MESSAGING: Secure Messaging

Learn how to use Unificus Messages 2.0, including threads, compose, reply, folders, and settings.

What is Messages 2.0?

Messages 2.0 represents a complete overhaul of the internal communication system. Rather than managing separate, isolated messages, conversations now organize into Threads that group all exchanges between you and a Contact, Staff member, or Team in one place. You can review the entire back-and-forth discussion instantly from your Inbox, Sent Box, Trash, or any custom Folder you’ve established.

This redesigned experience features a modern sidebar interface, adaptive timestamp formatting, thread pinning, custom Folders, quick hover and bulk actions, an improved Compose window, Canned Responses, Read Receipts, and a fully responsive design for mobile devices. The system architecture has been optimized so that even accounts with tens of thousands of conversations load without delay.

TIP: Your existing messages are kept intact and automatically organized into Threads. Nothing disappears. When you access Messages following the update, your inbox reorganizes itself by conversation.

How do I access Messages 2.0?

Select Messages from your main navigation on the left. The Messaging interface displays with a left sidebar and a main content section to the right.

The left sidebar displays the New Message button at the top, followed by links to Inbox (showing how many messages you haven’t read), Sent, Canned Responses, Trash, Settings, and any custom Folders you’ve made. The section you’re currently viewing is marked with a teal line on the left.

How does the Inbox work?

Your Inbox now displays Threads rather than individual messages. Every Thread card includes the person who sent the most recent message, a snippet from that message, when it arrived, an unread marker, how many replies it contains, and a paperclip icon if attachments are included.

Threads arrange with Pinned Threads first, then sorted by the date of the newest activity (most recent at top). Unread Threads have distinct styling but remain in their date position, so the list doesn’t reorganize when you mark something as read.

Filters

Tap the filter icon above the list to adjust what displays:

All: Every Thread in your current location.
Unread: Only Threads with at least one message you haven’t read.
Pinned: Only Threads you’ve pinned.
Filter by Date: Show only messages within a certain date range.

Sorting

Use the sort dropdown to rearrange the list:

Created (Newest - Oldest): Most recent activity first (the default).
Created (Oldest - Newest): Oldest activity first.
Subject (A to Z): Alphabetical order.
Subject (Z to A): Reverse alphabetical order.

Hover Actions (Desktop)

When you hover over a Thread card, quick action buttons appear on the right: Pin, Mark Read or Unread, Reply, Reply All (if there are multiple recipients), and Move to Trash.

Bulk Actions

Check the boxes on the left side of multiple Thread cards to select them. A bulk action toolbar emerges with options to Mark as Read or Unread and Move to Trash.

How does the intelligent date display work?

Timestamps automatically adapt to make scanning your list simple:

Messages from today show the time only, such as 10:42 AM.
Messages from yesterday display Yesterday.
Messages from earlier in the week show the day name, like Monday.
Messages from earlier in the year show the month and day, like Dec 9.
Older messages show month, day, and year, like Dec 9, 2023.

TIP: Times adjust to each person’s own timezone and time format preference. A message sent at 1:48 PM in your timezone displays correctly for other users in theirs.

How do I open and read a Thread?

Tap any Thread card in the list to view the entire Thread. The full conversation appears in order from oldest to newest, with dividers marked Today, Yesterday, or the specific date.

Earlier messages appear slightly faded, while the newest message stands out so you find the latest content right away. Older messages can be hidden to keep long Threads manageable, and you can expand them again with a click. Each message card shows who sent it, the date, any files, and when you hover, quick Reply and Share options.

A fixed action bar sits at the bottom of the Thread with Reply, Reply All, and Delete buttons. The Reply All option shows up only when the newest message went to multiple recipients.

Attachments Panel

Files shared in the Thread are shown in a dedicated panel. Each file displays with a colored icon (PDF in red, DOC in blue, XLS in green, images in purple, ZIP in orange, TXT in gray), the filename, size, who uploaded it, and when. Hover over any file to see its complete name in a tooltip.

How do I compose a new message?

Press the New Message button at the top of the sidebar. A Compose window slides up from the bottom.

Fill in these fields:

To: Type a Contact, Staff member, Team, or Circle name. Recipients appear as removable chips.
+ Add CC: Click to show an optional CC field with the same chip behavior as To. Names selected in one field become disabled in the other to avoid duplication.
Subject: A brief title for the conversation.
Body: Type your message using the rich text editor with Bold, Italic, Underline, Image, and Emoji tools.
Attach Files: Click the paperclip area to expand a drop zone for file uploads.
Canned Response: Click the canned response icon to add a saved template at your cursor.
Read Receipt: Turn this on to get notified when recipients open your message (depends on your Read Receipts setting).

Click Send when done. The new Thread shows in your Sent Box and each recipient’s Inbox.

TIP: Click the expand icon in the modal’s top right to open Compose in a bigger view, great for longer messages.

How do I reply to a Thread?

Open any Thread, then select Reply or Reply All from the bottom action bar, or click the hover action on any message card to reply to that specific message. The Compose window appears with recipients and subject already filled in.

In Reply mode the subject appears as unchangeable text (for example, Subject: RE: Project Update) instead of an editable box, to keep attention on your message. When you hover, a small teal Edit link shows up. Press it to unlock the full subject field, and click Hide to collapse it again.

If your reply has a different subject than the original Thread, that changed subject appears in amber in the Thread view to show the topic shifted.

TIP: Click Show original message in the Reply window to expand a quoted preview of what came before. You only see messages you participated in, so adding someone new to a Thread later won’t reveal earlier history.

How does the Sent Box work?

The Sent section matches the Inbox layout, but each Thread card displays To: the first recipient instead of who sent it. There’s no unread highlighting (you wrote those messages) and no Unread filter option.

When you hover over a Sent Thread, you get Pin or Unpin and Move to Trash options. Bulk actions only include Move to Trash.

How does Trash work?

Threads you delete appear in the Trash section with faded styling to signal they’re inactive. A notice at the top reminds you that Trash messages vanish for good after 30 days.

When you hover over a Trash Thread, you see Restore and Delete Forever options.

Bulk actions in Trash are Restore and Delete Forever.

The Unread filter doesn’t show in Trash since unread status doesn’t apply there.

IMPORTANT: Delete Forever cannot be undone. Once permanently deleted, a Thread is gone for good and cannot be recovered. Use Restore if there’s any possibility you’ll want that conversation later.

How do I pin a Thread?

Hover a Thread card and click the Pin icon. Pinned Threads jump to the top and stay there no matter how long ago they had activity, with the most recently active pinned Thread listed first. Click the pin icon again to Unpin.

Pinning is personal to you, not to the Thread itself. Pinning something for yourself doesn’t change it for other people in the conversation.

How do I use Folders to organize Threads?

Folders group Threads into categories you define, like “Clients”, “Internal”, “Projects”, or any label that matches your workflow. They appear in their own section in the sidebar below the main links.

Create a Folder

Click the + button next to Folders in the sidebar. An inline text box appears. Type your folder name and press Enter to create it. Folder names must be unique in your account and between 1 and 60 characters long.

Rename or Delete a Folder

Hover a folder name to see icons for renaming and deleting. Renaming works the same way as creation. Deleting a folder doesn’t erase the Threads inside it—they just move back to the Inbox.

Move a Thread into a Folder

Open a Thread (or hover it in the list), open the options menu, and pick Assign to Folder.

Choose which folder from the dropdown. The Thread now appears in that folder and leaves your Inbox.

To move a Thread back to your Inbox, select Remove from Folder in the same options menu.

TIP: Folder unread counts show next to each folder name in the sidebar and update live as you read, move, or get messages, so you always spot which folder has new activity.

How do I use Canned Responses?

Canned Responses are preset message templates you can drop into any new message or reply instantly. They’re stored on the Canned Responses page in the sidebar.

Create a Canned Response

Click + New Canned Response. An editor panel slides up with a Title field, an optional Subject line, the rich text message, and two toggles:

Auto-Add: Include this response automatically when you compose a fresh message.
Auto-Reply: Send this response automatically when a new message arrives in your Inbox.

Click Save to add it to your collection.

Insert a Canned Response while composing

In any New Message or Reply window, click the Canned Responses icon in the toolbar. A searchable list opens. Select any response to place it where your cursor is.

TIP: Canned Responses insert at your last cursor spot inside the editor, even if you switched to the Subject or CC field. Text you already wrote stays in place.

What can I configure in Settings?

Open Settings from the sidebar to adjust your messaging preferences.

Permissions

Choose who you can send messages to and who can send them to you. Your options are Staff, Contacts, Teams, and Circles. Opening this area closes the Read Receipts section to keep focus.

Read Receipts

Decide if you want Read Receipts enabled on messages you send and whether to send them for messages you get. Opening this area closes Permissions automatically.

Each section has a Save button next to a Cancel button, so the main action is always on the left.

How do I use keyboard shortcuts?

Messages 2.0 comes with keyboard shortcuts for everyday tasks. Click the Shortcuts button in the sidebar (or hover the icon) to view the complete list of key combinations for acts like writing a new message, replying, removing to Trash, moving between Threads, and more.

How does Messages 2.0 work on mobile?

On mobile, the sidebar hides and navigation shifts to a dropdown in the page header. The New Message button turns into a floating button (FAB) in the bottom right corner. On the Canned Responses page, the FAB becomes + New Canned Response.

Thread cards on mobile use a rounded, shadowed card design with an always-visible action row at the bottom, replacing the desktop hover menu. Reply count and file icons move to that row to make space for the sender and subject.

Inside a Thread on mobile, the header splits into two parts: subject and back button on top, and action buttons plus the message count badge below. Reply bar labels shrink to icons to save width.

What happens to messages in Trash after 30 days?

Threads in Trash erase automatically 30 days after moving to Trash, by way of a daily deletion process. The banner at the top of Trash reminds you of this timeframe.

IMPORTANT: To save a Thread indefinitely, keep it out of Trash. Restore it to your Inbox or move it to a Folder before the 30-day period ends. Once permanently erased, the Thread is lost forever, and Support cannot recover it.