How Teachers Use In-App Messaging on the Mobile App?

The In-App Messaging feature in the AOne Schools mobile app allows teachers to communicate easily with parents and other users through personal or group conversations. This guide explains how to use the messaging feature to send messages and stay connected with the school.

Opening the In-App Messaging

To access your conversations:

1. Log in to the mobile app
2. Select your role and school (if prompted)
3. Tap the Message icon in the header

Opening a Chat Room

You can simply tap any conversation in the In-App Messaging. 

1. Inside the Chat Room, messages are grouped by date 
   (Today or a formatted date like Mon, 06 January)
2. Each message also shows the time (HH:MM)

Messages are displayed in bubbles:

1. Incoming messages → Light blue, left aligned
2. Your messages → Darker blue, right aligned 

Creating a New Personal Message

If you have “Create” permission, then you can create a new message. If not, then the option will not appear. 

You can follow the steps below to create a new conversation.

Steps to Create a Personal Message:

1. Open the Message icon 
2. Tap the “Create New Message”
3. Select Personal Message
4. Choose a user from the list
5. Send you first message 

For your sent messages:

1. Single check → Sent to server
2. Double check → Delivered to the recipient

Important to know:

1. If you exit before sending a message, the draft will be discarded
2. If a conversation with that user already exists, the system will open the existing chat instead of creating a new one.

Searching for a Conversation

If you are looking for a specific conversation then you can use the Search bar at the top of the Messaging page. The following section provides instructions on how to use this feature.

To search: 

1. Tap the Search bar
2. Type the user or group name 
3. Select from the results

Note:

• The Search bar works at the conversation level, not on message content. 
• The Search bar also case-insensitive, supports partial matches, and unlimited in character length

Filtering Messages

As your message list grows, filters help you quickly narrow down your conversations. The available filters are listed below, and you can apply a single filter or combine multiple filters.

1. By Status
   Read or Unread
   
   
2. By Type
   Personal Message
   Group Message
   
   
3. By User Role
   Guardian
   Teacher
   Admin
   Superadmin

When filters are applied:

1. Applied filters move to the first positions
2. Applied filters are highlighted in blue 
3. Filters remain active while you stay inside the Messaging module. Once you leave the module, they are automatically reset. 

Managing Conversations

If you have many unread messages, you don’t need to open them one by one. You can mark all messages as read in a single step:

1. Go to Messaging page
2. Tap the three dots ( : ) button next to Search bar
3. Select Mark All as Read 
4. Once selected, all unread conversations will immediately change to Read. 
5. If there are no unread messages, this option will appear disabled.

Understanding Archived User in In-App Messaging

Sometimes a user may be archived at the school level. When this happens, the system clearly indicates that the user has been archived while keeping the conversation history intact, ensuring transparency and preserving important communication records.

If the other participant becomes archived:

1. The chat is still readable
2. An Archived icon appears beside their name
3. You cannot send new messages
4. The message input field becomes disabled. 
5. A banner appears in the chat explaining that the user is archived.