Chat Rooms and Groups: A Complete Guide
Learn how to create, join, and manage chat rooms and groups — including admin permissions, member management, and more.
Chat Rooms and Groups: A Complete Guide
CipherChat lets you chat in the Global Chat (where everyone is) or create your own groups. This guide covers everything from creating a room to managing members.
The Global Chat
The Global Chat is the main public chatroom. Every user is automatically a member. You can send text, images, polls, and voice messages here. Mention someone with @theirname to send them a notification.
Creating a Group
- Go to the Rooms tab and tap "Create Room"
- Choose a name and description
- Set the type: Public (anyone can join) or Private (invite only)
- Upload a logo (optional)
- Tap Create
You are now the owner of this group with full admin powers.
Joining Public Groups
Go to the Public Groups tab to browse and join any public group. You can leave a group at any time from the room settings.
Admin Features
As a group owner, you can:
- Pin the room so it stays at the top for members
- Toggle read-only mode to prevent non-admins from sending messages
- Delete the room if you no longer need it
- Clear chat history to remove all messages
- Change the group logo
Managing Members
In the room settings, you can:
- Invite members by username
- Ban users who violate rules
- Make other users admins with specific permissions
- Remove admin status when needed
Admin Permissions
When you make someone an admin, you can choose exactly what they're allowed to do:
- Ban/Unban — Remove or restore members
- Delete messages & clear chat — Remove messages and clear history
- Invite members — Add new members
- Manage group settings — Pin, logo, read-only mode, delete room
This lets you delegate tasks without giving full control. For example, you can make someone a moderator who can ban and delete messages but can't delete the room.
Typing Indicators
When someone is typing in a group, you'll see a "typing..." indicator. This is real-time and helps keep conversations flowing.
New devices sync your messages
When you sign in on a new browser device, CipherChat loads your existing DM and private-group message history — just like WhatsApp's "Syncing messages" flow. Your account, contacts, group memberships, and prior conversations all appear on the new device, whether you use a password, Google, or Account Protection.
Returning devices keep their history
Messages created before or after a device's first sign-in are visible on later visits, subject to retention. Logging out and back in or changing login method does not reset your history. Previously registered devices keep their existing history. Clearing browser storage, using a different browser profile, or using private browsing can make you appear as a new device, but all messages still sync.
Account Protection and device approval
Account Protection may still require trusted-device approval or an existing account passcode for password sign-ins. Those controls authorize account access. Once approved, the device receives your full message history. Google sign-in can bypass device approval.
Message retention
The cleanup policy is 14 days for DMs, 21 days for private-group messages, and 7 days for Global Chat, measured from message creation. Pins do not extend the period. Cleanup runs hourly when the scheduled service is deployed; outages and backlogs can delay deletion. Other public groups have no automatic retention period currently. The production cron service must be deployed to activate scheduled cleanup.
Privacy and encryption limits
This is a server-enforced history-access rule, not end-to-end encryption or deletion of the conversation for everyone. CipherChat currently processes and stores readable messages. HTTPS protects transport on secure connections; database encryption at rest depends on deployment settings. Cleanup removes message records, not moderation reports, notifications, already-shared media URLs, recipient copies, or provider backups. Keep sensitive secrets off chat.
Group Calls
Some groups support voice and video calls. Tap the phone icon in the room header to start or join a call.