How to Use Messaging
Send messages, share images, manage conversations, and connect with providers
Last updated: February 2026
Quick Overview
TheOtherBoard has a built-in messaging system so you can communicate directly with providers without sharing personal contact information. Messages are private, support image attachments, and include helpful features like read receipts, quick replies, and reference sharing.
Starting a Conversation
To send a message to a provider, you'll need to visit their profile first. There's no way to message someone from the search results directly — you need to go to their profile page.
How to Send Your First Message
Find a provider you're interested in and visit their profile page.
Tap the "Send Message" button on their profile. A message modal will open showing their photo and name.
Type your message in the text area. Be respectful and clear about what you're looking for.
Tap "Send Message" to deliver your message. You'll see a confirmation when it's been sent.
What Happens Next
After sending your message, a new conversation is created in your inbox. You'll see a confirmation toast message, and you can continue the conversation from your Messages page at any time.
When a Provider Isn't Accepting Messages
Some providers may temporarily turn off messaging. If that's the case, you'll see a notice in the message modal saying they're not accepting messages right now. If they've set up an auto-reply, you'll see their custom message explaining when they'll be available or how else to reach them.
Your Inbox
Your inbox is where all your conversations live. Access it by tapping the message icon in the navigation bar or by going directly to /messages.
What You'll See
Each conversation in your inbox shows:
- The other person's avatar and name
- A preview of the last message — whether you sent it or received it
- A timestamp showing when the last message was sent
- An unread badge (blue dot with count) if there are unread messages
- A blocked indicator if the conversation is blocked
Searching Conversations
At the top of your inbox, there's a search bar where you can search through your conversations by name. Type a name and results filter instantly. Tap the X button to clear your search and see all conversations again.
Archived Conversations
Don't want a conversation cluttering your inbox but not ready to delete it? You can archive it.
- Tap the archive icon (box with arrow) next to any conversation to archive it
- Archived conversations disappear from your main inbox
- Tap the "Archived" button at the top right to view your archived conversations
- To restore a conversation, tap the inbox icon next to it in the archived view
The Conversation View
Tap any conversation in your inbox to open it. The conversation view is designed to feel like a modern messaging app — similar to iMessage or WhatsApp.
Layout
- Header — Shows the other person's name and avatar. Tap their name to visit their profile. On the right, you'll see a home button and a three-dot menu.
- Message area — Your conversation, with your messages on the right (in blue/indigo) and their messages on the left (in white/gray). Messages are grouped by date with separators like "Today" and "Yesterday."
- Composer — The text input at the bottom where you type and send messages. It includes buttons for attachments, quick replies, and reference sharing.
Sending a Message
Tap the text input at the bottom of the conversation. The keyboard will appear on mobile.
Type your message. The input area expands as you type longer messages.
Press Enter on desktop, or tap the blue send button on the right to send your message.
Your message appears instantly in the conversation with a single checkmark (sent). When the other person reads it, it changes to a double checkmark (read).
Loading Earlier Messages
If a conversation has a long history, only recent messages load initially. Tap the "Load earlier messages" button at the top of the conversation to load older messages.
Sharing Images
You can send images in your conversations. There are two ways to attach an image:
File Picker
Tap the image icon (camera/photo button) to the left of the text input. This opens your device's file picker where you can select a photo from your gallery or files.
Paste from Clipboard
Copy an image to your clipboard (like a screenshot), then paste it directly into the message input. The image will be attached automatically.
How Image Sending Works
Attach an image
Tap the image button in the composer, or paste an image from your clipboard.
Preview before sending
A thumbnail preview appears above the text input. You can remove it by tapping the X button if you change your mind.
Add an optional message
You can type a text message to go along with the image, or send the image on its own.
Send and track progress
Tap send. A circular progress indicator shows the upload percentage. Once complete, the image appears in the conversation.
Viewing Received Images
Images in conversations appear as thumbnails inside the message bubble. Tap any image to open it in a full-screen viewer where you can zoom in, pan, and see the full-resolution version. Tap outside the image or the close button to return to the conversation.
Quick Replies
For providers: Quick replies are pre-written message templates that save you time when responding to common questions. Think of them as shortcuts for messages you send frequently.
Using Quick Replies in Chat
In a conversation, tap the lightning bolt icon (Zap) next to the text input.
A panel appears with your saved quick reply templates. Each shows the label you gave it.
Tap a quick reply to insert its text into the message input. You can edit it before sending.
Tap the send button to send the message. Quick replies work just like regular messages once sent.
Setting Up Quick Replies
You can create and manage your quick reply templates from your provider settings:
- Go to Provider Settings and find the Quick Replies section
- Tap "Add Quick Reply" to create a new template
- Give it a short label (what you'll see in the picker, e.g., "Thanks for reaching out")
- Write the full message text that will be inserted into the chat
- You can have up to 20 quick replies
- Edit or delete them anytime from the same settings page
Reference Sharing & Screening
TheOtherBoard has built-in screening tools right inside your conversations. This makes the verification process smoother and keeps everything in one place.
How It Works
For Clients
If you have references on your profile, you'll see a shield icon in the message composer. Tap it to share your references with the provider, giving them everything they need to verify you.
For Providers
You'll see a clipboard icon in the composer to request references from a client. Once requested, the client will see a prompt to share their screening information.
Screening Status Badge
In the conversation header (next to the person's name on desktop), you'll see a screening status badge:
- Screened — References have been shared and reviewed
- Pending — References have been requested but not yet shared
- Not Screened — No references have been exchanged yet
P411 & TER Verification
If a client has shared references that include P411 or TER IDs, providers will see a "Verify P411/TER" option in the conversation menu. This opens a quick verification panel with direct links to check the client's external screening profiles.
Special Message Types
Not all messages are plain text. The conversation view supports several special message types that display as rich cards:
When a client sends a Fly Me To You request from a provider's profile, it appears as a special card in the conversation. The card shows:
- The destination city
- Preferred dates
- Budget information
- The provider's minimum FMTY rate (if set)
This gives both parties all the relevant details at a glance, without having to piece together information from multiple messages.
When references are shared or requested, a special card appears in the conversation. For shared references, it includes the number of references and which external platforms (P411, TER) the client is verified on. For reference requests, the client sees a button to share their references right from the message.
When someone sends a URL in a message, it automatically generates a preview card showing the page title, description, and thumbnail image. This works for most websites and gives you a quick look at what's being shared without having to click the link.
URLs, email addresses, and phone numbers in messages are automatically detected and made clickable. URLs open in a new tab, emails open your email client, and phone numbers trigger your phone's dialer. This means you can share contact information naturally in conversation and the other person can tap to use it immediately.
Managing Conversations
The three-dot menu in the top-right corner of a conversation gives you several options for managing your interactions.
Menu Options
View Profile
Jump to the other person's profile page to see their full information, photos, and reviews.
Block User
Blocks the user from sending you more messages. A red banner will appear at the top of the conversation. You can unblock them later from the same menu.
Delete Conversation
Permanently removes the conversation from your inbox. You'll be asked to confirm before deletion. This only removes it from your side — the other person keeps their copy.
Verify P411/TER
(Providers only) When a client has shared references with external IDs, use this to quickly verify their screening profiles on P411 or TER.
Deleting Individual Messages
You can delete individual messages you've sent. On desktop, hover over your message and a trash icon appears to the left. On mobile, the delete button is always visible. Tap it and the message will be removed. Note that this only removes the message from your side of the conversation.
Blocking & Unblocking
When you block someone:
- They can no longer send you messages
- A red "blocked" banner appears at the top of the conversation
- The message composer is hidden so neither party can send messages
- You can unblock them anytime from the conversation menu or from the blocked banner itself
Read Receipts & Status Indicators
The messaging system includes several visual cues to help you understand the status of your messages and conversations.
Message Status Icons
- Single checkmark (gray) — Your message has been sent to the server
- Double checkmark (blue) — Your message has been read by the recipient
- "Seen" with timestamp — Appears below the last read message showing exactly when they saw it (e.g., "Seen 5m ago" or "Seen yesterday")
Typing Indicator
When the other person is typing a message, you'll see an animated three-dot bubble at the bottom of the conversation. This lets you know a reply is on its way, so you don't need to wonder if they've seen your message.
Date Separators
Messages are organized by date with labels like "Today," "Yesterday," or the specific date (e.g., "Monday, Feb 10"). This makes it easy to find when a particular conversation happened when scrolling through message history.
Tips & Tricks
Write a Thoughtful First Message
Introduce yourself briefly, mention what you're looking for, and show that you've read their profile. Generic "hey" messages are easy to ignore.
Be Patient with Responses
Providers may be busy with appointments. If you see a single checkmark, your message was sent but not yet read. Give them time to respond.
Share References Early
If you have references, share them proactively. It speeds up the screening process and shows providers you're serious and trustworthy.
Set Up Quick Replies (Providers)
If you find yourself typing the same responses repeatedly, save them as quick replies. It dramatically speeds up your workflow.
Use the Paste Shortcut
Instead of using the file picker, try copying an image and pasting it directly into the chat. It's faster, especially for screenshots.
Check Screening Status
Look for the screening badge in the conversation header to quickly see where you stand in the verification process with each person.
Common Questions
Visit the provider's profile page and tap the "Send Message" button. A message modal will open where you can type your first message. After sending, the conversation appears in your inbox at /messages.
You'll see an unread count badge on the message icon in the navigation bar. Your inbox also updates automatically in the background. If you've enabled push notifications, you'll also receive a notification on your device.
You can send standard image formats like JPG, PNG, and GIF. Images are uploaded directly within the conversation — there's no separate upload step. You'll see a progress indicator while the image is being sent.
Providers can choose to temporarily stop accepting messages. If you see a "not accepting messages" notice, it means the provider has turned off their inbox. Check back later, or look for their contact information on their profile if they've listed alternative ways to reach them.
No. Deleting a message or conversation only removes it from your side. The other person's copy remains unchanged. There's no way to delete messages from someone else's inbox.
Blocking prevents the other person from sending you new messages. The conversation stays visible to both parties, but neither can send new messages. A red banner shows the blocked status. You can unblock at any time from the conversation menu or the banner itself.
Quick replies are currently a provider-only feature. They're designed to help providers respond efficiently to common inquiries. Clients see and interact with quick reply messages like any other message.
If you're a client with references on your profile, you'll see a shield icon in the message composer bar. Tap it to share your references with the provider. If a provider has requested your references, you'll also see a prompt in the reference request message card.
Ready to connect?
Now that you know how messaging works, learn about the screening process and how to make a great first impression with providers.
Screening Guide