Link is the ultimate, locally relevant community and lifestyle app designed to keep you, our user, connected. Link, in partnership with Vodacom, not only gives you the ability to connect with your friends and communities, but also introduces the following revolutionary features:

Link Channels: Geo-location based Security, News or Ward channels, keeping you connected to your neighbourhood.

Link Jobs: Upload your CV and find the job you’ve always dreamed of today.

Link Business: A comprehensive platform for merchants, businesses and brands to market themselves using a range of tools including vouchers, location/attraction searches, digital blackboards and image recognition.

Link Things: A variety of IoT devices, starting with our Bluetooth SOS button that connects directly to the Link SOS feature for your safety.

Link is available for iPhones, iPod Touch, iPads, Android phones and certain Android tablets, and can easily be downloaded from the Google Play Store, App Store or Vodacom App store.

When using Link to make calls, an internet connection is required – either Wi-Fi or 3G.

You can use Link to make calls while abroad or while travelling, in these cases we strongly recommend only using Wi-Fi in order to avoid data roaming fees.

For further assistance, please contact us at support@Linkapp.co.za and include your Link-registered cell phone number.

Registering a Link account should be simple. That’s why we’ve gotten rid of user names and complicated log-in details.

All you need to have to register an account is your cell-phone number, and the validation code that we send to the cell-phone containing your SIM card. When you use Link to make calls, your cell-phone number will appear as the Caller-ID so that your contacts recognize who’s calling.

Please note that data-only SIM cards lack the functionality to receive text messages, using the number associated with your Data-only SIM card will not allow us to send you a validation code. 

For further assistance, please contact us at support@Linkapp.co.za and include your Link-registered cell phone number.

As when using your mobile phone, geographical factors, coverage and speed of the network have an impact on call quality. A poor network or signal might cause lags.

If you are experiencing bad sound quality when calling, it’s most likely connected to problems with your internet connection or the person that you are calling.

Check the signal strength from your 3G network or Wi-Fi router. If it is weak, try to find a spot where it’s stronger and then make a call. If you experience the problems with the sound quality while walking around in your house or in some other place, check the signal strength when the sound quality starts to fall. Regardless if you are using 3G or Wi-Fi the signal strength varies depending on things that might block the signal, such as walls, buildings and so on.

You might have a strong signal from your Wi-Fi router or 3G network but still be experiencing problems. The actual speed of the data network might be slow so open up your web browser and surf to a web page. If it’s slow, then the speed of the data network is slow. If you are using 3G you should find a new place to call from that connects to the network on another station. If you are using wifi you should contact your internet provider and/or check your router.

For further assistance, please contact us at support@Linkapp.co.za and include your Link-registered cell phone number.

No. When you make a free Link-to-Link call, your mobile operator will not charge you for the call itself. All calls are however placed through the internet either over your data plan or over wifi.

If you’re experiencing difficulty making an outgoing call, please check the following:

• Make sure that your device is connected to a Wi-Fi or 3G network when you’re making a call.
• If you are calling another Link user, check with them to see if they’re connected to a Wi-Fi or 3G network and that they are also logged in to Link

If you have verified all the above and you still can’t make the call, please contact us at support@Linkapp.co.za and include the following information:

• Your registered Link number;
• The number you are trying to call​;
• Your device make and model name;
• Are you connected to a 3G or to a WiFi network;
• The exact time of the attempted call

Kindly ensure that you have a working 3G or Wi-Fi connection since an internet connection is required when using Link.
If you have Link on an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, you will need to enable Link push notifications in order to receive notifications of incoming calls and messages.

• First, tap on your device’s home screen button, then tap on the Settings icon;
• In Settings, scroll down, and tap on Notifications;
• Scroll down until you see the Link icon – tap on the Link icon;
• Swipe each grey button marked “Off” – once swiped, they will read “On”;
• You will now be able to receive incoming calls and messages.

Instead of a user name, a cell phone number is required when registering a Link account. This number will be visible when making outgoing calls, and it allows your contacts to quickly identify that you’re trying to reach them.

Your phone number/user name will be shown whether making a free Link-to-Link call.

Anyone can call you!

If your contact also has Link and chooses the Link-to-Link free option to call you, the call will be placed to your Link app, and to the device on which you have installed Link. Make sure that your notifications are turned on, so that you’ll know when someone is trying to call or message you for free.

With Link, you can call and message all other Link users worldwide for free. The more people you invite to Link; the more people you can call for free when you’re at home – or when you’re abroad.

As soon as your contacts join, you’ll get a notification from the Link app and see the red Link icon next to their name in your Link phonebook. Simply tap on their name to message or call them for free.

If you would like to enter the number of a Link contact manually, please ​make sure that the number is entered in the correct international format – the plus sign, followed by the country code, then the local number. The plus (+) sign can be produced by holding in the zero on the Link dial-pad.

For further assistance, please contact us at support@Linkapp.co.za and include your Link-registered cell phone number.

Here’s a quick check-list for making calls through the Link app:

• Make sure you have an internet connection, either 3G or WiFi
• Open Link, and tap “Contacts” or ‘Messages’ where you can identify the contact you want to call. In the chat thread, you will see a little telephone icon on the top right which will dial your contact once pressed. Alternatively, simply select the person you want to call in the ‘Contacts’ menu.

Definitely. In your Link phonebook you’ll see the red Link icon in the thumbnail next to your contacts’ names if they also have Link or select all your free contacts.

Inviting contacts to join Link is very simple. Select your contacts in Link and pull down the screen. An option to invite contacts via SMS appears. Select this and follow the steps. Remember you will be charged SMS rates by your carrier.

During registration, Link asks permission to access your location; if access was denied the application will not be able to identify your position. Kindly ensure that you have a working 3G or Wi-Fi connection since an internet connection is required when using Link and verify that your location feature on your device is switched “on” in Location Settings.

To follow your local Safety and Security or News Channel, swipe to the “Channels” tab in your Link app. The Link app geo-locates your position and will automatically show you the channels located closest to you. To search for a specific channel, click on the magnifying glass or search icon in the upper right hand corner of the application and type out the name of the channel you are looking for. Once located, click on the channel to open the channel view and click on the “follow” button. Depending on the channel’s settings, you may be approved to follow immediately or after the channel administrator has verified your details via the Link portal.

To manage all notifications, go to your profile view by clicking on the menu icon in the upper left hand corner. Select “App Settings”, select “Show notifications” to switch all application notifications on or off. To define your notifications within a channel, go into the channel you are following, click on the three dots in the upper right hand corner of your screen, select “Settings”, select which notifications you would like to receive.

Tag-Me is easy to set up with one click notifying contacts via instant messaging that another contact wants you to track them. It’s extremely light on bandwidth (1MB can be used for 20 hours of tracking) and battery life (an average of only 7% battery loss per hour).

Currently, a Tag-Me session cannot be extended, but a new session may be started by going into your single chat or group chat view and clicking on the arrow to the left of your chat tab. Select “Tag-Me” from the options and select the time you would like to be tagged.

During registration, Link asks permission to access your location; if access was denied the application will not be able to identify your position. Kindly ensure that you have a working 3G or Wi-Fi connection since an internet connection is required when using Link and verify that your location feature on your device is switched “on”.

Please click on the activiation link that was sent to the email address that was used to sign up to Link Channels.

When you login for the first time you will be automatically directed to the create channel page. Simply fill in the channel details and any other specifications with your channel logo. Click on “Create Channel”.

After you have created a channel it is sent to a Link administrator for approval. Once it is approved your channel will be live on the app. Approval can take up to 24 hours.

Click on the gear icon next to your created channel, select “edit”. You will be able to edit the channels details. Please remember to click on “Save channel” for the changes to take effect.

This is a free service from Link.

Not at all. Link also offers news and general channels. News and general channels can be left open for any Link user to follow without validation from the channel owner.

We recommend using Google Chrome as your portal browser of choice.

Please ensure that your notifications settings are enabled. Click on the bell at the top of the page, then click on the grey settings gear on the dropdown menu and then click on the receive notifications tab to activate notifications. Also, ensure that your Permissions are set to the correct settings on your browser by clicking on the lock in your internet browser bar at the top of the screen.

Please ask your system administrator to set up your intranet with the following settings to help you receive notifications.  If your organization has a firewall that restricts the traffic to or from the Internet, you need to configure it to allow connectivity with GCM for our GCM client apps to receive messages. The ports to open are: 5228, 5229, and 5230. GCM typically only uses 5228, but it sometimes uses 5229 and 5230. GCM doesn’t provide specific IPs, so you should allow your firewall to accept outgoing connections to all IP addresses contained in the IP blocks listed in Google’s ASN of 15169.

Please be patient the server may be down for maintenance. Contact support@Linkapp.co.za if the error persists.

We use the latest security and encryption technology to secure the Link servers and platform. All data flowing between app and servers are encrypted.

Make sure that the image you are trying to upload is a .jpeg or .png file. All other formats will be rejected by the Link Channels Portal.

Yes, you can use the reporting tab to create a variety of reports. If you would like to request additional information for your reporting purposes, please contact support@Linkapp.co.za

Before you get started as a Link Business you will have to confirm your email address by clicking on the link that was sent to the email address you used in the sign up process.

Follow the on screen prompts to create your business profile. A Business Profile allows you to set up your business’s brand’s or organisation’s information. You can create multiple Business Profiles for multiple business’s or brands within the same user account

Yes. A business profile is unique to that business and the information and logo listed in the business profile will filter down to all the places, offers and channels created under it.

Click on your email address at the top right hand corner and select the “Create a new business profile”.

Simply by clicking on your email address at the top right hand corner, then click on the pencil icon next to the business profile name. This will open the business profile details, which you can now edit. Please remember to click on “Save your changes” at the bottom of the screen to save any edited information.

You can click on your email address at the top right hand corner and then on “View plan” which will open the subscription view.

No. You will first need to claim or create your place by clicking on “My places” followed by “Create Place”. Places are your individual stores or outlets. Adding places to your business profile will allow customers to find your business.

We might have already added your places location and information to our platform for users to find you. If this is the case, you will be able to find it in the search function. If your place pops up, you can submit a “claim” for it and start managing and updating its details.

If you do not find anything through our search then simply select “Create Your Place” to add it.

Once a place has been claimed or created it is sent to Link admins for verification. The admins check the information against the business documentation uploaded. If the admins are happy that the information given is correct, they will approve the place within 24 hours.

In order for the place to show in the Discover places menu on the app, the user needs to be within a certain radius of the place. You can change the location on the app by clicking on the red pointer at the top right hand corner and changing the location closer to the location of the place.
Once that has been done, the place should be visible in Discover places.

Absolutely nothing! This is a free service offered by Link.

You will first need to add a credit card to your profile. After this has been done you will be able to subscribe to the offer campaign subscription found in “Your subscriptions”. You will then be asked to link the place you will want offers to be active for.

Once the subscription is active you will be able to create offers under the “My Offer Campaigns” tab.

The offer campaign costs R299 per month for your first place. An additional R49 per month is charged per each additional place linked to this service. You can create as many campaigns per place as you would like once activated.

There are 4 types of offers Link Businesses can choose from:

Single discount offer
Promote a single discount or special which users can claim in-store. You can also choose to limit the number of total claims per campaign.

Loyalty campaign
Create loyalty programs without having to issue cards or stamps. Easily manage and reward loyalty.

Progressive Discount
Drive repeat business by rewarding customers with increased discounts after each purchase.

Customer engagement
Create a fun interactive experience for your customers. Design a questions and answers challenge, those who pass will receive a discount or Link credits.

The redemption codes can be redeemed under the “Redeem Offers” square found on your Link dashboard. Simply select the place the redemption code was redeemed, add the value of the item, insert the redemption and click on “Redeem”.

The blackboard is a place where Businesses can advertise their daily specials. Taken from the idea of the traditional chalk blackboards seen outside neighbourhood shops, Businesses will have the power to create once-off, daily, weekly or monthly specials.

These blackboards will display as a digital blackboard attached to any places you have linked, conveniently informing your current and potential customers.

While offers are geared more for actual marketing/ sales campaigns, blackboards can be used to drive customers to a business on specific day informing them of certain specials. In essence the blackboard can be used for advertisement.

When the offer campaigns and blackboard are used together they make for a strong marketing tool, increasing the likelihood of more feet through merchant doors.

The cost of the blackboard is R49 per month per place linked to this service. You can create as many blackboards as you would like once activated.

A Link business channel is a way you can engage directly with your followers and customers by sharing interesting content, specials and more. Users find the business channels in the channel tab in the app, which is easily accessible.

The Link business channel is a free service and costs nothing. You can activate the business channel by going to “Your Subscriptions” found under the business profile. Next to business channel click on “Activate Channel”, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Update Subscription”. Your business channel will now be active.