Get started

Hosting takes about an hour the first time, most of it spent preparing phones. After that the hub runs on its own and tells you when a phone needs attention.

1. Create your account. Sign in at pocketshare.io/app with your email or Google account. Every account can rent and host. Hosting is covered by the host agreement; read it before you start.

2. Check your hardware. You need a computer that stays on for the hub (a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5, a Debian or Ubuntu computer, or a Windows PC), spare phones with Android 8.0 or newer, USB cables that carry data, and a powered USB hub so the phones stay charged. See Requirements and Choose your hardware.

3. Give the phones a network of their own. During the beta, apps a renter runs on your phone reach the internet through your connection. Connect hosted phones to your router’s guest network (or a separate VLAN), never the network your own devices use.

4. Install the hub. Create a pairing code in your dashboard, then follow the guide for your computer: Raspberry Pi, Debian or Ubuntu or Windows. The hub appears in your dashboard within a minute.

5. Prepare and plug in your phones. Reset each phone, turn on USB debugging and plug it into the hub. See Prepare your phones.

6. Wait for review. The hub checks each phone and shows it as Waiting for review. PocketShare reviews every new phone before it can be listed.

7. Set a price. Once a phone is approved, you can test it for free, then set its hourly price to list it in the marketplace. See Use the dashboard.

8. Set up payouts. Connect a Stripe account for your earnings. See Payouts.

Questions along the way? Email [email protected].