# Host a server on your Android phone Your phone becomes the server. Not a cloud service pretending to be yours — the actual device in your hand (or the spare one in a drawer) holds your group's data and serves it to everyone. Setup is a few taps. Works on: - **A spare/recycled Android phone** — the classic dedicated host. Plug it in and forget it; the battery is a built-in UPS. - **Your daily phone** — hosting runs as a foreground service alongside normal use. > [!note] 📷 Photo needed > Both host styles: a plugged-in spare phone, and the app hosting on a daily driver. Save as `_images/host-phones.jpg`. ## 1. Install Phlip Install the Phlip app on the Android phone that will host. That's the whole install — the host server is built into the app. ## 2. Create your server 1. Open **Settings → Hosting**. 2. Tap **New server**, give it a name and pick a server icon if you like. 3. Start hosting. The app takes wake and Wi-Fi locks so the server stays reachable, and shows a persistent notification while hosting. You can host **multiple servers** from one phone — each keeps its own data, members, invite code, and settings. > [!note] 📷 Photo needed > The Hosting settings screen with a server running. Save as `_images/host-settings.png`. ## 3. Share the join code Each server has a join code like <span class="dp-serial">9F2K4X</span>. Share it from the app (or just read it out). On your home network, friends' devices can also **discover the server automatically** — Phlip announces itself on the local network. New members pick a name and their own password, and appear in your **Approve / Deny** queue. You admit them; after that they sign in with their own credentials. Full member-side detail in [[Join a server]]. ## 4. Approvals, roles and members As host you get: - **Approve/Deny** for every new join request. - A **member directory** — see everyone, edit roles, remove members. - **Roles**: host, admin, moderator, user, viewer. - Server settings such as whether members can create events, whether profile pictures are allowed, and the server's card theme. > [!note] 📷 Photo needed > The member directory with a couple of roles visible. Save as `_images/host-members.png`. ## 5. Battery and being a good host - **Spare phone:** keep it plugged in; that's it. - **Daily phone:** the foreground service keeps hosting alive, but aggressive manufacturer battery managers (Samsung "deep sleep" lists and similar) can interfere — exclude Phlip from battery optimisation. Stop/start hosting any time from Settings; while stopped, the server is simply offline and resumes intact. Your server's data lives on the device in a per-server data file. Back the phone up like you'd back up anything that matters. --- **Next:** [[Go public with Cloudflare]] so people can join from outside your Wi-Fi.