Help Center
Learn how to use Timestamped
Messaging
Timestamped includes built-in messaging for communicating with other users on the platform. You can send 1:1 direct messages, create group chats with up to 25 participants, and manage incoming message requests from your Messages Hub.
Overview
Messaging is user-scoped, not organization-scoped. You can message any user on the platform regardless of whether your organizations have a partnership. Messages persist even if you leave your organization, and admins cannot view your conversations.
Direct Conversations
Start a 1:1 conversation from a contact's profile page by clicking the chat icon, or create a new chat from the Messages Hub. How the message is delivered depends on your contact relationship:
- Mutual contacts: If you both have each other in your contacts, the conversation starts immediately and messages are delivered directly.
- Non-mutual contacts: If only one side has added the other, the message goes to the recipient's request queue. The recipient can accept or decline the request.
Group Conversations
Group chats support 2 to 25 participants and are useful for coordinating multi-party investigations or team discussions.
- Click New Chat in the Messages Hub
- Select two or more contacts
- Enter a group name (required)
- Optionally add an initial message
- Click Create Group
All participants are equal in a group. There is no admin role. Any participant can leave at any time via the conversation menu. Leaving a group is permanent; you cannot rejoin (someone would need to create a new group that includes you).
Non-Mutual Participants
If you add someone who is not a mutual contact, they receive the group as a pending invitation. They must accept before they can send messages in the group.
Message Requests
When someone who is not a mutual contact sends you a message, it appears in your Requests tab in the Messages Hub. You can:
- Accept: The conversation becomes active and you can exchange messages freely.
- Decline: The conversation is removed. Declining does not notify the sender.
Messages Hub
The Messages Hub at /messages is your centralized inbox. It has two tabs:
- Conversations: All active chats (direct and group) sorted by most recent activity. Each entry shows the participant name or group name, the last message preview, and an unread badge.
- Requests: Pending conversations awaiting your acceptance, plus sent requests awaiting the recipient's response.
Conversations update in real time. New messages appear instantly without needing to refresh the page. You can also bookmark important conversations for quick access from your Bookmarks page.
Privacy Controls
Two settings in your profile control your messaging availability. Both can be managed from the Settings page.
| Show on Platform | Allow Requests | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| On | On | Fully discoverable; anyone can message you |
| On | Off | Discoverable, but only mutual contacts can message you |
| Off | On | Hidden from search; message requests still work if someone has your user ID |
| Off | Off | Maximum privacy: hidden and no message requests |
Timestamped includes built-in messaging for communicating with other users on the platform. You can send 1:1 direct messages, create group chats with up to 25 participants, and manage incoming message requests from your Messages Hub.
Overview
Messaging is user-scoped, not organization-scoped. You can message any user on the platform regardless of whether your organizations have a partnership. Messages persist even if you leave your organization, and admins cannot view your conversations.
Direct Conversations
Start a 1:1 conversation from a contact's profile page by clicking the chat icon, or create a new chat from the Messages Hub. How the message is delivered depends on your contact relationship:
- Mutual contacts: If you both have each other in your contacts, the conversation starts immediately and messages are delivered directly.
- Non-mutual contacts: If only one side has added the other, the message goes to the recipient's request queue. The recipient can accept or decline the request.
Group Conversations
Group chats support 2 to 25 participants and are useful for coordinating multi-party investigations or team discussions.
- Click New Chat in the Messages Hub
- Select two or more contacts
- Enter a group name (required)
- Optionally add an initial message
- Click Create Group
All participants are equal in a group. There is no admin role. Any participant can leave at any time via the conversation menu. Leaving a group is permanent; you cannot rejoin (someone would need to create a new group that includes you).
Non-Mutual Participants
If you add someone who is not a mutual contact, they receive the group as a pending invitation. They must accept before they can send messages in the group.
Message Requests
When someone who is not a mutual contact sends you a message, it appears in your Requests tab in the Messages Hub. You can:
- Accept: The conversation becomes active and you can exchange messages freely.
- Decline: The conversation is removed. Declining does not notify the sender.
Messages Hub
The Messages Hub at /messages is your centralized inbox. It has two tabs:
- Conversations: All active chats (direct and group) sorted by most recent activity. Each entry shows the participant name or group name, the last message preview, and an unread badge.
- Requests: Pending conversations awaiting your acceptance, plus sent requests awaiting the recipient's response.
Conversations update in real time. New messages appear instantly without needing to refresh the page. You can also bookmark important conversations for quick access from your Bookmarks page.
Privacy Controls
Two settings in your profile control your messaging availability. Both can be managed from the Settings page.
| Show on Platform | Allow Requests | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| On | On | Fully discoverable; anyone can message you |
| On | Off | Discoverable, but only mutual contacts can message you |
| Off | On | Hidden from search; message requests still work if someone has your user ID |
| Off | Off | Maximum privacy: hidden and no message requests |