ElevateOS & ButterflyMX Integration: Property Manager Guide

For: Property managers and on-site staff

This guide covers how ButterflyMX works for residents through ElevateOS, what property managers do in ButterflyMX, and how to handle door access, video intercom, and common issues. Use it as a reference when onboarding a building to ButterflyMX or troubleshooting a resident's access.

Background

ButterflyMX lets residents unlock building doors and answer the video intercom directly from inside the ElevateOS resident app. Once a resident signs in to ButterflyMX from the ElevateOS app once, they get a list of accessible doors, can open them with a tap, and can take video intercom calls without leaving ElevateOS.

Resident lifecycle and door assignments are managed in ButterflyMX, not in ElevateOS. ElevateOS reads the resident's door list from ButterflyMX and acts on their behalf when they tap a door or answer a call.

Unlock is cloud-based — the resident's phone needs internet at the moment of unlock or call. There is no Bluetooth fallback.

What residents see

Inside the ElevateOS resident app, residents get:

Door access

A list of accessible doors they can open
Cloud unlock — tap a door and it opens
The option to favorite frequently used doors
Access history showing recent unlocks

Video intercom

A full-screen incoming call when a guest buzzes their unit on a ButterflyMX panel — works in the background and on the lock screen
Two-way audio and video — the resident sees the guest at the panel, and the guest sees the resident
An Unlock button on the call screen to open the door without ending the call
A Decline button to end the call without opening
Call history showing recent buzzes (timestamp, accepted or declined, who buzzed)

Residents do not need to install the ButterflyMX app.

How the door list works

When a resident opens the ButterflyMX section of the ElevateOS resident app:

The app loads their list of accessible doors from ButterflyMX.
Each door appears as a tappable tile.
Tapping a door sends an unlock request to ButterflyMX's cloud and the door opens.

Frequently used doors can be marked as favorites so they appear at the top, and recent unlock activity is visible in the access history.

How the video intercom works

When a guest presses a unit's name on a ButterflyMX panel at the entrance:

ButterflyMX sends a push notification to the resident's phone.
The ElevateOS resident app rings with a full-screen incoming call interface.
The resident taps Answer.
A two-way video call opens — the resident sees and hears the guest at the panel, and the guest sees and hears the resident.
From the same screen, the resident can talk, tap Unlock to open the door, or tap Decline to end the call without opening.

After the call, the entry shows up in the resident's call history.

What property managers control

ButterflyMX resident records and door assignments are managed in ButterflyMX, not ElevateOS. There is no per-resident ButterflyMX section on the ElevateOS resident profile.

Day-to-day, in ButterflyMX:

Create resident records for new move-ins
Assign doors to each resident
Disable records when residents move out

ElevateOS reads from this configuration; it does not write to it.

Resident requirements

For ButterflyMX to work for a resident:

They have Current status in your PMS
They have an active ButterflyMX resident record with doors assigned
They've completed the one-time ButterflyMX sign-in inside the ElevateOS resident app
They've granted notification, microphone, and camera permissions to the ElevateOS app — without these, intercom calls won't ring or video won't work
Their phone has internet at the moment of unlock or call

Best practices

1. Get permissions right on day one

The single biggest cause of "the intercom doesn't work" is missing permissions. When onboarding a resident, walk them through enabling notifications, microphone, and camera for the ElevateOS app on their phone. A resident who skips this on day one usually doesn't notice until the first guest buzzes — and by then the front desk is involved.

2. Communicate the one-app story

Many residents assume they need to download the standalone ButterflyMX app. They don't — door unlock and video intercom both work inside the ElevateOS app. Make this clear in your move-in materials so residents don't end up with two apps and confusion about which one to use.

3. Encourage visitor virtual keys for short-term guests

Virtual keys are safer than sharing PINs and easier than escorting. Encourage residents to use them for cleaners, dog walkers, food delivery, contractors, and short-term visitors.

4. Remind residents that unlock needs internet

Residents occasionally try to unlock when they're in a Wi-Fi dead zone — a basement, a parking-garage corner, an elevator. ButterflyMX is cloud-based and there's no offline unlock. Make sure residents understand this so they don't think the system is broken when it's actually a connectivity issue at that one spot.

Troubleshooting

Resident sees no doors. Confirm the resident has completed the one-time ButterflyMX sign-in inside the ElevateOS resident app. Confirm doors are actually assigned to their resident record in ButterflyMX. Have them sign out and back in to refresh the list.
Door doesn't open when tapped. Confirm the resident has Wi-Fi or cellular at the door. Confirm the door panel is online in ButterflyMX. Confirm the door is in their permission list.
Intercom call doesn't ring. Confirm the resident has granted notification permissions to the ElevateOS app. Check whether Do Not Disturb or a focus mode is silencing it. On iOS, confirm notifications are set to Banners or Alerts rather than just badges.
Video doesn't work during the call. Confirm the resident has granted camera and microphone permissions to the ElevateOS app. Check that their internet connection is stable — video needs more bandwidth than audio.
Visitor's virtual key doesn't work. Confirm the current time is within the key's valid window. Confirm the key hasn't been revoked early. Confirm the visitor opened the right link and used it on the right door.

FAQs

Does the resident need the ButterflyMX app? No. Door unlock and video intercom both work inside the ElevateOS resident app.

Does unlock work without internet? No. ButterflyMX is cloud-based — the phone needs internet at the moment of unlock.

Can residents answer intercom calls when the app is closed? Yes. Calls arrive as push notifications and ring the phone even when the app is in the background or the screen is locked, as long as notification permissions are granted.

Does the intercom support two-way video? Yes. Residents see and hear the guest at the panel, and the guest sees and hears the resident — full two-way audio and video.

Where can a resident see who buzzed and when? Inside the ElevateOS resident app. There's a call history list for intercom buzzes and an access history list for door unlocks.

Can I assign doors from inside ElevateOS? No. Door assignments are managed in ButterflyMX.

What happens when a resident moves out? Disable the resident record in ButterflyMX. ElevateOS does not auto-revoke.