Private Messaging

Private Messaging is a feature that allows Habitica players to send private messages (often abbreviated "PM") to one another.
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==Sending a Message==
==== On the website ====
To send a private message, access the recipient's profile (by selecting their name in any chat), then click on the envelope icon near the upper right hand corner of the profile. (The two icons to the right of the envelope are to send a gift and to block messages from the player, respectively; see below for more information on blocking.) You will then be taken to the Messages page, where you can type a message to the selected player. To expand the message text entry box, drag the triangle in its bottom right-hand corner. When you are finished typing your message, clicking the "Send" button will send the message. From the same screen, you can also view your existing message threads with other players.
====On the iOS app and Android app====
Messages can similarly be sent by clicking on a player's name in any chat to bring up their profile, and then tapping the icon on the top right corner. On the iOS app, you can alternatively send a private message to someone from the Inbox page if you know their User ID.
The Inbox Display & Export Tool can also be used to send messages using the recipient's User ID or to reply to existing messages in your Inbox.
Similar to Chat Messages, PMs are limited to a maximum of 3,000 characters and support Markdown.
==Blocking a User==
On the website only, you can click the Block button (to the right of the gift icon; see above) to block a specific player. The blocked player will not be able to send messages to you. If they attempt to send you a PM, they will receive a notification that you have blocked messages; it will not specify whether this is a total opt-out of receiving all PMs or just from an individual.
You will not be able to send messages to any player you have blocked and will see a notification if you try to.
After you have blocked a player, the 'block' icon will change to a '+', which you can click on to un-block the player.
The block feature will not work on Staff. They can send you messages even if you block them because they might need to send you important information related to the Community Guidelines. If you feel that messages from a staff member are inappropriate, please email the to report the issue.
Blocking is for PMs only. When you block a player, you will still see any posts they make in the Tavern, guilds, or your party.
==Opting out of all messages==
If you don't want to receive messages from anyone, go to your Messages page on the website and use the Opt Out toggle near the top left corner. You will still be able to send messages but the recipient will not be able to reply.
Use the toggle again to re-enable messages. Hovering over the toggle will tell you what state it is set to.
When you have opted out of messages, Staff will still be able to send you messages. See the Blocking a User section above for more details about this.
==Receiving a Message==
When you receive a new message on the website, a number will appear on the User Icon. This number indicates the number of new messages you have received since you last checked your inbox.
thumb|267x267px|On the iOS version of Habitica, you can access private messages from the envelope at the top of the menu|right On the iOS app and Android app, a message count dot will appear on the envelope on the menu. Messages can be read by selecting the envelope and clicking on the message.
Messages are grouped by Display Name, with the most recent message at the top. Tapping a name will bring up the message stream of that player.
You can send a reply by typing in the message box below the messages and clicking "Send" or, on the Android app, the paper airplane icon.
If you receive a message that violates the Community Guidelines, click the "Report" button on the message to report it to the Staff.
==Deleting a Message==
thumb|Web client message box|leftTo delete a message on the website or Android app, use the "Delete" button at the bottom of the message.
The iOS app currently does not support message deletion. Players on the iOS app can use the Inbox Display & Export Tool to delete individual messages (or their entire mailbox) by using their web browser.
Note that although you can delete messages you have sent from your own inbox, this will not delete the recipient's copy or prevent the recipient from reading the message.
==Inbox Management==
Conversations are sorted in threads that can be brought up by typing in the search bar.
Messages can be exported and bulk deleted through the Inbox Display & Export Tool.
==Private Messages are Not for Support==
The private messaging system is not the most effective way to seek help or support for Habitica. Please do not send a private message to any player, including staff, to specifically ask for assistance. Better alternatives for seeking assistance are described below. Messaging a friend for help when you know beforehand that they are willing to help is allowed, although it is still recommended that you use the alternatives below instead.
There are several disadvantages to asking for help by PM:
* It takes up time for the person providing assistance who might be busy with their own tasks. Please respect their time.
* It prevents other players who might have the same problem from seeing the question and answer. One of the benefits of the Habitica Help: Ask a Question guild is that information can be easily shared with many players over several days. Questions that are asked there may also have their answers added to this wiki.
* If you ask a question in a guild but request replies by PM, it prevents all the people who can help from knowing whether you have already been helped. Many people may reply separately, which means the time and effort to resolve your inquiry are greatly increased. The time taken from you will also increase, since you will need to send thank-you messages to many people.
There are better methods for investigating problems and providing help than private messaging. If you require support, please use one of the following options.
* Ask questions in the Tavern.
* Ask questions in the Habitica Help: Ask a Question guild, which has less traffic than the Tavern so questions and answers will stay visible for longer (usually several days). You can reach that guild from the Help menu on the website or from the Guilds section of the website and mobile apps. Please don't ask the same question in both the Tavern and the Help guild as that would duplicate efforts to help you.
* Please don't ask for general help with using Habitica in any other guilds as it would be off topic for those guilds and you would be less likely to receive high quality answers.
* Report bugs on the website from the Help menu -> Report a Bug button on the website. This will start an email to the Habitica support team with important debugging details about your account. Add more details to the email explaining the bug you are experiencing and send the email. A Staff member will respond and may ask for additional information such as a screenshot showing the issue. On the iOS and Android apps, the Report a Bug button should be under Support or About on the menu. This will also start an email to the Habitica staff with details about your Habitica account and the version of the app being used. In the email, be sure to add information about the bug you are experienceing along with the automatically added informaion, before you send the email.
* Report mobile-app-specific bugs from the app's menu at About -> Report a Bug. That will start an email with debugging information to the mobile team. You should describe the problem you experience before sending the email. Please don't report the same bug on the website and the app's About menu because this could lead to duplicate efforts to help you, and some bug fixes can be damaging if applied to your account twice. 
* If you are being bullied or harassed, click the "Report" button on all inappropriate messages. That will send automatic reports to the Staff.
* If you have a private or sensitive matter to discuss that is not related to a specific message, email the . Keep in mind that the staff have many demands on their time, and so if general support is required, it is best to use one of the other options outlined above, not email.
When you ask for help in the Tavern or the Habitica Help: Ask a Question guild, please do not ask for replies via private message; replies will be given in the same place that the question was posted.
==Historical Details==
Private messaging was added to the website on November 25, 2014, to the iOS app on June 30, 2016, and to the Android app on July 21, 2016.
fr:Messagerie privée
nl:Privé berichten
ru:Личные сообщения
zh:私信
pt-br:Mensagens Privadas
Category:Social
Category:Pages with files missing alt tags