, or if that’s a future feature. Would make it a lot easier to manage communication boundaries between classifications.
We just rolled this out last week for our transport coordination team and the setup really was as quick as advertised — had our guys making calls same shift. One question though: does the Apple sign-in requirement cause any issues for facilities that restrict personal device app stores on county-issued phones?
We just rolled this out at our facility last month and the setup really was as quick as advertised — my staff had it running before I even finished my coffee. One question though: does the encryption still hold up when deputies are connecting from outside the county network on their personal devices? That’s been a sticking point with our IT folks.
We just rolled this out last week and the setup really was as fast as advertised — our deputies had it running before the end of briefing. One question though: does the encryption hold up when staff are roaming between the facility WiFi and carrier data, or does a handoff mid-call create any gap?