Managing Your Settings

Learn how to update your personal information, configure notification preferences, adjust privacy settings, and manage account deactivation or deletion on Opengates.

Managing Your Settings

Your Opengates account settings give you full control over your personal information, how you receive notifications, who can see your profile, and more. Keeping your settings accurate and up to date ensures a smooth experience on the platform — whether you're hiring freelancers or offering your services.

This guide walks you through every setting available in your account, with step-by-step instructions for making changes on both web and mobile.

Accessing Your Account Settings

On the Web

  1. Log in to your Opengates account at opengates.app.
  2. Click on your profile photo or avatar in the top-right corner of the screen.
  3. Select Settings from the dropdown menu.
  4. You'll be taken to the Settings page, where you can navigate between different sections using the sidebar or tabs.

On Mobile (iOS & Android)

  1. Open the Opengates app on your device.
  2. Tap the profile icon in the bottom navigation bar.
  3. Tap the gear icon or Settings option near the top of your profile screen.
  4. You'll see a list of setting categories you can tap into.

Updating Your Personal Information

Your personal information helps clients and other freelancers identify you and get in touch. Here's how to update each field.

Changing Your Display Name

Your display name is what other users see on your profile, in messages, and on project listings.

  1. Go to Settings → Profile or Personal Information.
  2. Find the Display Name or Full Name field.
  3. Clear the existing name and type your new name.
  4. Click or tap Save Changes.

Tips:

  • Use your real name or a professional name that clients will recognize.
  • Avoid using special characters or excessive capitalization, as this can make your profile look unprofessional.
  • Your display name change takes effect immediately across the platform.

Changing Your Email Address

Your email address is used for login, password resets, security notifications, and communication from Opengates.

  1. Go to Settings → Account or Personal Information.
  2. Find the Email Address field and click Edit or Change.
  3. Enter your new email address.
  4. You may be asked to enter your current password for verification.
  5. Click Save or Update.
  6. Opengates will send a verification email to your new address. Open the email and click the verification link to confirm the change.
  7. Until you verify the new email, your old email address will remain active.

Important considerations:

  • Make sure the new email address is one you have access to — you'll need it for password resets and security alerts.
  • If you use email-based 2FA or have email notifications enabled, they will be sent to the new address after verification.
  • If you don't receive the verification email, check your spam or junk folder. You can also request a new verification email from the settings page.

Changing Your Phone Number

Your phone number can be used for account recovery and additional verification.

  1. Go to Settings → Account or Personal Information.
  2. Find the Phone Number field and click Edit or Change.
  3. Enter your new phone number, including the country code (e.g., +1 for the US, +243 for DRC, +254 for Kenya).
  4. Opengates may send a verification code via SMS to confirm the new number.
  5. Enter the verification code and click Verify.
  6. Your phone number will be updated once verified.

Tips:

  • Use a phone number that you have reliable access to.
  • If you're traveling internationally, make sure you can receive SMS at the number you provide.

Updating Your Profile Photo

Your profile photo helps clients and collaborators recognize you. A professional photo builds trust and makes your profile more engaging.

  1. Go to Settings → Profile.
  2. Click or tap on your current profile photo or the camera icon / Edit button.
  3. Choose to upload a photo from your device or take a new photo (on mobile).
  4. Crop or adjust the photo as needed using the built-in editor.
  5. Click Save or Upload.

Photo guidelines:

  • Use a clear, well-lit photo where your face is visible.
  • Recommended size: at least 400×400 pixels.
  • Supported formats: JPG, PNG, WebP.
  • Maximum file size: 5 MB.
  • Avoid using logos, group photos, or images with text unless you're representing a business.

Notification Preferences

Opengates sends notifications to keep you informed about project updates, messages, payments, security alerts, and more. You can customize which notifications you receive and how you receive them.

Types of Notifications

  • Email notifications: Sent to your registered email address.
  • Push notifications: Sent to your mobile device via the Opengates app.
  • In-app notifications: Displayed within the Opengates platform when you're logged in.

Configuring Your Notifications

  1. Go to Settings → Notifications.
  2. You'll see a list of notification categories, such as:
    • Messages: New messages from clients or freelancers
    • Project updates: Status changes, milestones, deliverables
    • Payments: Payment received, payment sent, invoice updates
    • Security alerts: New login detected, password changed, 2FA updates
    • Marketing: Promotions, tips, platform updates
  3. For each category, toggle the notification channels on or off:
    • Email: On / Off
    • Push: On / Off
    • In-app: On / Off
  4. Click Save Preferences when you're done.

Recommendations:

  • Always keep Security alerts enabled on at least one channel. These notifications warn you about suspicious activity on your account.
  • If you're an active freelancer, keep Messages and Project updates notifications on so you don't miss client communications.
  • You can turn off Marketing notifications if you prefer a quieter inbox.

Privacy Settings

Your privacy settings control who can see your profile information and activity on Opengates.

Profile Visibility

You can choose who can view your full profile:

  • Public: Anyone on Opengates can see your profile, including your bio, skills, portfolio, and reviews.
  • Registered users only: Only logged-in Opengates users can view your profile.
  • Private: Your profile is hidden from search results and only visible to people you've worked with or shared your profile link with.

To change your profile visibility:

  1. Go to Settings → Privacy.
  2. Under Profile Visibility, select your preferred option.
  3. Click Save.

Activity Status

You can choose whether to show your online status to other users:

  • Show when I'm active: Other users can see when you're currently online.
  • Hide my activity status: Your online status is hidden from everyone.

Search Engine Indexing

You can control whether your profile appears in search engine results (Google, Bing, etc.):

  • Allow search engines to index my profile: Your profile may appear in search results, potentially bringing in more clients.
  • Block search engines from indexing my profile: Your profile will not appear in external search results.

Account Deactivation

If you need to take a break from Opengates, you can temporarily deactivate your account. Deactivation hides your profile and pauses your activity, but your data is preserved so you can return anytime.

What Happens When You Deactivate

  • Your profile becomes invisible to other users.
  • You won't appear in search results.
  • Active projects will not be affected — you must complete or cancel any ongoing projects before deactivating.
  • Your messages, reviews, and transaction history are preserved.
  • You can reactivate your account at any time by simply logging in again.

How to Deactivate Your Account

  1. Complete or cancel any active projects.
  2. Ensure any pending payments have been resolved.
  3. Go to Settings → Account → Deactivate Account.
  4. Read the information about what deactivation means.
  5. Select a reason for deactivation (optional but helpful for us to improve).
  6. Enter your password to confirm.
  7. Click Deactivate Account.

Your account will be deactivated immediately. To reactivate, simply log in with your email and password.

Account Deletion

If you want to permanently remove your Opengates account and all associated data, you can request account deletion. This action is irreversible.

What Happens When You Delete Your Account

  • Your profile, portfolio, and bio are permanently removed.
  • Your messages and project history are deleted.
  • Your reviews (both given and received) may be anonymized but not removed, to maintain platform integrity.
  • Any pending payments must be resolved before deletion.
  • You will lose access to all data associated with your account.
  • You will not be able to create a new account with the same email for 30 days.

How to Delete Your Account

  1. Complete or cancel any active projects.
  2. Ensure any pending payments have been resolved.
  3. Go to Settings → Account → Delete Account.
  4. Read the warning about permanent data loss.
  5. Enter your password to confirm.
  6. You may be asked to complete a short survey about why you're leaving.
  7. Click Permanently Delete Account.

After deletion, Opengates retains your data for a 30-day grace period. During this time, you can contact support to cancel the deletion and restore your account. After 30 days, all data is permanently erased and cannot be recovered.

Troubleshooting Common Settings Issues

I Can't Save My Changes

  • Make sure all required fields are filled in correctly.
  • Check that your new email or phone number is in the correct format.
  • Try clearing your browser cache or updating the Opengates app to the latest version.
  • If the problem persists, try using a different browser or device.

I'm Not Receiving Notifications

  • Check your notification preferences to make sure the relevant categories are enabled.
  • For email notifications, check your spam or junk folder.
  • For push notifications, make sure notifications are enabled for the Opengates app in your device settings.
  • Make sure you have a stable internet connection.

I Can't Deactivate or Delete My Account

  • Ensure you have no active projects in progress.
  • Ensure any pending payments have been resolved.
  • If you've forgotten your password, reset it first before attempting deactivation or deletion.
  • Contact support if you encounter any errors during the process.

Still need help? Contact our support team and we'll be happy to assist you.