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Mailfence strives to make the internet a safer place. We offer a secure ecosystem to help you organize your life and your work through powerful productivity tools such as Mailfence Calendar, Mailfence Documents, Mailfence Contacts, Mailfence Groups, Mailfence Polls and a secure chat feature, Mailfence chat.
In our opinion, just offering a secure and private email is not enough. Otherwise, our email users would need to use insecure solutions to manage their appointments, create and store their files or chat online.
Discover how to use this secure chat service with your fellow group members.
Chat in the secure Mailfence environment
Mailfence chat functionality is based on the Jabber/XMPP protocol. This protocol, named Jabber at its creation, then renamed XMPP (standing for Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol), has been created for instant messaging. It’s an open-source protocol, meaning everyone can use it.
Another big feature is that it does not require a central server. It works a little bit like emails : everyone (every organization) can setup/use their own XMPP server. No third part needs to be involved. This has made this system very popular, and that’s why it’s widely used all over the world, even among huge organizations.
We have integrated an ejabberd server to power our XMPP network. Ejabberd is open-source and has been praised for its scalability and clustering features. Our chatting system is thus secured, because it remains in the same protected Mailfence environment, without the interference or control of any other organization.
How can I chat with my group contacts ?
IMPORTANT NOTE: Mailfence chat is only available to paying users.
It can only be used with Mailfence users who share a group with you.
Like many instant messaging services, our chat system lets you see which ones of the group members are online. You can check that by clicking on the little green dot (web chat client) at the right bottom of the screen to open the instant messaging panel. Any online contact will be signalled by a green dot on their tab.
To access this secure chat, just click on the group member’s tab you want to talk to. A new window will open next to the list. Use it to type your message, click on Enter, and there you go ! Your message has been sent and your contact can reply instantly.
Collaborate safely with the Mailfence chat
This instant messaging feature is brilliant for collaborative purposes and teamwork. It’s quicker and funnier than the traditional email to share comments and make progress on any project. In addition, you can open as many windows you need and interact in real-time with all your team members.
Preparing a meeting with your team will be super-easy. You’ll be able to chat securely about the topic with the participants, quickly check their availability, or get their comments, for example.
Also, it’s possible to multitask while chatting. You can edit a document, write an email or schedule an appointment on the calendar while chatting. Another key point is that the whole team can collaborate on a same document in the Document tool while chatting together.
The Mailfence jabber chat doesn’t allow you to share screens or pictures, which prevents potential unintentional malwares downloads. And because our Document tool scans all uploaded documents against viruses, you know you can collaborate more safely in the Mailfence environment.
The chat is far more effective for simple messages than email. It will help you to cut the noise in your email box and reduce the number of emails you’ve got to skim through every day.
Last but not least, with our secure chat, your privacy is protected. Mailfence does not keep the history or your chats, meaning the confidentiality of the chats is preserved.
Do you need more information about our chat functionality ? As usual, don’t hesitate to contact our online help. Mailfence makes it a point to provide the best support to its users.
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