Messages (Chat)
Beta feature. In-app messaging between staff, instructors, and members — with admin oversight and message reporting built in.
🔧 Enabling Chat
Chat is an optional module. Go to Settings → General → Modules and turn on Chat.
Once enabled, a Messages item appears in the sidebar for admins, team, instructors, and members, along with a chat icon (with unread badge) in the top header next to notifications.
💬 Starting a Conversation
Click + on the Messages page to start a new conversation. Search by name — staff, instructors, or a student's name (to message their guardian).
If a student has more than one guardian linked, you'll be asked to choose which guardian to message.
Who can message whom
Role | Can message |
|---|---|
Admin / Team | Anyone in the academy |
Instructor | Staff and other instructors always; members only if the instructor teaches a class the member (or their child) is enrolled in |
Member | Staff always; instructors of classes they or their children attend; other members only if allowed by the setting below |
Member-to-member messaging
Admins control whether members can message each other directly, under Settings (gear icon) on the Messages page → Chat Settings:
Option | Behavior |
|---|---|
Off (default) | Members can only message staff and instructors. Recommended if your academy serves minors |
Same class only | Members can message others who share at least one active class with them |
Anyone in the academy | Members can message any other member in the academy |
🔔 Admin Notifications for Class Groups
By default, admins aren't notified of every message in every class group — there are usually too many to be useful. An admin can opt in to receiving notifications for a specific class group from that group's settings, useful for a class they want to keep a closer eye on.
👥 Group Conversations
Three kinds of group conversations exist:
- Class groups — one per class, including everyone enrolled plus the assigned instructor(s). Created automatically.
- Team channel — one per academy, for all staff. Created automatically.
- Custom groups — created manually by admins/team for anything that doesn't map to a class or the whole team (e.g. "Summer Camp Parents", "Competition Squad")
Class group and team channel membership is synced automatically from enrollment and staffing — admins don't add or remove members manually there.
Click the participant-count icon in a group's header to open Group members, which lists everyone in the group; tapping a member starts a direct message with them (still subject to the messaging rules above). Instructors without a linked login show as greyed-out "Not in chat yet."
Creating a custom group
Admins and team members can start a custom group from the Messages page (+ → New group on web, the people icon in the header on mobile):
- Enter a group name
- Search and select any staff, instructor, or member in the academy — there are no messaging-rule restrictions on who can be added, since the group is admin-created
- Create the group
Once created, admins/team can manage the group from Group members:
Action | Who |
|---|---|
Rename the group | Admin / Team |
Add members | Admin / Team |
Remove a member | Admin / Team |
Leave the group | Any member |
Only admins and team members can create or manage custom groups. Anyone removed from a custom group would need to be re-added by an admin/team member to rejoin.
✍️ Sending Messages
Type in the message box (up to 4,000 characters) and send. You can attach up to 5 files per message (images or PDFs, 5MB max each).
- Edit or delete your own messages via the ⋯ menu on your message bubble
- Deleted messages show as "Message removed" to preserve the conversation flow for other participants
Deleting a conversation
For direct messages (not groups), use ⋯ → Delete conversation. This only removes your own copy — the other person still sees it, and if they send a new message, the conversation reappears in your list.
🚩 Reporting a Message
Every conversation shows a notice that messages may be reviewed by admins. To report something concerning, open the ⋯ menu on any message from someone else and choose Report, with an optional note on what's wrong. Admins are notified and can review it.
🛡️ Admin Oversight
Admins have an Oversight button on the Messages page (next to Settings) with two tabs:
Overview
A table of every conversation in your academy — type (Direct message / Class group / Team channel / Custom group), participants, message count, and last activity. Click a conversation to view it read-only (admins never post into a conversation they weren't already part of).
Reports
Pending and past message reports, grouped into Open / Resolved / Dismissed / All. Each report shows who reported it, when, the reported message content (or "Message removed" if already deleted), and buttons to View conversation, Dismiss, or Resolve.
📱 Mobile App
Chat is available in the REMMU mobile app under More → Chat, with the same conversations, groups (including custom groups — create, rename, add/remove members, leave), and delete behavior as the web version. Oversight and reporting review are currently web only, for admins.
Muting a conversation is supported in the data model but has no toggle in the UI yet — there's currently no way to silence notifications for a specific conversation.