Talking to Your Team with Messages

How project message threads work, who can read them (everyone on the project, including clients and bankers), attachments and their access rules, and why messages never email, text or notify anyone.

Help Center location: `/help/messages/messages-page-guide` — category **Messages**.
Stored unpublished for administrator review. Editable source: `docs/help/messages-page-guide.md`.

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**Messages** keeps the conversation about one build in the same place as the money, the schedule
and the files. Instead of hunting through a phone for "what did the electrician say about the
panel location", you get threads attached to the project, readable by everyone who has a seat on
it.

It is an in-app message board, not email and not text messaging. Nothing you write here leaves
OwnerDraw: no email is sent, no text message goes out, and nobody's phone buzzes. People see your
message the next time they open the project — or immediately, if they already have the page open.

Everything belongs to the project shown in the sidebar project selector. Switch projects and you
are in a different conversation list.

Start here

1. Check the project name in the sidebar. There is no project dropdown on this page — the sidebar
choice decides which conversations you see and where a new one is filed.
2. Select **New message**.
3. Type a **Subject** — something a person scanning a list will recognise, like "Panel location" or
"Trim delivery date".
4. Write the message, attach files if you need to, and select **Send message**.
5. Later, open a thread from the list on the left and use the reply box at the bottom.

Common actions

| I want to | Do this |
|---|---|
| Start a conversation | **New message**, add a **Subject**, then **Send message** |
| Reply | Open the thread, type in the reply box, press **Enter** (**Shift+Enter** for a new line) or the send arrow |
| Attach a file | The paperclip, in the compose box or the reply box — several files at once is fine |
| Open an attachment | Select the file chip under the message |
| Show only what you have not read | **Unread** |
| Show only threads you started | **Sent** |
| Find something | **Search messages** — it matches the subject, the message text and sender names |
| Remove your own message | Hover it and select the bin icon |

Threads are listed with the most recent activity at the top. A thread is a subject plus its
replies; replies do not have their own subject.

Who can read what

**Everyone with a seat on the project can read every thread on it.** That includes your Partner,
your Collaborators, a Banker seat and, where a client has portal access, your client. There is no
private message, no direct message to one person, and no internal-only thread.

| Seat | Can read | Can write |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Every thread on the project | Start threads, reply, attach files, delete their own messages |
| Partner / Collaborator | Every thread on the project | Same |
| Banker | Every thread on the project | Can also write here |
| Client (portal) | Every thread on the project | Start threads and reply from their portal |

So decide before you send, not after. If something should not reach your client or your lender —
a vendor's pricing, a bid you are still comparing, a frustration about a sub — do not put it in a
message on that project. There is no way to hide a thread from one seat, and deleting your message
does not un-read it for anyone who already saw it.

*Professional builder note:* treat this as the project record, in the same spirit as a written
directive. Its value is that it is dated, attributed and sitting next to the budget line it argues
about. Its limitation is that it is not private and it is not certified delivery.

Unread, and what "read" really means

  • A thread in **bold** with a red count has messages you have not opened.
  • Opening the thread marks its messages read **for you**, and the count clears.
  • Your own messages never count as unread for you.
  • The number on the **Unread** filter is the total across all threads on this project.

There are no read receipts. You cannot see whether the other person opened your message, and they
cannot see that about yours. Nothing here proves anyone was told anything.

Attachments

Attach through the paperclip when composing or replying. Anything goes: a photo of the panel, a
PDF spec sheet, a screenshot of a text message.

  • Attachments live with the message, **not** on the **Files** page. Nothing you attach here appears
  • in the Files list, and nothing on the Files page appears here. If a document matters for the
  • whole build — a permit, a signed contract, an insurance certificate — upload it to **Files** as
  • well, or it will only ever be findable by remembering which conversation it was in.
  • Anyone with a seat on the project can open an attachment on that project, including a Client or
  • Banker seat. Message attachments are not covered by the **Documents / Files** permission that
  • controls the Files page.
  • Attachments open through a private link that expires after about an hour, so a copied address
  • stops working. Select the chip again to get a fresh one.
  • Very large files (long site videos, raw camera folders) can fail to upload, and a phone on mobile
  • data fails sooner than a laptop. If an upload fails, the message is not sent — you get the error
  • and your text is still in the box, so you can remove the file and send again.

What you cannot do

Being honest about this saves you from planning around features that are not there:

  • **No editing.** A sent message cannot be corrected. Send a follow-up, or delete yours and send it
  • again.
  • **You can only delete your own messages.** Nobody can delete yours except you (an OwnerDraw
  • administrator can, for support).
  • **Deleting the first message of a thread deletes the whole thread**, replies included, for
  • everyone. Delete a reply if that is all you meant to remove.
  • **No archive, no folders, no labels, no unread-again.** The **All / Unread / Sent** filters and
  • the search box are the whole organising system.
  • **No email or text delivery, and no reminders.** Messages do not appear in the notification bell
  • either. Someone has to open the app.
  • **No mentions.** Typing a name does not notify that person.

On a phone

The page works on a phone: you get the conversation list, and tapping a thread opens it full
screen with the reply box at the bottom. The **X** at the top right takes you back to the list.
Attaching from a phone opens your camera or photo library, which is the quickest way to ask "is
this the right one?" from the site.

What do I do next?

| Situation | Do this |
|---|---|
| Something needs doing, not discussing | Create it on **To-Dos** so it has an owner and a due date |
| The conversation is about a price | Record the decision on the **Budget** line or as a **Change Order**, not only here |
| A vendor needs to be asked for a price | Use **Trades & Bids** — messages here do not reach a vendor's email |
| You attached a document that matters | Upload it to **Files** too, so it is findable later |
| The client agreed to something in a thread | Put it on paper: **Contracts & Invoices** for anything you want signed |
| You need a real reply today | Phone them. This page does not notify anyone |

Common questions

**Does the other person get an email or a text?** No. Nothing is sent outside OwnerDraw. They see
it when they next open the project.

**Can I tell whether they read it?** No. There are no read receipts.

**Can I send a private message to one person?** No. Every seat on the project reads every thread.

**Can my client see this?** Yes, if they have portal access to that project — the same threads,
and they can reply.

**Can my banker see this?** Yes, a Banker seat reads and can write on the project's threads.

**Do my attachments show up on the Files page?** No. They stay with the message. Upload important
documents to **Files** as well.

**Can I edit a message?** No. You can delete your own and send it again.

**I deleted a thread's first message — where did the replies go?** They were deleted with it. That
cannot be undone.

**Do messages count towards anything?** No. Nothing here changes a budget, a draw, a schedule date
or a checklist.

**Is there a message limit?** No practical limit on messages. Very large attachments are the only
thing that fails.

Related guides

  • *Managing Your To-Dos* — turning a conversation into a job with an owner and a date
  • *Storing Your Project Files and Photos* — where documents belong for the long term
  • *Documents, Agreements and Client Invoices* — anything you want signed
  • *Understanding Roles & Permissions* — which seat sees what across the app