How BuzzBot works
BuzzBot intercepts your apartment intercom calls before they reach you, handles the interaction intelligently, and only involves you when it genuinely needs a human decision. Here's exactly what happens at each step.
Get your dedicated BuzzBot number
A local phone number, assigned to you in seconds.
When you sign up for BuzzBot, the app provisions a real local phone number in your area code via Twilio. This number looks and behaves exactly like any other phone number — your building manager won't know it's anything special. You can port your number to another carrier in the future, and the number stays yours for as long as your account is active.
Update your building's intercom records
One conversation with your manager. Then you're done forever.
Give your BuzzBot number to your building manager or super and ask them to update your intercom unit record. Most buildings handle this within 1–2 business days. If your intercom system has a resident portal, you can often update it yourself immediately. Once it's set, you never need to think about it again.
Connect your Gmail
BuzzBot reads shipping notifications — nothing else.
BuzzBot uses Gmail OAuth to scan your inbox for delivery confirmation emails from carriers including UPS, FedEx, Amazon, USPS, DHL, DoorDash, Instacart, and others. It reads only the subject line and sender metadata needed to confirm a delivery is expected. It never reads email body content, stores message content, or accesses any non-shipping email. Your Gmail credentials are encrypted with AES-256 before being stored.
BuzzBot answers every intercom call
The call goes to BuzzBot before it ever reaches your real phone.
When someone presses your unit number on the building intercom, the call routes to your BuzzBot number. BuzzBot answers immediately — typically within 1–2 rings. It plays a brief greeting and begins the verification flow. Your real phone only gets involved if BuzzBot explicitly forwards the call.
Verification: expected delivery
Gmail match → door opens. No action required.
If the caller identifies themselves as a carrier (e.g. "UPS", "FedEx", "Amazon") and BuzzBot finds a matching delivery confirmation in your Gmail from that carrier for today's date, it immediately sends DTMF tone "9" to unlock the door. The entire process takes about two seconds. You receive a push notification letting you know a delivery was buzzed in.
Verification: unknown visitor with a name
BuzzBot asks for first and last name, then cross-references.
If BuzzBot can't confirm a delivery from Gmail, it asks the caller their name — first in English, then Spanish, then Cantonese. If the caller gives only a first name, BuzzBot follows up with "And what's the last name?" Full name matches against your registered household names trigger an automatic buzz-in. Partial matches route to manual approval.
Uncertain? You decide from your lock screen.
Buzz In or Deny without unlocking your phone.
If BuzzBot can't confidently verify the visitor, your iPhone receives a push notification with two action buttons: "Buzz In" and "Deny." You can respond directly from the lock screen — no unlocking required. The notification arrives within a few seconds of the verification failure, giving you about 20 seconds to respond before the 28-second timeout.
No response? Forwarded to your real number.
BuzzBot never dead-ends a caller.
If 28 seconds elapse without a buzz-in, denial, or Gmail match, BuzzBot forwards the call to your real phone number. The caller hears a brief "hold on" message and the call connects normally. You get a regular incoming call just like before BuzzBot existed — but only for cases that actually require your attention.
Decision flow at a glance
Frequently asked questions
Does my building need any special setup?
No. BuzzBot works with any intercom system that calls a phone number — which is nearly every system built in the last 30 years. Your building just needs to have your BuzzBot number on file instead of your personal number.
What happens if my internet goes down?
BuzzBot runs on our servers, not your phone or home network. An internet outage at your apartment has no effect on BuzzBot. The only internet-dependent part is the push notification for manual approval — if your phone is offline, the call will forward to your real number after 28 seconds.
Can BuzzBot hear my conversations?
BuzzBot listens to the intercom call only during active verification. It does not record calls or store audio. Voice matching happens in real-time and nothing is retained.
What if a delivery isn't in my Gmail?
If there's no Gmail match, BuzzBot falls through to voice verification — asking for the caller's name. If the name matches someone in your household, they're buzzed in. If not, you get a manual approval request on your iPhone.
Will BuzzBot auto-buzz during the night?
Only if you configure Active Hours to include nighttime. By default you set the hours during which BuzzBot operates. Outside those hours, calls forward directly to your real phone.
What if I have roommates or family members?
You can add multiple names to your household profile. Voice verification checks against all of them. Each person can also connect their own Gmail for delivery detection.
Is this available on Android?
BuzzBot is currently iPhone only. Android support is not planned for the initial release.