FireFly Mobile

- All the directions for how to do that are in the User Guide for Parents, which can be downloaded from this site.
- You can also check out our Fly Guide which walks you through the process.
- You can also update your phone book online using our Web Wizard

What's my phone's 4 digit parental PIN number?

The default PIN number is 1 2 3 4. Each time you enter this PIN, you get the option to change the PIN. Please ensure you remember this PIN as it can only be reset by sending the phone back to Grapevine Interactive. This is for security reasons.

Does the Firefly phone have GPS or tracking?

The phone does not have a built-in GPS. However, Grapevine Interactive will shortly be introducing a location-based tracking service where you Firefly can be located. Once this service is available, you will be able to see it on this website and will have to register to use it at a nominal monthly cost.

Can anybody who wants to call me?

If the Call Screening feature is ON:

You can receive calls from those people who are listed in the phone book, and
You can receive calls from those people whose numbers are programmed in the Mom and Dad keys.

If the Call Screening feature is OFF:

You can receive calls from anyone who dials your Firefly phone number.

**NOTE:

No matter whether the Call Screening feature is ON or OFF, you can always make outbound calls to those numbers in the phone book and to the numbers programmed in the Mom and Dad keys.
Call Screening will not interfere with the Emergency Call function. If the Call Screening feature is ON, and an Emergency Services call is placed, the phone will automatically disable the Call Screening feature for one hour, to allow for Emergency Services personnel to be able to call back to the phone.

How do I refill my Firefly phone?

This only applies to customers who require pre-paid airtime. There are now three convenient ways to refill your Firefly phone with minutes:

You may use a pre-paid airtime voucher. For instructions on how to do this, please download and read this document: How to load Airtime onto your Firefly Phone (PDF 264kb)
Activate Airtime Transfer through Vodacom customer care. You only do this once and then parents can send airtime to the Firefly from their cellphone
Use either a bank ATM or on-line banking web site to transfer airtime to your Firefly

What should I do if my Firefly phone doesn't work?

First, download the Start-Up Guide for Kids from this web site and make sure everything's on and working. Make sure your phone is charged and you have minutes available. If your phone still doesn't work, please call customer care on 082-16400

How to use the Emergency Button

Press and hold the Emergency Button for 3 seconds.
Release the button when “Emergency?” appears on the Display Panel.
Press SEND to place the call.
Press END to hang up.

Additional information:

You can reach Emergency Services, using the Emergency Button, even if your Firefly phone is out of minutes.

How to turn call screening ON

To limit the number of calls your Firefly phone will accept, first press the green SEND icon to activate the menus. The menu options will appear in the in the lower right-hand corner of the display panel. You’ll need to enter your PIN to get to the password-protected menu options, including “Call Screening.”

Just scroll through the list of menu options until you get to “Call Screening.”
Press OK to let the system know you want to change that option.
Press the key below the word SWITCH to toggle between ON and OFF options in call screening..
Press OK under the word ON to turn the call screening function on. Now, your Firefly phone will only accept calls from the numbers you’ve programmed into it.

If you ever want to turn that function off, just follow the same process. Remember, when the “Call Screening” option is turned OFF, your Firefly phone will accept all calls from all numbers.

How many numbers can I program into each Firefly phone?

For the Original Firefly Phone:

Up to 20 numbers can be programmed into the phone book.
One number each for the preset Mom and Dad keys.

Don't hear ring tones?

Users really like to adjust their Firefly phone. Sometimes, kids will turn the volume all the way down and forget to turn it back up.

If the volume is off or way down, they won’t hear the ring. The volume buttons are on the left side of the phone. If you press one of those buttons when you’re on a call, the volume of the call itself will be adjusted. If you press volume up or down when you’re not on a call, then the ringer volume gets changed.

How can I access PIN-protected menus?

Just press and hold the green SEND icon, shaped like a telephone.

How To Change Ring Tones

Press and hold the Send key until you see Enter PIN. ("PIN" stands for "personal identification number." Don't worry, though; you don't have to enter one.)
Choose SKIP.
Scroll through the options by choosing NEXT until the display says Ringers. .
Choose OK. Pick which key you want to give a ring tone to by choosing Key.
Choose OK. A ring tone choice will appear on the display.
If you want to hear more ring tones, just choose RING.
Choose OK when you hear the ring tone you want to use. The display will show the words Saved, then Ringers to show you that Firefly has recorded your choice.
Keep choosing NEXT until the Exit screen appears, then choose EXIT to leave the menus and return to the normal Firefly phone display.

How do I reset my parental PIN?

For your protection and security, Grapevine Interactive is only authorised to reset a PIN for the parent or guardian with the Firefly phone. We also need to verify that the phone has not been stolen and the request for the PIN is not coming from the child. You will need to get your Firefly to a Grapevine Interactive office in either Cape Town or Johannesburg in order for the phone PIN to be reset. Please contact 082-16400 for assistance in resetting your parental PIN.

What if my Firefly phone won't turn on?

You've probably just have a dead battery. Using your Firefly charger, plug your phone into a standard AC outlet. It takes about 90 minutes for your Firefly phone to charge completely. If that doesn't work, call your mobile network dealer for assistance.

What do I do if my phone freezes?

We haven’t had much trouble with Firefly phones “freezing,” but if yours does, you handle it by manually resetting your phone, just like you’d reboot your computer as if it froze.

Most Freezes we have seen are due to customers turning on the handset and not allowing it to find the network and begin getting frustrated and pushing buttons confusing the phone.

First option is to power cycle the phone (shut off and turn back on.). If that is unsuccessful, please call 082-16400 and ask for assistance in performing a manual reset.

How To Use Call Waiting

If you get a new call while you're talking to someone else:

Your Firefly phone will beep.
The Display Panel will show you the new number and give you an option to Swap calls.
If you decide to take the new call, press the key under the word SWAP.
When you're finished talking to that caller, just press END. The call on hold (that's the first person you were talking to) will automatically be reconnected.
When you're ready to end that call, just press END again.

What is the phone shell made of? I can't get it off and I don't want to break it.

No need to fear. The Firefly shell is actually manufactured of the same composite material that is used in the manufacture of professional football helmets. It is actually quite difficult to "break" or "crack" a shell by simply removing it.

Be sure you turn the phone off before you begin removing the covers, as you may accidentally place an Emergency Call or dial someone in your phone book.

For the Original Firefly Phone:

To remove the back cover: Look at the back of the phone and you will see a little button. Push/pull up on that button, while you peel off the back of the phone.

To remove the front cover: With the phone turned off, hold the phone in both hands and place each thumb on the Mom and Dad keys. Now gently, but firmly begin to push down with both thumbs and pull the front cover off the phone. Once one end pops off, gently remove.

To replace, be sure you adjust the front cover over the buttons so that they fit back into the holes on the cover and gently push the cover back onto the phone until it snaps into place. Then center the back cover and snap it into place.

How To See Missed Calls

Your Firefly phone will tell you how many calls you've missed since you've been away from your phone.

To ignore the list of missed calls, choose IGNORE.
If you want to see the list, choose READ.
You can use -> to see all the calls you missed. Then choose BACK to return to the normal display.

Can I delete my missed calls?

No. However, the phone holds the last 10 calls, so anything beyond those last 10 calls will delete as more calls are received.