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Messaging module

In-app direct messages and group chats, with mute, reactions, attachments, and real-time delivery — for quick coordination that doesn't belong in a public Engage thread.

Optional module Enable in Settings → Modules

Messaging is the in-app chat layer. Members can start one-on-one conversations or named group chats, attach files, react with emoji, and receive new messages in real time on web and mobile. It is the right surface for short, time-sensitive coordination — anything that would otherwise become a half-thread in Engage.

Who this module is for​

  • Members — direct messages with chapter brothers and sisters, group chats for committees and pledge classes
  • Officers — small-team coordination for exec board, recruitment, philanthropy chairs
  • Org admins — turning the module on, configuring auto-created chats, setting attachment limits

What gets enabled​

When Messaging is turned on for an org:

  • A Messages sidebar item appears for every active member
  • Members can open direct (1:1) and group conversations, with named groups that admins can rename, add/remove members from, and promote others within
  • Each conversation tracks unread counts and lets members mute the conversation
  • Members can react with emoji to any message, and the reaction is visible to every other participant
  • Messages support file attachments, governed by an org-level max size and an allowed-types list
  • Delivery is real-time — new messages stream through a WebSocket and arrive without a refresh, on web and inside the mobile app
  • Push notifications fire for new messages on iOS and Android
  • Read receipts are recorded per message per user

The org admin settings panel surfaces toggles for auto-created chats (per chapter, per region, per pledge class, per exec board) — when enabled, the platform creates and maintains the relevant group chat as membership changes. The auto-chat settings exist in the platform today but the dedicated admin panel for tuning them is not wired into the org settings sidebar in this release; talk to your platform admin to flip the toggles directly.

Common workflows​

For members​

For org admins​

After enabling​

What's not in this module today​

  • Per-user read-receipt opt-out. Every read is recorded for every user. There is no switch to turn this off either at the user level or at the org level.
  • Automatic retention or expiry. Messages and conversations are kept until manually deleted or until the underlying org is deleted. There is no auto-purge after N days.
  • Legal hold / e-discovery. No in-product workflow to freeze or export a conversation under legal hold.
  • Group-size cap. Groups are not capped in code. Set a policy if your org needs a limit.
  • Edit / delete UI for individual messages. The model can store edited and deleted states, but there is no member-facing button to edit or delete a sent message.
  • Per-conversation mute toggle in the conversation header. Mute exists at the membership level — the surfacing of that switch inside the chat UI is limited in this release.
  • Per-response AI features. Source citations, thumbs-up / thumbs-down, and persisted conversation history belong to the AI chatbot, not to Messages.

Where to go deeper​

Dependencies​

  • Storage — attachments live in your org's storage bucket
  • Notifications — for delivery alerts
  • Mobile push — for real-time delivery on iOS and Android
  • Community — the public alternative; use Engage when the conversation belongs in the open
  • AI Services — the chatbot can summarize a long conversation thread

Last verified against v0.62.1 (2026-05-11).