Group Chats

When you're working on a project that involves multiple people — a client, a lead freelancer, a designer, a developer, and perhaps a project manager — trying to keep everyone informed through individual messages quickly becomes chaotic. That's where group chats come in.

Opengates group chats allow you to bring all the relevant people into a single conversation where everyone can see updates, share files, discuss progress, and make decisions together. Group chats are especially powerful for contract teams, where coordinated communication is essential to delivering great work on time.

Why Use Group Chats?

Group chats solve several common communication problems in freelancing:

• Eliminate information silos: When all team members are in the same conversation, everyone has access to the same information. No more forwarding messages or repeating yourself to different people.
• Faster decision-making: Instead of waiting for a chain of one-on-one messages to relay information, all stakeholders can discuss and decide together in real time.
• Organized project communication: Each group chat can be dedicated to a specific project or contract, making it easy to find relevant discussions later.
• Reduced miscommunication: When everyone sees the same messages, there's less room for misunderstandings or misinterpretation.

Creating a Group Chat

Creating a group chat on Opengates is simple and takes just a few steps:

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Open the Messages section of the Opengates app or website.
2. Look for the New Group or Create Group Chat button. On mobile, this is usually a plus icon (+) with a group indicator. On web, it may be a button near the top of the messages panel.
3. You'll be prompted to select members for your group. Search for users by name or username and tap to add them to the group. You can add as many members as needed.
4. After selecting your members, you'll be asked to give your group a name. Choose a descriptive name that reflects the purpose of the group (e.g., "Website Redesign Team," "Logo Design Project," or "Q4 Marketing Campaign").
5. Optionally, you can add a group description to provide more context about the group's purpose.
6. Tap Create or Done to finalize the group.

Your group chat is now ready to use! All selected members will be notified that they've been added to the group and will be able to see and participate in the conversation immediately.

Naming Your Group Chat

Choosing a good name for your group chat makes it easy to identify and find later, especially if you're part of multiple groups. Here are some tips:

• Be descriptive: Use the project name or contract title (e.g., "Acme Corp Mobile App Development").
• Keep it concise: While being descriptive, try to keep the name short enough to display fully in the chat list.
• Avoid generic names: Names like "Group 1" or "Team Chat" aren't helpful when you have multiple groups. Be specific.
• Include relevant identifiers: If you have multiple contracts with the same client, include a date or phase indicator (e.g., "Acme Corp - Phase 2 - Jan 2026").

You can change the group name at any time if your needs evolve.

Adding Members to a Group

As your project grows or new team members come on board, you can add more people to an existing group chat.

How to Add Members

1. Open the group chat you want to add members to.
2. Tap on the group name or the group info icon at the top of the conversation to open group settings.
3. Look for the Add Members or Invite option.
4. Search for the users you want to add by name or username.
5. Select the users and confirm.

New members will be able to see the group's message history from the point they are added (they won't see messages that were sent before they joined, depending on the group's privacy settings). They'll receive a notification that they've been added to the group.

Who Can Add Members?

By default, the person who created the group (the group admin) can add new members. Depending on the group's settings, the admin may also grant other members the ability to add people.

Removing Members from a Group

Sometimes a team member finishes their part of the project, or circumstances change and someone needs to be removed from the group.

How to Remove Members

1. Open the group chat.
2. Tap on the group name or group info icon at the top.
3. Scroll to the Members list.
4. Find the member you want to remove.
5. Tap on their name and select Remove from Group.
6. Confirm the removal.

What Happens When Someone Is Removed

• The removed member will no longer see new messages in the group.
• They will still have access to the messages that were sent while they were a member (in their message history).
• They will receive a notification that they have been removed from the group (optional, depending on group settings).
• They cannot rejoin the group on their own — they must be re-added by the group admin or another authorized member.

Leaving a Group Voluntarily

If you're a member of a group and you no longer need to be part of it, you can leave on your own:

1. Open the group chat.
2. Tap on the group name or group info icon.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Leave Group.
4. Confirm your decision.

Once you leave, you'll no longer receive messages or notifications from that group. If you need to rejoin later, someone in the group will need to add you back.

Using Group Chats for Contract Teams

One of the most powerful uses of group chats on Opengates is for contract teams. When a contract involves multiple freelancers or stakeholders, a dedicated group chat keeps all project communication centralized.

Setting Up a Contract Team Chat

When you create or join a contract that involves multiple people, we recommend setting up a group chat specifically for that contract. Here's a suggested workflow:

1. Create the group as soon as the contract is confirmed.
2. Name the group after the contract or project (e.g., "E-commerce Website Build - Contract #1234").
3. Add all relevant parties: the client, all freelancers working on the project, and any project managers or coordinators.
4. Post an introductory message: Briefly outline the project scope, key deadlines, and communication expectations.
5. Pin important messages: As the project progresses, pin messages that contain critical information — such as milestone deadlines, shared credentials (use secure methods), or important decisions.

Benefits for Contract Teams

• Single source of truth: All team members can reference the same conversation for project updates, decisions, and shared files.
• Accountability: When discussions happen in a group, everyone can see what was agreed upon and who committed to what.
• Easy onboarding: If a new team member joins the project, they can quickly catch up by reading the group chat history.
• Dispute prevention: In the event of a disagreement, the group chat provides a clear record of all communications.

Group Chat Features

@Mentions

Use @mentions to get a specific person's attention in a group chat. Type @ followed by the person's name, and they'll receive a highlighted notification.

This is useful when:

• You need a specific person to respond to a question.
• You want to assign a task to someone.
• You're referencing someone's earlier comment.

Pinning Messages

Important messages can be pinned to the top of the group chat so they're always easy to find. To pin a message:

1. Tap and hold (mobile) or right-click (web) on the message.
2. Select Pin Message.
3. The message will appear in the pinned messages section at the top of the group.

Use pinning for critical information like deadlines, meeting links, shared documents, or important decisions.

File Sharing in Groups

You can share files in group chats just like in direct messages. All members of the group can view and download shared files. This is perfect for distributing:

• Project briefs and scope documents.
• Design files and mockups.
• Code snippets or repositories.
• Invoices and contracts.
• Meeting notes and minutes.

Muting Group Notifications

If a group chat is particularly active and you need some focus time, you can mute notifications for that group:

1. Open the group chat.
2. Tap on the group name or group info icon.
3. Look for the Mute Notifications or Mute toggle.
4. Choose the mute duration: 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or until you manually unmute.

When a group is muted, you'll still receive messages, but your phone won't buzz or display notifications for that group. Unread messages will still show as a badge on the messages icon.

Group Chat Etiquette

To keep group chats productive and respectful, follow these guidelines:

Keep Messages Relevant

Only post messages that are relevant to the group's purpose. If you need to discuss something privately with one member, use a direct message instead of the group chat.

Use @Mentions Thoughtfully

Don't overuse @mentions. Reserve them for messages that genuinely need a specific person's attention. Mentioning someone unnecessarily can be disruptive.

Avoid Off-Topic Conversations

While a little casual conversation can help build team rapport, try to keep the group chat focused on work-related topics. If off-topic discussions become frequent, consider creating a separate casual group.

Respect Working Hours

Remember that group members may be in different time zones. Avoid sending non-urgent messages at times that would be unreasonable in other time zones, or use the mute feature if you're the one receiving messages at odd hours.

Share Updates Proactively

Don't wait for someone to ask for a status update. Proactively share your progress, flag any blockers, and communicate delays as soon as you're aware of them. This builds trust and keeps the project moving smoothly.

Managing Group Settings

As the group admin, you have additional controls over the group:

• Change group name and description: Update the group name or description to reflect changes in the project.
• Manage member permissions: Control who can add or remove members, pin messages, or change group settings.
• Transfer admin rights: If you're leaving the project, you can transfer admin rights to another member.
• Delete the group: If the project is complete and the group is no longer needed, you can delete it. This action is irreversible, so make sure all important information has been saved elsewhere first.

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