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- Chat Privacy and Visibility
Chat Privacy and Visibility
The Chat list and Chat search show conversations you are a member of. Direct messages have two members, while group channels can have many members. Admins also have account-wide permissions to view and export conversations, including conversations they have not joined.
Can an admin view all chat conversations?
Yes. The Admin role includes View Any Conversation and Export Conversations permissions. These permissions let an Admin open a conversation in their Astalty account from a direct link and read or export it, even when the Admin is not a member.
Astalty does not provide an organisation-wide screen for browsing every conversation. The normal Chat list, conversation filter and message search remain limited to conversations the signed-in user has joined. This means a conversation that an Admin has not joined does not automatically appear in their Chat list or search results.
Does "full messaging access" mean an Admin can read my messages?
The permissions are separate:
- Admins can start a conversation with anyone in the organisation without being limited by the Who Can Message Who rules in Chat Configuration.
- The Admin role's View Any Conversation permission allows account-wide read access when an Admin opens a conversation directly.
- The Admin role's Export Conversations permission allows an Admin to export any conversation they can read.
These account-wide permissions are on for the Admin role by default. Managers, Team Members and Support Workers do not have them by default.
Who can see a direct message?
The two team members are the only members of a direct message. Members cannot be added to it, so the pair never changes. Admin account-wide access described above can also allow an Admin who is not a member to open and export the conversation.
If a conversation needs to be visible to more people - for example, so the wider office team can pick it up when someone is on leave - start a group channel instead of a direct message.
Who can see a group channel?
Everyone who is a member of that channel can find and open it in Chat. Members can be added or removed at any time by someone with the appropriate permission, and you can link User Groups to a channel so membership stays in sync automatically. Admin account-wide access can also allow an Admin who is not a member to open and export the channel.
Whether a newly added member can read messages sent before they joined depends on the Show Message History to New Members setting in Chat Configuration. When it is enabled, new members see the full history. When it is disabled, they only see messages sent after they were added.
Pinned messages are an exception. Current members can see pinned messages and their attachments from before they joined, even when earlier conversation history is hidden. See Pinned Messages.
What should we consider before accessing conversations?
Your organisation should decide who receives the Admin role and when its account-wide Chat access may be used. Review your workplace policies and any legal obligations that apply before monitoring or exporting staff communications.
How do I get visibility of team conversations?
Astalty gives you several ways to make sure the right people can find and participate in team conversations.
| What you need | How to do it |
|---|---|
| The wider team should be able to see and continue a conversation | Use a group channel rather than a direct message. Link a User Group so membership stays in sync as people join and leave |
| Share information without staff replying or derailing the thread | Use a read-only channel, and allow specific people to post |
| Control which roles can start conversations with which other roles | Use the Who Can Message Who matrix in Chat Configuration, along with Allowed Recipients and Allowed User Groups |
| A transcript for an HR file, complaint, or investigation | An Admin can export the conversation |
| Care-related information kept on the Participant's record | Record it in notes, incident reports, or the Participant's record. Chat is for team communication, not the care record |
Exporting a conversation
Admins can export a transcript of any conversation in their Astalty account, including one they have not joined. The export includes sender names and timestamps, and does not include deleted messages.
To export a conversation:
- Open the conversation
- Click the Actions menu in the conversation header
- Select Export Conversation
- Optionally set a From and To date to limit the transcript to a period. Leave both empty to export the whole conversation
- Choose a Format - PDF or CSV
- Click Create Export
Your export will be prepared and made available on the Exports page, alongside your other Astalty exports. Every export records who created it, so there is a lasting record of who took a copy of a conversation and when.
If your organisation has export reasons turned on, you will also be asked to record why you are exporting the conversation, and that reason is stored with the export.