Circle chat, mentions and direct messages
Circle chat lives in each circle's stream with @handle mentions, replies and emoji reactions, while direct messages are request-gated, the first message has to be accepted before you can send another.
Circle has two conversation surfaces. Inside a circle, everyone talks in one stream. Between two members, there are direct messages, which are deliberately harder to start.
The circle stream
A circle is a single stream that mixes chat messages, promoted posts and notes, newest at the bottom. Clicking a post opens a thread-style drawer on the right where you can support it and talk about it.
What a message can carry:
| Element | Limit |
|---|---|
| Text | 1,000 characters |
| Attachments | Up to 6 files or images per message |
| Reply | To another message, or to a post published in the circle |
| Reactions | Any emoji, toggled on and off by tapping it again |
You can delete your own messages. Circle owners and moderators can delete anyone’s.
Mentions
- @handle pings that member, as long as the handle belongs to an active member of the circle. Up to 10 mentions are processed per message.
- @circle pings every active member, and only owners and moderators can use it.
- Replying pings the person you replied to, or the owner of the post you replied to.
Each person is pinged at most once per message, and chat pings are in-app only, chat volume is never emailed.
Notification settings per circle
The bell menu on a circle header has three levels:
| Level | What reaches you |
|---|---|
| All | Everything from that circle |
| Just mentions | Direct pings and replies, plus decisions about your own post or role |
| Mute | Nothing from that circle |
A temporary mute can be set in minutes, up to 30 days, without changing the level. Some events ignore all of this on purpose, because they are actionable and about you: circle invites, join requests, decisions on your membership, removals and bans.
Account-wide channels are in Notification preferences.
Starring
Star a circle to pin it in its own group at the top of your Circle sidebar. Useful once you belong to more than a handful.
Direct messages
Direct messages between Circle members live in your Messages page alongside brand conversations. The reachable people are Circle members who accepted the rules and are not suspended.
How a conversation starts:
- You open a member’s profile and press Message, or start a thread from the Messages page.
- Your first message creates a pending request and lands in their Requests.
- You cannot send a second message until they accept.
- They accept explicitly, or simply by replying, and the thread becomes a normal conversation.
| Rule | Value |
|---|---|
| New requests per day | 10 |
| Message length | 2,000 characters |
| Reactions | Supported, same toggle as circle chat |
Declines are silent by design. The requester keeps seeing the request as sent and cannot follow up, and the recipient stops seeing the thread.
Keep it useful
- Introduce yourself in the circle stream before DMing. A request from a name people have seen gets accepted.
- Do not use DMs to arrange guaranteed mutual support. Coordinated schemes between the same accounts break the Community Rules.
- Content problems belong in a report, not in chat. Reporting is covered in Post approval, moderation and circle votes.
Frequently asked questions
Why can I not send a second direct message?
A new conversation starts as a request. Until the other member accepts (explicitly, or simply by replying), the requester cannot send again. That is what keeps DMs from becoming cold outreach.
What happens when someone declines my message request?
Nothing visible. Declines are silent, your side keeps showing the request as sent and you cannot follow up, while the recipient no longer sees the thread.
Can I notify a whole circle at once?
Only owners and moderators can, by writing @circle in a message. Everyone else can mention up to 10 individual handles per message.
How do I turn a noisy circle down without leaving it?
Use the bell menu on the circle: all, just mentions, or mute. You can also mute temporarily for a set number of minutes, up to 30 days.