Can't pick up? Lorela's got it.

No. Your phone still rings first and you take calls the way you always did - Lorela never steps into a call you answer. The basic setup hands her only the calls you don't answer. You can also forward calls that come in when you're busy or your phone is off, but that takes extra codes - just ask us at hello@lorela.uk.

Yes, on EE, O2, Vodafone, Three and the brands on their networks. Forwarding unanswered calls is a standard network feature - you turn it on from your phone with one short code (**61* plus your Lorela number), and you don't have to arrange anything with your network.

No. We email you the summary of every call, and the app is just the quicker option - it arrives as a notification on your phone. You choose in settings, and you can use both.

Yes. The number on your business cards and on your truck stays yours - people keep calling it. Lorela has her own number (it's included), and unanswered calls forward to it on their own - you never give it to anyone.

Networks usually bill forwarding of unanswered calls like a regular outgoing call under your plan, the same as forwarding to another number of yours. On plans with unlimited calling that's mostly free, but your network can tell you the exact cost.

Yes. You set up forwarding by dialling a code on your phone's keypad - it works the same on iPhone and Android, and you don't have to install anything. We have an app for iPhone and for Android, with all your calls in one place and your phone contacts loaded in, but it's optional: summaries reach you without it.

Lorela introduces herself as a virtual assistant and asks how she can help. She asks for a name only if it comes up in the call, and says goodbye at the end. If a caller asks whether she's a robot, she says so plainly.

On your phone, dial the code that cancels forwarding (##002#) and calls ring straight to you again. You'll find the codes in settings too, and you can turn forwarding back on any time.

Call transcripts and contacts are stored in a database in Frankfurt, Germany; transcripts disappear on their own a year after the call. We never sell them to anyone. We use them to help Lorela get better - and you can turn that off in Settings on the web. Separately, once a week we check Lorela's quality on pseudonymized transcripts of some calls; the switch doesn't turn that off, and if you don't want it, write to us. You'll find the whole path of a call, a list of everyone who touches it, and what we don't know for sure yet on the Security and privacy page.

Lorela speaks English. The language of the call is set when she picks up and stays the same for the whole call, even if the caller switches to another language. The summary always reaches you in English.

Several at once, if need be - it doesn't depend on whether you're on the phone yourself. Every account has a monthly limit of minutes, and your plan includes 60 minutes of calls a month. Once the limit is used up, Lorela still answers, but she takes only the caller's name and a short message instead of a full conversation.

That's fine. Even if the caller hangs up after a few words, you get a summary with their number and the time of the call - and you can call them back, like with any missed call.

Yes, you're in the right place. Lorela is built for owner-operators and small teams who answer their own phone and want Lorela to take just the calls they can't get to. If that's you, this is it - with or without a company. If you need Lorela on more lines, email hello@lorela.uk. You can add your business name and address to your invoices after you sign in, in Settings on the web.

You can cancel a subscription bought on the web any time in your account settings - during the 7-day trial nothing is charged to your card at all. If you got Lorela through the App Store, you cancel the subscription in the store, and deleting your account doesn't end it. On Google Play we cancel the renewal for you when you delete your account and the period you paid for runs out; if that doesn't work, you cancel it yourself. You delete your account in the app or on the web, and it happens right away; for 24 hours you can still come back by signing in with the same phone number or email and we'll restore the account, just without the contacts. You turn off forwarding on your phone with the code (##002#) - without it, the calls you don't answer will keep going to the Lorela number, but with no active account nobody passes them on to you. If your account has an email address, we'll remind you about the code by email, up to three times, as long as calls from your number still arrive. If you also want the account record and call history deleted, write to hello@lorela.uk.