Chat and message basics

Start a conversation

Tap the compose button on the messages tab.
Search for a friend by name or handle.
Tap New group to start a group chat (up to 500 members).

Message types

Text with rich formatting (bold, italics, code, quote).
Voice notes up to 5 minutes.
Photos and short videos (up to 60 s).
Reactions — long-press any message to react.
Reply — swipe right on a message to quote-reply.
Location — pin a spot for a friend to meet you at.

Disappearing messages

Turn on Disappearing messages in a conversation's ⋮ menu. Choose 24 hours, 7 days, or 90 days. New messages sent after you enable it disappear automatically after the chosen window. Existing messages are unaffected.

Screenshots trigger a subtle notification in the conversation. This is a best-effort signal, not a security guarantee.

Message translation

If a message arrives in a language different from your device language, tap Translate on the message. Translations are cached per language pair for 24 hours to save quota. You can also enable Auto-translate incoming messages per conversation in the ⋮ menu.

Translation is powered by Azure Translator. Messages are sent to our translation service on your behalf; the plain text is not retained by the translator. See our Privacy Policy §3 for details.

Search a conversation

Pull down on a conversation to reveal the search bar. Search matches text, voice-note transcripts (if you've enabled transcription), and file names.

Delete a message

Long-press a message → Delete. Choose:

Delete for me — removes from your device only.
Delete for everyone — removes from all participants' devices. Available within one hour of sending.