You can start to chat only with users, whom you have added to your list of contacts before. Although you can add contacts on the fly, too, we recommend to create some contacts before initiating own chats, there are several ways to add and import contacts. -> Read more about ... here

Initiating a new 1-1 or group chat via the Contacts page

1. After signing in to Drooms, hover the mouse over your name at the top to open the user profile drop-down menu and select option 'Contacts' to open the Contacts page.          

1. Select the intended chat participant(s) using the check boxes (optionally) and click on the button 'New chat' in the top tool bar of the list with contacts.
   

       

1. The right-hand Chat panel will open with a new chat thread allowing you to either select the intended chat participants, or edit the previously selected ones, and enter your message.
   

       

1. Alternatively, you can select one or more users in the list with contacts best by using the check boxes, open the Contacts page context menu with a click on the  hover-over '(...)' icon, and select option 'New chat'. 
   

       

1. The right-hand Chat panel will open with a new chat thread with the selected users preset as chat participants.

1. Enter your message and click on the 'Send' button (arrow icon '>') in the bottom right corner.
   

If you select one or more users, with whom you already had started a 1-1 or group chat, then the already existing chat thread will be opened again.

1. When using the Drooms iOS app, open the Contacts page, select a user, and click on the '...' icon i the top right corner to then click on 'New chat' for initiating a new or resuming an existing chat with the selected user. A long press on one of the contacts activates the multi-select function for selecting multiple contacts.
   

Initiating a new 1-1 or group chat via the Users section of a specific project

1. After signing in to Drooms, select and enter the desired project, and open the Users section.
   

1. Select one or more users, whom you had already added to your contacts before, open the right-click context menu, and select option 'New chat'.
   

       

If you selected a user, whom you have not added to your contacts, yet, the option 'New chat' will be greyed out and inactive.

Regular users (as opposed to administrators) can only view their fellow user group members in the Users section, and initiate 1-1 chats, if the option 'group visibility' has been enabled for their group (group members may see each other and collaborate). Otherwise the Users section will not be available.

1. The right-hand Chat panel will open with a new chat thread with the selected users preset as chat participants. Enter your message and click on the 'Send' button in the bottom right corner.
   

       

If you selected one or more users, with whom you already had started a 1-1 or group chat, then the already existing chat thread will be opened again.

Initiating a new 1-1 or group chat via the Chat panel

1. After signing in to Drooms, click on the Drooms Chat tab (first of three in the top right corner) to open the Drooms Chat panel.
   

       

1. Click on 'New chat' at the bottom to open a new chat thread.
   

       

1. At the top, start to search for the intended chat participant by entering the respective name or the e-mail address. A drop-down menu with autocomplete function will show you matching Drooms users, who have not disabled the Drooms Chat, and allow you to select one. This includes Drooms users, who you have not added to your contacts, yet.

1. If you select one of your existing contacts, the user will be added as chat participant.
   
2. If you select a Drooms user, whom you have not added to your contacts, yet, you can add this user to your contacts, but will have to select the user again, now as one of your contacts.
   
3. If you want to add further chat participants, enter and select the next ones again entering each user's e-mail address or name, and select them one by one. You can add up to 99 participants to a chat.

If you select a user, who has not signed up for the Drooms Chat, yet, the user will receive your chat message, but can read it and respond to it only after signing up for the Drooms Chat himself.

Using the Drooms iOS app and having added users to your contacts together with their mobile phone numbers via the mobile app, you can also search for users, who you want to add to a chat by their phone number.

1. As long as you have not sent a message, yet, you can discard a new chat with a click on the Back icon ('<') in the top right corner

Group chats with contacts selected via the Contacts page or the Users section cannot be discarded this way, and will stay.