3CX app: mobile, Web Client and Windows, a practical guide for SMBs

The short answer: with 3CX, the business number no longer depends on a phone sitting on a desk. Every employee has their extension in four official apps: iPhone, Android, web browser and Windows. They call, answer, transfer, record and see colleagues’ availability the same way everywhere. For this to work day to day, three things matter: a well-explained QR code setup, push notifications that actually arrive, and forwarding rules suited to each status.

We have already covered why 3CX wins in SMBs. This guide is a practical manual: which app for whom, how to roll it out, and the settings we always apply. As a 3CX partner in Morocco, Bronze and Advanced Certified, we deploy these apps in Casablanca and across Morocco. The features described come from the official 3CX Version 20 user manuals.

The four official apps

App	Where to get it	For whom	Strengths
iOS	App Store	Sales reps, managers, technicians	Siri, speed dial widget, video, chats
Android	Google Play	Same profiles, Android fleets	Google Assistant, advanced audio settings
Web Client	Browser, installable as an app on Chrome or Edge	Desk workers, remote work, reception	Every feature: chats, queues, meetings, contacts
Windows softphone	Microsoft Store	Windows users who want a native app	Desk phone control, BLF, CRM records

All four share the essentials: audio and video calls, blind or attended transfer, multi-party conference, recording where the user has the right, presence status and history. The Web Client and mobile apps also give access to WhatsApp, Facebook, SMS and website live chat conversations, as described in WhatsApp Business and 3CX.

The Web Client: the foundation for desk workers

The Web Client is every user’s entry point. They receive a “Your 3CX account details” email, set their password or sign in with their Microsoft or Google account if the business has enabled single sign-on, and, if the administrator requires it, register a two-factor authenticator app.

From the Web Client, they can:

• Make calls from the dialer, which can float in its own window, or from a contact.
• See their team by department or group, and call a colleague in one click.
• Manage their status and forwarding: available, away, do not disturb, lunch, business trip, each with its own forwarding rules and push notifications on or off.
• Switch status automatically based on working hours, with exceptions by caller ID.
• Hold a video meeting or schedule one.
• Browse contacts from every source: company, department, personal, Microsoft 365, Google or CRM.

We recommend installing it as an app (PWA) on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge, pinned to the taskbar and launched at startup. Users no longer miss calls because they closed a tab. It is also the route 3CX recommended during the 2023 incident involving its former desktop app, covered in securing a 3CX phone system.

To call from any website or CRM, the Click2Call extension for Chrome and Edge turns numbers into clickable links, see 3CX CRM integration.

Mobile apps: QR code setup

Setup takes two steps:

1. Install the app from the App Store or Google Play, accept the licence and the requested permissions (microphone, camera).
2. Scan the QR code shown at the top right of the Web Client. The extension configures itself and the app shows “Ready for calls”.

The QR code button disappears after the first setup. For a new phone, the user generates a new code from the Apps section of the Web Client. That QR code contains what is needed to configure the extension: it must never be shared by email or messaging.

Day to day, the mobile app lets users transfer a call, add participants, record, switch to video and change status. On iPhone, Siri can call a contact “using 3CX” and a speed dial widget can be added to the home screen. On Android, Google Assistant can start a 3CX call, with the language set to English (US) according to the 3CX manual.

Push notifications: the number one cause of missed calls

A mobile app does not stay connected all the time: a push notification wakes it up when a call arrives. Three rules avoid most problems:

• On Android, follow the battery optimisation instructions the app shows at installation. Without them, some manufacturers put the app to sleep and the call does not ring. 3CX publishes an Android push troubleshooting guide.
• Don’t leave a phone offline too long: since Version 20 Update 10, a push notification subscription lasts 14 days (previously 7). Beyond that, the device may need to be re-registered with a fresh QR code.
• Set notifications per status: an employee can turn notifications off in “Do Not Disturb” and keep them in “Available”.

On iPhone, if the Teams app is also installed and connected to the phone system, only one of the two apps rings for a given call, because of an iOS limitation. 3CX then recommends using the 3CX app for calls, see 3CX and Microsoft Teams.

The Windows softphone

Distributed through the Microsoft Store, which according to 3CX means it is security-checked by Microsoft before publication, the Windows softphone can be set up three ways: by entering the phone system address and credentials, by signing in with a Google or Microsoft 365 account (from Version 20 Update 10), or directly from the Apps section of the Web Client. The administrator can also provision it remotely.

Its most useful feature in a business: desk phone control. An employee with a desk phone assigned to their extension can make and receive calls on that phone from their computer. They also access CRM records, the phonebook and their BLF panel, with a configurable default transfer method.

The extension that follows the user: apps and hot desking

With the apps, the extension naturally follows the person: office, home, on the road, same number, same queues. For shared desk phones, 3CX offers hot desking, available from the PRO edition: a desk phone is used by several employees, one at a time. Users log in with a code or a key, move from one phone to another, and the administrator can schedule automatic logout at the end of the day. Only phone models supported by 3CX can be used this way. Choosing desk phones is covered in which IP phones to choose.

The administrator can also let a user choose, call by call, the number presented from those assigned to them: useful for a sales rep handling several brands. The option is off by default.

Which combination for which profile

Profile	Main tool	Complement
Reception, operator	Desk phone with many keys	Web Client for queues, chats and supervision
Customer service, agents	Installed Web Client, headset	Desk phone as backup
Field sales	Mobile app	Web Client at the office
Field technician	Mobile app	None
Remote worker	Web Client or Windows softphone, headset	Mobile app
Shared desk (workshop, hot desk)	Hot desking on a desk phone	Mobile app

This table is a starting point: we adjust it team by team during the audit. What matters is that everyone knows which tool rings for their calls, and where to answer.

The administrator’s role in the rollout

A good user experience is prepared in the console. Before distributing the apps, we check that each user has a correct email address, up-to-date groups and departments for the team view, defined office hours and consistent rights (recording, choice of presented number, queue access). We enable two-factor authentication or Microsoft or Google single sign-on, then prepare a clear welcome message, sent when the team is available for setup. On rollout day, a short session per group is usually enough: install, scan, test an inbound call and a transfer.

Mistakes we fix

1. Apps installed “by hand” by each employee, without guidance: notifications blocked, status never used, missed calls.
2. The Web Client open in a tab that gets closed by reflex, instead of the installed app.
3. QR codes sent by messaging or shown in meetings.
4. Saturated office WiFi, degrading calls on mobile, see the 10 mistakes that degrade call quality.
5. No smartphone management: when an employee leaves, the app stays on their personal phone. An MDM solves this, see managing business smartphones.
6. Remote SIP connections opened for a remote worker’s phone, when the apps go through a tunnel.

Rollout checklist

• Profiles defined: who uses mobile, Web Client, Windows, desk phone or hot desking.
• Web Client installed as an app on Chrome or Edge, launched at startup.
• Mobile apps installed from the official stores, ideally through the MDM.
• Battery optimisation set on Android, notifications tested.
• Statuses, hours and forwarding rules configured with each team.
• Two-factor authentication or single sign-on enabled.
• Short training: answer, transfer, change status, return a missed call.

How we work

We start with a free phone system audit: user profiles, equipment, WiFi network and remote access. We then configure statuses, hours and forwarding, roll out the apps group by group, test notifications on your teams’ smartphone models and train users. After go-live, the phone system is monitored 24/7, and a critical incident is handled in under 15 minutes.

See our IP telephony in Morocco offering, then request your free phone system audit: we reply within 24 business hours.