How does messaging work in Fitsly?
Understand direct messages, group chats, broadcasts, and where your inbox lives on the web dashboard and coach app.
Messaging is real-time chat between you and your clients — one-to-one conversations, group chats, and broadcast announcements, carrying text, photos, video, voice notes, GIFs, replies, and emoji reactions. You message from the web dashboard's Messages page or from the chat screen in the coach mobile app; clients message from the client app.
Every conversation you're part of is listed newest activity first. Each card shows the avatar (groups show a 2×2 mosaic of member photos), a preview of the last message, how long ago it arrived, and an unread count. Only conversations that have at least one message appear.
The three kinds of conversation
| Type | Who's in it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Direct message | Exactly two people | Starting one with a client you already message reopens the existing thread |
| Group chat | Any number of members, no cap | Coach-created; starting one always makes a new group, even with identical members |
| Broadcast | Up to 100 clients | Sent as separate direct messages, or into one shared group; recipients see an Announcement badge |
Search and filter your inbox
On the web dashboard, search matches member names and nicknames in any conversation, plus group names for group chats — and it also surfaces archived direct messages. Filter chips each show a count:
AllUnreadDirectGroupsSee a client's recent activity beside the chat
Open a direct message on the web and a Recent activity panel shows that client's coaching feed next to the conversation. On narrower windows it collapses into a drawer. The coach app doesn't have this panel.
- Filter the feed by All Activity, Workouts, Forms, Body Metrics, Photos, or Goals.
- Click an item to open it — that also marks it read.
- Use the View link to jump to the client's full profile.
Messages that get created for you
Some coaching actions post into a client's direct message automatically:
- Reviewing a form submission posts a message about the review, unless you turn off Enable form review messages in that conversation's Recent activity panel.
- Commenting on a client's workout delivers the comment into the direct message with the workout attached. Clients can message you from a workout or exercise the same way.
Both are skipped entirely for clients whose Messaging feature is switched off.
Notifications and read state
Every new message sends a push notification immediately to each recipient with a registered device, and timestamps display in each person's local time. Reactions notify the message's author.
Unread counts are tracked per person per conversation, and opening a conversation marks it read and updates the app icon badge.
Things to watch out for
- A client whose account is archived can read all their conversations but can't send, reply, or react.
- In a team workspace, sub-coaches can only start conversations with clients assigned to them. Team admins with full visibility can message any client.
Quick answers
Can I see whether my client has read my message?
No. There are no read receipts in either direction — you see your own unread badges, and so do they, but neither side sees "seen" indicators.