Info › Help › Connecting

How does chat work?

Chat is always gated by an accepted connection — the same connect-first rule as everywhere else in 8nOut, whether it's a one-to-one conversation or a group. There's no way to message a stranger. Open the Chat tab to see your conversations, or start a new one straight from a connection's own row. See How does group chat work? for how joining a group differs from connecting directly.

It's text only. There's no photo or file attachment — not a gap waiting to be filled, a deliberate choice. If you want to share where you're playing, say it in words, the same as you would at the table.

To react to a message, long-press it on iPhone, or tap the small reaction icon next to it in the web app, and pick from six: thumbs up, thumbs down, heart, laugh, surprised, or praying hands. Tap your own reaction again to remove it.

If a message is out of line, open it and choose Report message, pick a reason, and send it. Reporting doesn't block the person automatically — block them separately from their profile if you want to stop hearing from them altogether.

A message is deleted automatically 60 days after it's sent, from your view and theirs alike. We don't read your messages; if one is reported, a moderator can review it and the messages around it, and every such access is logged. Anything you type in a chat, including an address, stays there for up to 60 days even if you disconnect or block afterwards — worth knowing before you type one in. See the Privacy Policy for the full detail.