Ephemeral Chat

Updated March 3, 2026

Ephemeral Chat lets you send quick direct messages to colleagues who are currently online — right from the presence avatars in the header. Messages are temporary and disappear after 8 hours, making it perfect for quick coordination without cluttering email or Slack.

Who Can Use Ephemeral Chat?

Ephemeral Chat is available to the same roles that see presence tracking:

Owner
Admin
Manager
HR
Recruiter

ℹ️ Ephemeral Chat requires both the Presence Tracking and Ephemeral Chat features to be enabled for your company. Contact your administrator if you don't see the chat option.

How to Start a Chat

Look at the presence avatars in the top-right header bar (the small circles showing online colleagues)
Click on any avatar — a chat window opens in the bottom-right corner of your screen
Type your message in the text field at the bottom of the chat window
Press Enter or click the send button (paper airplane icon) to send

That's it! Your message is delivered instantly.

You can also start a chat from the "Also viewing" bar on pages like the Vacancy Board — click on any colleague's avatar there.

Chat Window

Each chat window shows:

Header: The colleague's name in a blue bar. Click the header or the ✕ button to close the window.
Messages: Your messages appear on the right (blue), the other person's on the left (white). Each message shows the time it was sent.
Text input: Type and send messages at the bottom of the window.

Multiple Conversations

You can have up to 3 chat windows open at the same time, stacked vertically in the bottom-right corner. If you open more than 3, additional conversations appear as small avatar circles below the open windows — click them to switch.

Notification Sound

When you receive a new message, you'll hear a short notification ping. This helps you notice messages even when you're focused on another part of the page.

💡 The notification sound only plays after you've interacted with the page at least once (clicked or typed). This is a browser security requirement.

Ephemeral (Temporary) Messages

Important: Ephemeral Chat messages are temporary by design:

Messages are kept for 8 hours and then automatically deleted
Messages are not saved to a database — they only exist in server memory
If the server restarts, all messages are cleared
There is no message history beyond the 8-hour window

This makes Ephemeral Chat ideal for:

💬 "Are you handling candidate X?" — quick coordination
💬 "I just moved them to the interview stage" — real-time updates
💬 "Can you check the calendar for Thursday?" — small requests

For important communications that need a record, use email or your team's messaging platform.

Reopening Conversations

If you close a chat window, don't worry — your conversation isn't lost:

Click on the same colleague's avatar again
The chat window reopens with the full conversation history (within the 8-hour window)

Tips & Best Practices

Quick coordination: Use chat to coordinate on shared pages — e.g., when two recruiters are on the same vacancy board
Check presence first: The avatar must show a green or yellow dot for the person to receive your message in real time
Keep it brief: Ephemeral chat is designed for quick exchanges, not long discussions
Don't rely on history: Since messages expire after 8 hours, document any important decisions elsewhere

FAQ

Q: Can I chat with someone who's offline? A: You can only start a chat with colleagues who appear in the presence avatars (online, idle, or away). If someone goes offline after you've started a conversation, your messages will be waiting for them if they come back within 8 hours.

Q: Are my chat messages private? A: Yes. Messages are only visible to you and the person you're chatting with. They are not stored in any database and cannot be accessed by administrators.

Q: Why can't I click on the avatars? A: Check the following:

The Ephemeral Chat feature must be enabled for your company (in addition to Presence Tracking)
Your role must be Owner, Admin, Manager, HR, or Recruiter
Make sure you're clicking on a colleague's avatar, not your own

Q: What happens if I have the app open in multiple tabs? A: Chat messages appear in all your open tabs. You can send and receive from any tab.

Q: Is there a message length limit? A: There's no strict limit, but chat is designed for short messages. For longer communications, consider using email.