Everything you need to use Oyoyo well.

Sign in

1. 1Open Oyoyo and choose Sign in.
2. 2Enter the email address and password connected to your account, then select Sign in.
3. 3If Google sign-in is available on your device, choose Continue with Google and finish the Google prompt.
4. 4After a successful sign-in, Oyoyo returns you to the experience you were trying to open or to Home.

Create an account

1. 1Choose Create account on the sign-in screen.
2. 2Enter accurate account details and use an email address you can access.
3. 3Complete any verification or onboarding prompts shown to you.
4. 4Add a profile photo, display name and short bio so people can recognise you.

Continue as a guest

Guest access is useful for exploring public feeds and events. Actions that affect an account—such as following, commenting, messaging, gifting, saving or publishing—ask you to sign in first.

If you cannot sign in

• Check that the email address has no extra spaces and that your password uses the correct letter case.
• Use Forgot password to set a new password instead of repeatedly guessing.
• For Google sign-in, finish the prompt in the same browser or app session and allow it to return to Oyoyo.
• If the problem continues, record the visible message and submit a report from the public UAT page while testing staging.

Complete the essentials

1. 1Open Profile, tap the ⋮ menu at the top right of your banner and choose Edit profile. Settings and Share profile are in the same menu.
2. 2Use a clear profile image and a display name that your audience will recognise.
3. 3Write a short bio that explains who you are or what you create.
4. 4Review the saved profile to make sure the image and text appear correctly.

Understand your profile

• Your profile shows your published media and your relationship with followers and following.
• Selecting a video opens the profile viewer. You can move through profile videos without returning to Home.
• Unlike Home and Following, a profile's video list finishes when you reach the creator's last available video.
• Other signed-in users can follow or gift you directly from your profile where those actions are available.
• A small Creator tag beside a name shows a creator account. A red check means a verified creator: a creator whose identity check has been approved.
• On mobile, your Wallet is reached from your own profile, just below your stats.
• Tap a #hashtag in a bio to see every post with that tag.

Protect your identity

Only add information you are comfortable showing publicly. Never place passwords, payment card details, verification codes or private identity documents in your bio, posts or comments.

Navigate the media feed

• Pulse is your personal feed: public posts from across Oyoyo, picked for you.
• Following focuses on content from accounts you follow.
• Swipe vertically on mobile or scroll on web to move one item at a time.
• On Android, feed videos and their preview images fit inside the screen so the full frame stays visible. Black space can appear above, below or beside videos with a different shape from your screen; the video is not stretched or cropped to fill it.
• Tap or click the media itself to pause or resume a video. Use the volume control to mute or restore sound.
• A long caption is cut short with “…”. Tap it to read all of it, and tap again to fold it.
• Oyoyo fetches the next videos while you watch, so the next one plays as you reach it. On mobile, the app also keeps the next three on your phone, so it opens straight onto a video next time, even before the network answers. A very slow connection can still make a video wait.

Start a fresh content session

Select Home once, even when you are already on Home, to begin a new media delivery session. On mobile, you can also pull down from the first feed item to refresh. A refreshed session re-evaluates what to show instead of simply restoring the same starting video.

What happens at the end

Pulse and Following never show you a video you have already been shown until you have seen everything available; then a new round begins, least recently seen first. This is remembered on your account, so it holds after you close the app, update it or sign in on another device. A creator's profile feed does not cycle; it ends after that profile's available posts.

Search and hashtags

1. 1Open Search from the app navigation.
2. 2Enter a creator name, topic or hashtag.
3. 3Choose the result that matches what you need, then follow, watch or join the conversation from there.

• Tap any #hashtag in a caption, comment, reply or bio to see every post that uses it.
• Tap an @mention to search for that person.
• Editing a caption updates its hashtags: a post appears under tags you add and leaves tags you remove.

Create a post

1. 1Select Post or the create button in the main navigation.
2. 2Choose the supported video or image you want to publish.
3. 3Add a useful caption and any relevant topic information shown in the form.
4. 4Review the preview, especially cropping, sound and text placement.
5. 5Publish once and wait for the confirmation. Large media may take longer to process on a slower connection.

Add a story

1. 1Use the add button on your story circle at the top of Home.
2. 2Choose the media and complete the story prompt.
3. 3Tap the create action once, then allow the upload to finish before trying again.

If an action appears to be taking time, do not double-tap it. Watch for the loading state or confirmation first.

Make media easy to enjoy

• Use clear vertical video when the content is intended for the full-screen feed.
• Keep important faces, text and objects away from the lower and right edges where actions and captions appear.
• Use readable captions and avoid flashing or misleading material.
• Only publish media you have the right to share.

Find your published work

Open Profile to see content associated with your account. Select an item to view it in the profile media viewer and move through the rest of that profile's content.

Return to the same item

Opening and closing comments should keep you on the active profile video. Selecting another profile video should replace the active item without returning you to the first post.

Saved is private organisation

• The bookmark action adds a post to Saved for your account.
• Saving a post does not republish it to your profile and does not transfer ownership.
• Open Saved from the More menu when you want to revisit bookmarked content.

Follow from the media view

• Tap the + on the creator's picture, or Follow beside their name; you do not need to visit the profile first. The + turns to a tick, then disappears.
• Once you follow someone, the pill beside their name says Following, or Friends when they follow you too. It is a label, not a button, so a stray tap cannot undo a follow.
• Someone who already follows you is offered Follow back, on their posts, their profile and the new-follower notification.
• The change shows everywhere that creator appears, on the web and in the app.

Unfollow someone

1. 1Open their profile.
2. 2Select Following (or Friends).
3. 3Confirm Unfollow. They are not told, and you can follow again at any time.

React to a post

• Like shows appreciation and updates the visible engagement count.
• Comment opens the conversation without changing the active post.
• Share uses the available sharing choices on your device or browser.
• Bookmark saves the post to your private Saved area. The bookmark icon—not a heart—represents this action.

Write a useful comment

1. 1Open comments on the active post.
2. 2Write your message or use the emoji control: pick a quick emoji, or open the full picker to search every emoji. On a phone-sized screen the full picker opens as a sheet.
3. 3Review it, then send once.
4. 4Reply to a specific comment when you want to keep a conversation together.

If the follow state looks wrong

Open the creator's profile: it always asks Oyoyo afresh, and corrects the follow state and counts everywhere else. If the profile still looks wrong, capture it and submit one problem report with the exact steps.

Where gifting is available

• A creator's profile
• An eligible comment in a conversation
• A live session's gift panel

Send a gift

1. 1Choose Gift beside the recipient or in the live interaction panel.
2. 2Review the gift and its cowrie value.
3. 3Confirm the recipient and the cost before sending.
4. 4Wait for the success confirmation and check your updated wallet balance.

Gifts use value from your wallet. They are not the same as free likes or emoji reactions, so always check the amount before confirming.

If your balance is too low

Use the wallet option offered by the gift flow to add cowries, then return to the gift. Do not repeat a completed payment because the balance is taking a moment to refresh.

Messages

• Inbox lists conversations with the newest message first and highlights unread activity. Reading or editing a message does not move its conversation to the top.
• Open a conversation to read its history and send a message. On web, the open conversation stays in place while you scroll the list beside it.
• Each message bubble fits its text. Ticks show when a message has been delivered and read, and a dot on a photo shows who is online.
• The message box is the same as the comment box: tap the smiley for quick emojis, or All for every emoji, and the paperclip to send a photo, video or file.
• To start a conversation, open New Message and type a name or username. Oyoyo searches everyone, not just the people listed first, and highlights what matches.
• Use the conversation itself for replies so context stays together.
• A connection interruption can delay delivery; wait for the message state before sending the same text again.

Notifications

Notifications bring together activity such as likes, comments, follows, gifts and other account events supported by Oyoyo. An unread badge appears on the relevant navigation icon when new activity is waiting.

Review new activity

1. 1Select the Notifications icon or its unread badge.
2. 2Open an item to view the related creator, post, comment or activity.
3. 3Return to the list to continue through the remaining updates.

Stay safe in conversation

Do not share one-time codes, passwords, private identity documents or card details in messages. Use the available block or report actions if a conversation becomes abusive, deceptive or unsafe.

Start a call

1. 1Open the conversation with the person you want to call.
2. 2Select the phone icon for a voice call or the camera icon for a video call, at the top of the conversation.
3. 3Allow the microphone (and the camera for video) if you are asked.
4. 4Wait while it rings. If they don't answer within about 45 seconds, the call stops and the conversation shows a missed call.

Answer a call

• Android: when call notifications and microphone access are allowed, your phone can show an incoming call on the lock screen or with Oyoyo in the background. Answer or Decline there. Keep Oyoyo open on iOS to receive and answer calls reliably.
• Web: an Answer / Decline card appears on any page of Oyoyo you have open, with a ring.
• Answering on one device stops the others ringing while keeping the answered call open on that device. Wait for Connecting to finish before speaking.

During a call

• Mute, the speaker (mobile), and the red button to end.
• Switch between voice and video at any time, in any call: select Turn on video, or Switch to voice to turn your camera off. The other person sees your picture as soon as you turn it on. On mobile, Flip changes camera while video is on.
• If your camera can't be opened (for example, the browser was not allowed to use it), the call carries on as voice and tells you why.
• A voice call starts at your ear like a phone call; a video call starts on the speaker.
• When the call ends, the web closes the call screen after a moment; on mobile, select Close. The conversation shows the call with its length, for example "Video call · 3:12".

Private by design

Calls are end-to-end encrypted: the sound and video are locked with a key made on your two devices, so not even Oyoyo can listen in. Select "End-to-end encrypted" during a call to see a twelve-digit code. If the other person sees the same code, nobody is in the middle.

If you can't call

• You can't call someone you have blocked or who has blocked you, and a messaging restriction on your account stops calling too.
• If the other person is already on a call, you'll be told.
• On the web, calls need a current browser. If yours can't make encrypted calls, update it or call from the Oyoyo app.

Choose an event

1. 1Open Events and select an event card.
2. 2Review the date, start time, venue, organiser information and description.
3. 3Check the available ticket types and prices before continuing.
4. 4Complete the checkout shown to you and wait for confirmation.

At the venue

• Keep the ticket reference or code available on your device.
• Increase screen brightness if an organiser is scanning the ticket from your phone.
• A ticket that has already been approved or declined will show that state when checked again.
• Contact the organiser or report the issue if the confirmed ticket cannot be found at entry.

Before paying

Confirm the event, ticket type, quantity and total. Do not leave the payment screen until you see a result, and do not repeat a charge that may already be processing.

Create the listing

1. 1Open Events and choose Create event.
2. 2Add a clear title, description, cover image, date, start time and venue details.
3. 3Add each ticket option carefully, including its name, price and any limits requested by the form.
4. 4Review the public event view before sharing it.

Prepare for entry

• Make sure the device used for scanning has a stable connection and camera access where required.
• Use Scan tickets from the event management view.
• If the camera cannot read a code, enter the ticket number manually.
• Compare the attendee and event details shown before approving entry.

Keep information accurate

If event details change, update the listing as early as possible and communicate clearly with attendees. Avoid creating a duplicate event merely to correct information on an existing one.

Join as a viewer

• Open an active live session from the event or live entry point.
• Use chat and reactions respectfully; activity appears while the session is active.
• Open Gift to support the host after checking the cowrie value.
• If playback stalls, check your connection before leaving and rejoining.

Prepare to host

1. 1Use a stable internet connection and, where possible, connect your device to power.
2. 2Allow camera and microphone access when your browser or device asks.
3. 3Check lighting, framing and audio before beginning.
4. 4Open the event's live controls, confirm the session details and start only when you are ready to be seen and heard.
5. 5End the session deliberately when the broadcast is complete.

Choose your camera, microphone and speaker

• Web: the ready room has a Devices card under the checks. Pick the camera (for a camera live), the microphone and, in Chrome and Edge, the speaker. Your choice is remembered for your next live.
• Web, during a live: select Devices beside Mute and Camera to switch without leaving. Viewers see and hear the new device straight away.
• Mobile, ready room: flip between the front and back camera on the preview, and pick Wide, Ultra-wide or Telephoto where your phone has them. The live starts on the camera you chose.
• Mobile, during a live: the Camera button offers Front or Back, the lenses, and Sound — the speaker, or a connected headset, Bluetooth or USB device. The microphone follows the sound. An audio-only live has a Sound button instead.
• If a device you chose is unplugged, Oyoyo uses the system default.

If camera or sound is missing

Check the browser or device permission for Oyoyo, make sure another app is not using the camera or microphone, and re-enter the session after correcting the permission.

Find a community

1. 1Open Square from the main navigation. Square is where you discover and join communities around your interests.
2. 2Search by name, or filter by type and state. Every Nigerian university already has one.
3. 3Open a community to see what it is, who runs it and how many members it has.

Join

• Open communities let you in straight away.
• Some ask you to request to join; an admin approves the request.
• Invite-only communities need a link from someone inside.
• You can be in as many communities as you like and switch between them at any time.

If you help run it

When a community nobody has claimed yet opens, you may be asked whether you help run it — a Students' Union executive, a pastor or a club captain, say. Answer honestly: the Oyoyo team checks each claim before making anyone an admin.

Choose the right room

• #general is for conversation with the whole community.
• #announcements carries official updates; only admins post there.
• Rooms are grouped into categories — a faculty and its departments, a ministry and its units.
• Join the rooms you want and leave or mute the rest; unread counts show in the sidebar and your inbox.

Keep conversations tidy

1. 1Reply in a thread to keep a side conversation out of the main room.
2. 2React instead of posting "same" or "+1".
3. 3Pinned messages hold what a room needs to keep in view.

Keep rooms useful

Avoid duplicate promotions, impersonation, harassment and unrelated mass posting. Report a harmful message rather than escalating the exchange in public.

Start one

1. 1Choose Start a community from Square or the + menu.
2. 2Pick its type, name and how people join: open, by request, or by invite only.
3. 3Set it up while it waits: the Oyoyo team reviews every new community before others can find it.

Roles

• The owner runs everything and can hand the community on.
• Admins manage settings, rooms and members; moderators look after conversations.
• A room admin runs only that room — useful for department reps or unit heads.
• Nobody can act on someone at their own level or above.

Look after members

Approve or decline join requests, share or revoke invite links, and give people a title such as "SUG President" so members know who's who. Keep #announcements for official notices and check dates before posting.

Use the wallet

• Your wallet shows the balance available to your account and its recorded activity.
• Cowries are used for supported in-app value actions such as gifts.
• Receiving an eligible gift adds activity associated with your creator account.
• A pending payment or gift may take a short time to appear. Refresh the wallet before trying the same transaction again.

Review every confirmation

1. 1Check the recipient, item and amount.
2. 2Complete the payment or gift prompt once.
3. 3Wait for a clear success or failure result.
4. 4Open Wallet to confirm the updated balance and transaction activity.

Protect your money

Oyoyo support should not ask for your password, one-time code or full card details in a comment or direct message. Stop and report any account making such a request.

Complete verification

Where identity verification is required, follow the Wallet prompt and provide accurate information that belongs to you. Upload verification material only inside the protected verification flow, never through a post, comment or chat.

Add payout details

1. 1Open Wallet and locate the payout or withdrawal area.
2. 2Complete any verification requested for your account.
3. 3Choose or add the supported bank details and confirm the account holder information.
4. 4Enter the withdrawal amount, review the summary and submit once.
5. 5Return to Wallet to monitor the recorded status instead of creating duplicate requests.

Read the payout page

• Current balance is what you can withdraw now.
• Payouts this month adds up the withdrawals you have requested since the 1st. A rejected request is refunded to your balance, so it is not counted.

If a request does not complete

• Read the status and any reason shown beside the request.
• Confirm your identity and bank details are accurate and consistent.
• Do not create repeated requests while an earlier one is pending.
• Use the support or staging-report route with the transaction reference, but never include full private banking credentials.

Report harmful activity

1. 1Open the menu associated with the content or account where the report action is available.
2. 2Choose Report. The form shows the post, comment, message, story or account you are reporting, so you can check it is the right one.
3. 3Choose the reason that fits best. Submit stays unavailable until you choose one.
4. 4Add what happened if it helps (optional), then submit once. Your report appears under My reports, where you can follow its progress.
5. 5Do not publicly confront a dangerous account after reporting it.

Block an account

Use Block when you need to stop an account from interacting with you through supported areas. Blocking is an account-level boundary; reporting separately helps the moderation team review content or behaviour that may violate platform rules.

Secure your account

• Use a unique password and keep access to your registered email secure.
• Never share passwords or one-time verification codes.
• Sign out on shared devices and review unusual account activity promptly.
• Treat unexpected payment, prize or verification messages as suspicious.

Immediate danger

Platform reporting is not an emergency service. If someone may be in immediate danger, contact the appropriate local emergency service or trusted authority as well as using Oyoyo's reporting tools.

Video is slow or does not play

• Check whether another website or app can load media on the same connection.
• Pause briefly to allow buffering, then try the media again.
• Start a fresh Home session if one item remains stuck.
• On mobile, close and reopen Oyoyo if the app has been in the background for a long time.

Upload does not finish

• Keep Oyoyo open while the upload is processing.
• Use a stable connection and confirm the selected file is a supported image or video.
• Do not repeatedly press the publish or story action.
• If it fails, capture the file type, approximate size and the visible message before trying a smaller file.

Notifications or follow state look stale

Allow the first action to finish, then move to another screen and return. You can also start a fresh Home session. If two screens still show different states, capture both because that evidence is especially useful in a report.

The mobile app closes unexpectedly

• Reopen the app and note the exact action and media item that came immediately before the closure.
• Confirm you are using the latest test build supplied for the current round.
• Record your phone model and Android version.
• Submit a report with a screen recording when the issue can be reproduced safely.

Before you submit

• Try the same journey a second time when it is safe to do so.
• Submit one problem per report so each issue can be assigned and resolved clearly.
• Remove passwords, payment card details, identity documents and other unnecessary private information from evidence.

Write a reproducible report

1. 1Open the public UAT page; no Oyoyo account is required.
2. 2Choose the affected platform, category and severity based on impact.
3. 3Give the exact steps from the starting screen to the failure.
4. 4Explain what you expected and what actually happened.
5. 5Add the page, device, browser or app build details you know.
6. 6Attach screenshots, recordings or logs, paste evidence links, or use both.
7. 7Submit the report and save both the reference and private tracking token.

Track the report

Return to the Track a report area on the UAT page and enter the reference plus the private tracking token. The token is deliberately private and cannot be recovered from the public reference alone.

Choose severity by impact

• Low: cosmetic or minor issue.
• Medium: a workaround is available.
• High: a major feature or journey is blocked.
• Blocker: the journey cannot continue or testing cannot proceed safely.

Use the same account

Your Oyoyo account is shared across supported platforms. Sign in with the same method and email so your profile, relationships and account activity remain connected.

Choose a platform

• Web works in a current browser and gives you the full creator dashboard experience.
• Mobile is designed for full-screen discovery, quick creation, notifications and on-the-go interaction.
• Some role-specific administration tools may be easier to use or currently available only on web; the manual labels those sections clearly.

Going back on Android

Back returns to the screen you came from. From Events, Square or Profile, and from a post or event opened from a link, Back takes you to Home. On Home, Back closes the app.

Keep the app current

Install updates from the official store or use the test build supplied for the current UAT round. Avoid APK files from unknown senders or unofficial download pages.