Friends and direct messages
Direct messages and groups are always end-to-end encrypted. They work across nodes: you write to people by their address, wherever their home node is.
Friends
Section titled “Friends”Open Friends on the home view and send a request to a username or a full address such as bob@other.example.
The other person accepts or declines. The same page lists incoming and sent requests, your friends and the people
you blocked.
Direct messages and groups
Section titled “Direct messages and groups”Choose New direct message and pick a friend, or type a name or name@domain. New group starts a
conversation with several people; a group can have a name, and members can be added or removed later. A direct
message lives on the home node of the person who started it, and the list shows that node’s domain.
Who can message you
Section titled “Who can message you”Under Settings → Privacy & safety → Who can message me you choose between:
- Friends only,
- Friends and people in shared rooms (the default), or
- Everyone.
Your node may allow less than you choose. Messages from people who are not your friends wait under Message requests: you read the first message, then accept, decline, or decline and block. The sender is not told when you decline.
Block someone from their menu or the friends page: they can no longer send you requests or messages and do not see whether you are online.
Verifying a contact
Section titled “Verifying a contact”Every person has a security key that proves their devices belong to them. To make sure nobody is listening in, open Verify in a contact’s menu and compare the safety number with them in person or over a call, or let them scan the QR code. If the numbers match, mark the contact as verified.
If the security key of a verified contact changes later, tavrn warns you and stops sending to them until you verify again or confirm that you trust the new key. A changed key usually means that the person set up their account again, but asking them is the safe thing to do.