Messaging

Freedom Messenger supports rich text messaging in direct and group chats. Here is everything you can do.

Before sending messages, you need to create or join a chat. See Chats & Groups for how to start direct chats, create groups, and manage members.

Sending Messages

Type your message in the input field at the bottom of any chat.

  • Desktop: Press Enter to send. Press Shift+Enter for a new line.
  • Mobile: Tap the send button to send. Enter key inserts a new line.

Messages are delivered instantly. If you lose connection, the message appears optimistically and is retried automatically when the connection restores.

Text Messages

Type anything and send. Messages can be up to 10,000 characters long.

Voice Messages

Tap the microphone button (appears when the text field is empty) to start recording. You can record up to 5 minutes. A recording indicator shows the duration. Tap the send button to send, or the X button to cancel. Recipients can play voice messages directly in the chat.

Files and Images

Click the attachment button (paperclip icon) or drag-and-drop files into the chat to upload. Supported file types:

  • Images (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP) — displayed inline with thumbnails
  • Videos (MP4, WebM) — playable directly in chat
  • Audio files (MP3, OGG, WAV) — playable with audio controls
  • Documents (PDF, DOCX, etc.) and archives (ZIP, RAR) — downloadable

Maximum file size is 50 MB per file. You can also paste images directly from your clipboard.

When you upload images, Freedom Messenger automatically strips EXIF metadata (location, camera info, timestamps) to protect your privacy.

Message Actions

Reply

Right-click any message (or long-press on mobile, or swipe left) and select "Reply" to quote it. The original message appears above your reply so everyone can follow the conversation thread.

Edit

You can edit your own messages within 48 hours of sending (forwarded messages cannot be edited). Right-click your message and select "Edit" — the text loads into the input field with an editing indicator. Press Enter to save or Escape to cancel. Edited messages show an "edited" label.

Delete

You can delete your own messages. Admins can delete any message. A confirmation dialog appears first. A "message deleted" placeholder remains visible so the conversation flow is preserved, but the content is removed.

Forward

Right-click a message and select "Forward". A list of your chats appears — select the destination. The forwarded message shows who originally sent it.

Copy

Right-click a message and select "Copy" to copy its text content to your clipboard.

Pin

Right-click a message and select "Pin" (or "Unpin"). Pinned messages are accessible from the pin icon in the chat header — click the pin count badge to expand the list. Useful for keeping rules, links, or key information visible.

Create Task from Message

In group chats with tasks enabled, right-click a message and select "Create task". The message text is used as the task title. See Tasks for details.

Reactions

Right-click any message (or long-press on mobile) to see the reaction bar. Six quick-pick emoji are available for fast reactions (👍 ❤️ 😂 😮 😢 🔥). Click the smiley icon to open the full emoji picker with search.

Once reactions are added, they appear as small pills below the message. Click an existing reaction pill to add yours or remove it — no need to open the context menu again.

Mentions

Type @ followed by a name to mention someone in a group chat. An autocomplete dropdown appears as you type — navigate with arrow keys and press Enter or Tab to select. Press Escape to dismiss. Mentioned users receive a notification even if they have muted the chat.

You can also mention user tags (groups of users) by typing @ followed by the tag name.

Task References

In group chats with the Tasks tab enabled, type # to see an autocomplete dropdown of tasks. Select a task to insert a reference like #TASK-12. The reference renders as a highlighted pill showing the task title — click it to jump directly to the task in the Tasks tab.

Link Previews

When you send a message containing a URL, Freedom Messenger automatically generates a preview with the page title, description, and thumbnail image (when available). This works for most public websites.

Search

Use the search icon in the chat header to search within the current chat, or use the global search at the top of the chat list to search across all your conversations. Search requires at least 2 characters and matches message content.

Message Status

Each message shows its delivery status:

  • Sending — the message is being transmitted (shown optimistically)
  • Sent — the server received your message
  • Delivered — the message reached the recipient's device
  • Read — the recipient has seen the message

If a message fails to send (for example, due to a network issue), a retry button appears so you can resend it.

Typing Indicators

When someone is composing a message, you will see a typing indicator at the bottom of the chat. It shows who is typing — if multiple people are typing, it shows names (up to two) or "X and N others are typing."