General

Hi folks,

We’ve just introduced a new way to use the chat room on the site!

Today we launched the pop out chat, which lets you stay active in the chat room while continuing to browse the site.

You may have already noticed the pop out chat button on the right hand side of your device. Since this is an opt in feature, the chat won’t automatically load. Not everyone on the site enjoys using chat, so we’ve chosen not to log users in automatically.

To opt in simply click 'Join Chat' on the pop out window (this is the easiest way to enable the pop out chat). If you wish to turn off the feature (or turn back on) you can do this by clicking on your avatar to open the site menu on the left, then toggle the pop out chat option (it’s located just underneath the Dark Mode / Light Mode setting). Once you’ve opted in, the site will remember your preference until you change it again.

Now you can open and close the chat anytime by simply clicking the chat tab. I’ve also provided some screenshots below showing how to opt in, to help anyone who needs a quick visual guide.

* Pic 1 - Shows the pop out chat button

* Pic 2 - Shows what you see if you haven't opted in. Clicking 'Join Chat' will opt you in and the load the chat.

* Pic 3 - Shows the site menu and where to find the opt in toggle button (If it's grey your not currently opted in)

* Pic 4 - Shows the toggle button when it's active / enabled (If it's pink you are currently opted in)

* Pic 5 - Shows the pop out chat open and active

Do let us know if you need any help, encounter any issues or to give us some feedback on the new feature.

Take care,
c00kie
FF Team

A great update for chat. However I noticed a bug.
I have the icon off for the chat icon to appear on screen and it is still showing up. Have selected both and it doesn't go away.

I wish I didn't have to click the box every time I tried to type something. I also wish I could resize the window.

Can there be an option to remove it? Its annoying on mobile

Hi, thanks for giving feedback. The feature is currently working as designed and this isn’t a bug.

Opting out of the chat won’t disable the button’s functionality, it simply prevents the chat from loading or logging you in. The idea is that opting out stops you from appearing as being in the chat as some people prefer to browse the site without being active there.

Of course, we’d love for everyone to opt in

Hi,

We don't have plans to remove the 'chat' tab on the right hand side.

On older devices unfortunately the chat tab displays horizontally taking up a bit more screen space, this is simply due to limitations of older devices.

On newer devices the tab is tucked nicely away on the right hand side and stacked vertically 'as seen in my screenshot above'.

Thank you for your feedback.
c00kie
FF Team

Thanks for your feedback.

On smart phones and tablets, it is necessary to click into the message box first to display the keyboard, before you can type. On desktops, when you send a message the cursor is automatically focused back in the message box, so you can immediately type another message. This is just the difference between the way the different devices work.

When using chat in the side bar the full screen icon doesn't work (and should probably be removed). To get true full screen mode, you'd need to use the chat on the main chat page, accessed from the left hand menu.

Hope this helps.

I only use desktop when I use chat. So this means that the autofocus is not working correctly.

Ah, I see it's not working in the chat side panel, but it is on the main chat page. Thanks for pointing this out.