Settings

In this section we want to help you to manage your account.

13 min read

Upload or edit a profile picture

Having a profile picture is useful as it allows other users to easily identify you and verify that they are communicating with the correct person. It also adds a personal touch to the conversation and makes it more engaging.

Add/Change profile picture

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Profile.
  1. Click the profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Open gallery.
  1. Choose a photo from your files.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Profile.
  1. Tap the profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Open gallery or Open camera.
  1. Choose a photo from your gallery, or snap a new one with the camera.

Remove profile picture

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Profile.
  1. Click the profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Remove avatar.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Profile.
  1. Tap the profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Remove avatar.

Status messages

Setup a status message

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Profile.
  1. Click Add status.
  1. Type your status message into the input field.
  1. Click Continue.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Profile.
  1. Tap Add status.
  1. Type your status message into the input field.
  1. Tap Continue.

Edit your status message

Just repeat the steps to setup a status message and change the status in the input field.

Remove your status message

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Profile.
  1. Click the X Button in the status message box.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Profile.
  1. Tap the X Button in the status message box.

Notifications

We rely on timely communication between our users, and notifications ensure that you are informed of new messages or updates in real-time. Without notifications, you may miss important messages and experience delays in your communication.

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click the Notifications field.
  1. Flip the switch to enable or disable the notifications for your whole account.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap the Notifications field.
  1. Flip the switch to enable or disable the notifications for your whole account.

Deactivate notifications for a specific device

To deactivate notifications for a specific device, you have to adjust the device or browser tab settings.

Web
  1. Click the settings icon on the left side of your browser's address bar.
  1. Look for Notifications or similar text.
  1. Remove the notification permission. Depending on your browser, this might be an X-button or a toggle.
  1. If you want to turn off the sound, right-click your browser tab (in the tab bar where you can see the Famedly logo) with the app and select Mute tab or Mute Site or similar. Please note that this will also mute media like voice messages you might want to play.
  1. To unmute, just click the crossed-out speaker icon that appears on the tab on the logo.
Desktop
  1. If you installed the app through your browser, you can access the settings through a click the ⁝ icon in the title bar of the app window.
  1. Click App info.
  1. Look for the entry Notifications.
  1. Deactivate the toggle through a click Notifications.
  1. If you also want to turn off sound for the notifications, follow these steps:
    1. Click the ⁝ icon in the windows title bar to open the settings menu.
    1. Click App info.
    1. There click Settings.
    1. Click More settings and permissions at the bottom of the menu in the browser window that just opened.
    1. Look for the Sound option and select Mute from the dropdown menu. Please note that this will also mute media like voice messages you might want to play.
    1. To unmute the app again, redo the last steps and select Automatic (Standard) instead of Mute from the dropdown menu.
Android
  1. Do a long press on the app icon on your homescreen.
  1. Tap the 🛈 icon (might also have a text App info or similar) to open app-specific OS settings.
  1. Tap Notifications.
  1. There you will see different options for muting the notifications or completely turning them off.
iOS
  1. Open your phone settings.
  1. Search for Famedly and tap the entry. You can use the settings search or just scroll to the bottom to find the Famedly entry.
  1. Tap Notifications.
  1. There you will have options for turning off notifications for the app completely or just sound or badges and some options for the banner.

Use your operating systems do not disturb mode

Another option to prevent notifications from popping up temporarily is to use your systems do not disturb mode. Depending on your operating system you can just turn off the notification banner or even set specific time schedules to activate the do not disturb mode. On many devices you can also set exceptions for specific apps or persons (depending on the specific OS).

Windows
  1. On Windows 11, the do not disturb mode is set to turn on when duplicating the screen, playing a game, or using an app in full-screen mode by default. If you use a different Windows version, please google do not disturb mode windows and add your Windows version number to the search term.
  1. Click the Windows Start menu icon (the four squares on your task bar).
  1. Click Settings.
  1. Then click System and select Notifications.
  1. There you can just turn on the do not disturb mode with a toggle or set custom notification settings or conditions to automatically activate do not disturb mode.
  1. To change notification settings, click the arrow down on the left side of the Notifications menu entry and check or uncheck the different options.
  1. To change the conditions to automatically activate do not disturb mode, click Turn on “do not disturb” automatically.
  1. Now you can add a time schedule for activating and check or uncheck some other options.
MacOS
  1. Click the control center icon (in the upper right corner left to the date).
  1. Click the moon icon with Focus or Do Not Disturb text (depending on your OS version).
  1. To adjust do not disturb mode, click the moon icon in your OS menu bar.
  1. Now you can select the following do not disturb time options:
    • For 1 hour
    • Until tomorrow morning or Until this afternoon/evening
    • Probably there will be more options.
  1. For further settings click Focus Settings... after clicking on the moon icon in the menu bar.
  1. To add time schedules, click Do Not Disturb in the settings window that just opened and then click Add Schedule... and enter the times that you want to have do not disturb enabled.
  1. To set which people should be able to contact you, click Allowed People.
  1. To set which apps should be able to send notifications, click Allowed Apps.
Ubuntu
  1. Click the date in the Ubuntu menu bar.
  1. Click Do Not Disturb to enable or disable do not disturb mode.
  1. For more settings, you can also open the Ubuntu settings (Ctrl+E) and then click Notifications.
  1. Here, you can also decide if you want to see notifications on your lock screen.
Android
  1. Swipe from the top to the bottom to open the quick settings panel.
  1. Look for a Tile with a ⊝ icon (circle with a horizontal line).
  1. To activate the do not disturb mode, tap the ⊝ tile.
  1. To access further settings for the do not disturb mode, do a long press on the ⊝ tile in the quick settings menu.
  1. There you can also find a setting to get a popup for setting the duration of the do not disturb mode.
  1. Since Android systems differ a little bit for every phone brand, you might find that setting in different spaces. Look for Do Not Disturb Duration or How long? or similar and set it to Always ask or Ask every time.
  1. You can also set different time schedules to activate and deactivate the do not disturb mode automatically or set exceptions from the do not disturb mode for specific persons (depending on the device), apps, alarms, and more.
  1. For fine tuning of the notification behaviour, tap Display options for hidden notifications, Hide notifications, or similar. There you will find options to completely hide the notifications or just disable pop-up notifications or the app notification point.
iOS
  1. Swipe from top to bottom to open the Control center.
  1. Tap the moon icon to turn on do not disturb mode (or turn it off when it is already on).
  1. To adjust do not disturb settings, do a long press on the moon icon in the control center.
  1. Tap the ⋯ icon left to Do Not Disturb.
  1. Below that, the options For 1 hour, Until tomorrow morning, Until this afternoon/evening, and Until I leave this location will appear to specify when to end do not disturb.
  1. To make further adjustments, tap Settings below those options.
  1. There you can set exceptions for specific people or apps, customize the appearance of notifications, or add a schedule.

Style

Enabling dark mode in Famedly can reduce eye strain and make it easier to work for longer periods. You can also set the style to "System theme" to switch the theme based on the system settings.

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Style.
  1. Under Theme, choose the style you prefer.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Style.
  1. Choose under Theme the style you prefer.

Directory

You can allow people from other organizations to find your account, which is useful if you want to communicate with individuals outside of your own organization.

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Directory.
  1. Enable or disable the option to be discovered by people outside of your organization.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Directory.
  1. Enable or disable the option to be discovered by people outside of your organization.

Change password

If the option is available to you, you can change your password in the settings. If your account is managed by your organization, this option might be unavailable within the Famedly app. Please keep best practices for secure passwords in mind when you decide for a new password.

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Security.
  1. Click Change password.
  1. Enter your current password.
  1. Enter your new password.
  1. Confirm the password change by clicking Change password.
Mobile

To change your password on mobile:

  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Security.
  1. Tap Change password.
  1. Enter your current password.
  1. Enter your new password.
  1. Confirm the password change by tapping Change password.

Screen lock

On mobile devices there is an option to lock the screen and unlock it either by entering a pin or by biometrics (e.g. fingerprint).

A set screen lock will only apply on the device you activate it on and will disappear on logout. If you log in again, you will have to set it again but this also means that you can reset the screen lock by logging out if you forgot the pin.

ℹ️
You might be required to set up a screen lock on mobile devices if your device does not have a system wide screen lock enabled or if your organization requires the usage of screen lock and will be prompted for that during the setup process.

Activate screen lock

Mobile
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Security.
  1. Tap Screen lock to enter screen lock settings.
  1. Tap Screen lock again to activate the switch.
  1. Enter a pin code you want to use for screen lock.
  1. Confirm the pin code.
  1. You will now see further options on the Lock screen settings page.

Change pin code for screen lock

Mobile
  1. Tap Change PIN code.
  1. Enter your current pin code.
  1. Now enter the new pin code.
  1. Confirm the new pin code.

Use pin code for unlocking

After you closed or minimized the app you will be asked to authorize yourself with your screen lock pin when you open the app again. When you already activated screen lock and you open the app, you will be asked to enter your pin code.

Mobile
  1. Tap the number input field.
  1. Insert your pin code.
  1. If you forgot your pin code, please tap the button Logout on the upper left corner. The screen lock will be reset on logout.

Use biometrics for screen lock

Instead of the pin code, you can unlock your device with biometrics like face id or fingerprint. The biometrics feature will use your devices default biometrics. You can still use your pin code and if you want to deactivate screen lock, you will still have to enter your pin code. If you forget your pin code, the only way to deactivate screen lock is to log out.

Mobile
  1. Tap Use biometrics.
  1. Identify with the biometrics you use on your device.
  1. If you now try to unlock the app, you will be prompted to use biometrics. You can cancel the dialog to use your pin code instead.
  1. If you accidentally dismissed the dialog or it is not displayed, you can tap “Use biometrics” to request biometric verification again.

Use auto lock for screen lock

If you want to make sure no one can read your messages because you might forget to put the app in background, you can choose different time spans for automated locking.

Mobile
  1. Tap Auto lock.
  1. Choose the time span for locking the screen from the list.
  1. The app will now lock itself after the selected time span elapses with any inactivity.
  1. If you do not want to use the auto lock feature anymore, tap Auto lock again and select “Deactivate” from the list.

Connected devices

Here you will find all the devices connected to your account. You have the option to lock or remove devices here.

ℹ️
Please note that by signing out of other devices, you will lose access to them. You will need to sign in again on those devices.

Screenshots

On Android devices, you can enable or disable the ability to take screenshots. By default, it is disabled.

On iOS taking screenshots is enabled by default and will only give you a warning every time you take a screenshot therefore you will only find this setting on Android.

Enable or disable taking screenshots

Please be careful with sensitive data. Preferably do not take screenshots of chats since that might leak sensitive data. If you have to take a screenshot that might contain sensitive data, please delete it from your device when you do not need it anymore. Only share screenshots that contain personal data with people who are allowed to receive this data.

Android
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Screenshots.
  1. Flip the switch.
  1. If you want to enable taking screenshots, you will be prompted to confirm the choice.
  1. For enabling taking screenshots, tap Continue.

Privacy

Here you have options to choose if you want to share read receipts, typing indicators or your online status with others and if you want to share crash reports with Famedly to help us enhance the app. To protect your privacy, all those features are opt-in, so they are turned off by default.

What are read receipts?

When the switch for sending read receipts is turned on, other users can see if you read a message. At the bottom right corner of every chat room just above the message input field you can see the profile pictures of the users who read the last message.

If more than four users read the last message, only four profile pictures will be displayed there and the number of other users who read the message will be shown left to the profile pictures like e.g. +3 if seven users read the last message. You can also enter the Read by page on the message settings to see who read a message.

If you turn off the switch for sending read receipts, others will not see your profile picture at the bottom of the chat or in the Read by list.

What are typing indicators?

When the switch for sending typing indicators is turned on, this means that whenever you are typing and another person has the same chat room opened, the other person gets a notification above the message input field on the bottom left corner with your profile picture or initials saying User is typing... where “User” stands for your own username. If you turn off sending typing indicators, this notification will not be shown for other users when you are typing.

What is your online status?

Other users that have an up-to-date version of Famedly will be able to see if you are online when you activate the toggle for sending the online status.

How to enable/disable chat features

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Security.
  1. Click Data privacy.
  1. You can activate all chat features by clicking on Enable all chat features. This would mean sending read receipts, typing indicators, online status, and crash reports.
  1. You can also deactivate all chat features by clicking on Enable all chat features when all switches are already turned on. This would mean not sending read receipts, typing indicators, online status, and crash reports anymore.
  1. To turn on/off the other chat features, just click the single switches.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Security.
  1. Tap Data privacy.
  1. You can activate all chat features by tapping on Enable all chat features. This would mean sending read receipts, typing indicators, online status, and crash reports.
  1. You can also deactivate all chat features by tapping on Enable all chat features when all switches are already turned on. This would mean not sending read receipts, typing indicators, online status, and crash reports anymore.
  1. To turn on/off the other chat features, just tap the single switches.

Archive

In the archive, you will find all the chats you have left. Loading may take some time. Here you have the option to read old messages and clear the archive.

  • To read old chats, click the respective chat room.
  • To clear the archive, please click the menu in the upper right corner to open the menu.

Chat-Backup

Depending on the state of the chat backup, you have two options:

  • You can enable the chat backup.
  • You can reset the passphrase for the chat backup.

In both cases, make sure to store the generated passphrase in a secure place.

About

At this section, you will find some additional useful information.

Log out

You are able to sign out of Famedly, if you want to sign in with a different account.

Desktop
  1. To access the settings, click your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Click Profile.
  1. Click Log out below your profile picture.
  1. Confirm the sign out by clicking Log out.
Mobile
  1. To access the settings, tap your profile picture or name initials.
  1. Tap Profile.
  1. Tap Log out below your profile picture.
  1. Confirm the sign out by tapping Log out.

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