Many people ask: Why do I have to have a paid Podio account to use smrtPhone?
There are two reasons:
1. Verification
Having a paid Podio account is another way for us to confirm you are a legitimate user and not someone trying to take advantage of the $7 credit we give all new clients.
Unfortunately this is a case where a few dishonest people have ruined it for the rest. We were forced to create more stringent protocols for opening a new smrtPhone account. (It is also why we require a valid credit card on account to start the free trial, even though we do not charge subscription fees until the trial ends.)
2. Avoid errors related to free Podio item limits
Free Podio accounts only allow 500 items per App; paid Podio accounts allow 500,000 items per App. With smrtPhone, every inbound and outbound call and text is recorded as an item. When you use smrtPhone at a typical pace, you will reach the 500 item limit in the Communications App pretty soon into your subscription. Once the App is maxed out, smrtPhone will start to error out, unable to log calls and texts. When that happens, it seems like smrtPhone is not working, but the problem is actually with the free Podio account.
Having a Paid Podio subscription avoids errors caused by the limits of a free Podio system.