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Must know
  • A Web Only message posts in the person’s family portal and adds to their Chat unread badge. No text, email, or push goes out.
  • Only the person you picked sees the conversation, not every adult in the family.
  • The green Delivered check means the message was posted to the portal, not that it was read.
  • To alert them, switch to Web & SMS or Web & Email. Each channel has its own requirements.
What the family sees. A Web Only message appears in the Chat page of the family portal and nowhere else. While the portal is open, a number badge on Chat picks it up within about 30 seconds: in the sidebar on a computer, or on the bottom Chat tab on phones (which shows 9+ above nine). Who sees it. Only the person you picked. Other adults in the family do not. Why it looks delivered. The green Delivered check appears at once, because a Web Only message counts as delivered when it is posted. It does not mean anyone read it. Why so many threads are silent. New conversations start on Web Only by default. How to get their attention. Use the label beside the person’s name at the top of the thread (on phones it shows only an icon). The switch is immediate, with no confirmation, and a message reads Switched to Web & SMS (or the channel you picked). Only future messages use the new channel; earlier Web Only messages are not re-sent. If a switch is refused, an error message explains why. Web & Email can also fail after you send. If your club switched off the Chat message notification email under Settings > Communication > Notifications > System Rules, the message is marked failed with “Chat email notifications to families are switched off in Notifications settings.” Ask a club admin to turn it back on. Related: What do the Web Only, Web & SMS, and Web & Email channels mean? · How do I switch a chat to a different channel? · How can I tell if my message was delivered?