Direct messages

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A direct message (DM) is a private 1-on-1 conversation between you and one other person in your Pilla account. Only the two of you can read or post in it.

What a DM is

DMs are intentionally simple: two people, no extras. If you want a private chat with more than one other person, use a group chat instead.

Pilla only ever keeps one DM thread per pair of people. If you start a "new" DM with someone you have already messaged before, Pilla opens the existing thread rather than creating a fresh one. This means your message history with anyone in the account is always in the same place.

Starting a DM on the web app

  1. Open the Workflow runs view and pick the Chats tab.
  2. Open the menu (the three dots) and select New Chat. A side panel opens.
  3. A user picker is shown:
    • Search (text, optional) -- filter the list by name, email, or job title.
    • User list -- every active person in your account, with avatar, name, and a circle tick. Your own row is pre-ticked and locked.
  4. Tap the person you want to DM. A single tick appears next to their name.
  5. Tap Create at the top of the panel.

If you already have a DM with that person, Pilla opens it and shows "Opening existing conversation". Otherwise it creates the new DM and opens it.

Starting a DM on the mobile app

  1. Tap the chat bubble icon on the floating action bar.
  2. Tap the + button at the top right of the chats popup. The New conversation screen opens.
  3. Search for the person you want and tap them. Their row shows a filled tick.
  4. Tap Create at the top right.

As on web, if a DM with that person already exists Pilla opens it instead of creating a duplicate.

Reading and sending messages

A DM works the same as any other chat:

  • Newest message at the bottom. Scroll up to load older messages.
  • Type into the message input at the bottom and press Send.
  • Attach images, photos, and files using the icons on the input bar.
  • Reply to an earlier message by hovering it on web (reply icon) or long-pressing it on mobile and tapping Reply.

Reactions and read receipts in DMs

Reactions work the same as in team chats: hover and click the smiley face on web, or long-press the message on mobile, then pick an emoji.

For read receipts in DMs, the message info screen on mobile (long-press a message and tap Info) shows whether the other person has read the message. The web chat panel uses the unread count on the chat row in the Chats tab to indicate unread messages.

When a DM is blocked

If you have blocked the other person, or they have blocked you, the message input is replaced with the text "You can't send messages in this conversation." You can still read the existing history, but you cannot send anything new until the block is lifted.

See Chat settings and read receipts for how blocking works.

Tips

  • The user picker only shows active users in your account. People who have been removed do not appear.
  • Want to message someone about a specific workflow run? On mobile, swipe left on a work card or open the run and use the chat actions -- see Adding workflow context to messages.
  • DMs are private to the two participants. Managers and admins cannot read them.
  • You can mute a DM the same way as any other chat. Muting stops push notifications but keeps the chat in your list.
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