This guide concerns kChat, the instant messaging service from Infomaniak that allows you to exchange, share and coordinate your teams securely from your web browser, mobile, tablet or computer.

Get kChat

kChat is available with kSuite.

Once you have set up kSuite within your Organization, download…

• … the mobile app kChat (app for iOS/Android smartphone or tablet)
• … the desktop app kChat (desktop application for macOS / Windows / Linux).

and/or click here to access the kChat web app (online service kchat.infomaniak.com).

Also, familiarize yourself with the getting started guide.

This guide details the use and management of channels in kChat.

Introduction

• A kChat channel is a dedicated communication space for a project, topic, or team where members can share documents, chat in real-time, and organize video conferences.
• The number of private (and public) channels, as well as guests, is limited according to the kSuite offer acquired; refer to the comparative table on the sales page for more information.

General Channel

Every Organization on kChat automatically has a General channel to which all users are automatically invited.

You can use this channel to share information that concerns your entire organization, such as company outings or motivating good news.

You can of course start a new thread within the General channel.

Additional Channel

To add a new discussion channel:

1. Click on the button ‍ located in the left sidebar of the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com).
2. Click on Create a new channel:
   

Information about a channel

When you create a new channel, you can choose:

A. its name

It will be modifiable later on.

B. its URL

By default, it takes the name of the channel, but you can modify it using lowercase letters, numbers, periods, hyphens, and underscores - it can also be modified later.

C. its status PRIVATE or PUBLIC

It will be modifiable later (read below).

D. its description

The description specifies how this channel should be used. This text appears in the list of channels in the "More..." menu and gives users an indication of whether they should join the channel or not.

Once the channel is created, you can also set:

E. a header

Differences between PRIVATE or PUBLIC channels

PUBLIC channels increase transparency. All users can see and join a public channel, ensuring that all individuals involved in a project, topic, or team have access to the same information.

Private channels allow you to restrict sensitive content to users of your choice. Only an existing member can invite another user to a private channel. There are also differences in the management of archiving/deletion (read more below).

Convert a public channel to a private channel

To convert a Public channel to a Private channel:

1. From the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com), click on the Public channel in the left sidebar.
2. Then click on the chevron ‍ on the channel title at the top of the discussion.
3. Choose Convert:
   

The history and membership of the members are preserved; publicly shared files remain accessible to anyone with the link; the change is permanent and cannot be undone.

What about the opposite?

The reverse (changing a private channel to a public channel) is also possible, but only a kChat administrator user can do it; the message history and members who already have access to the channel will be retained; the channel will become accessible to all users of the other public channels of the Organization except external users who will need to be invited manually.

To perform the conversion from kChat management on the Manager:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click on the dropdown menu to display the private channels.
3. Click on the action menu ⋮ located to the right of the relevant item.
4. Click on Convert to public channel:
   

Leave a channel

Except for the main channel named General, you can leave a channel at any time:

1. From the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com), click on the relevant Public channel in the left sidebar.
2. Then click on the chevron ‍ on the channel title at the top of the discussion.
3. Click on Leave channel:
   

If you leave a private channel, you will no longer find it in the search results, but only via its URL if you have it or by being reinvited by a member of the channel.

If you leave a public channel, you leave it immediately but can rejoin it whenever you want simply by finding it by name (2) in the search (1), even if it has been archived:

Archive / delete a channel

Besides the main channel named General, you can archive a channel at any time, which prevents any new messages and will no longer count it towards your available channel quota. This operation can be performed from the Manager or directly on the kChat interface:

1. From the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com), click on the channel in the left sidebar.
2. Then click on the chevron ‍ on the channel title at the top of the discussion.
3. Click on Archive the channel:
   

If you create a channel and then archive it, you can join it whenever you want by simply finding it by name (2) in the search (1):

You can then unarchive it:

1. From the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com), click on the relevant channel in the left sidebar.
2. Then click on the chevron ‍ on the channel title at the top of the discussion.
3. Click on Unarchive the channel:
   

or close it to no longer see it on your interface:

You can also delete a channel and in this case all associated data will be permanently deleted:

1. Click here to access the management of your product on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click on the action menu ⋮ located to the right of the relevant item.
3. Click on Delete:
   
    

Add to favorites

To favorite any channel:

1. From the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com), click on the star icon located at the top of a channel.
2. A new Favorites menu will appear in the left sidebar, grouping all the items you have favorited (valid for your user only):
   

Mute a channel

You can hide the notifications of a channel:

1. From the Web app kChat (online service kchat.infomaniak.com), click on the action menu ⋮ to the right of the relevant channel (in the left sidebar).
2. Select Mute:
   
   
   
    

Organize by categories

By clicking the + button located in the left sidebar of kChat, you can add one or more categories allowing you to place items (channel, contact, etc.) within them. Then drag the desired channel to the created category (valid for your user only):

User-to-user discussion channel

Personal messages are direct conversations between two or more people that take place outside of channels.

Each user of an Organization can freely create personal messages whose content will be visible only to the people concerned:

Infomaniak is a Swiss company certified ISO 27001 and ISO 9001 that complies with the RGPD.

Its main goal is to ensure the security and confidentiality of the data entrusted to it.

Many measures are implemented to ensure the protection of your communications with kChat:

• The Infomaniak Manager allows you to check if the users in your Organization have enabled two-factor authentication.
• Data at rest and in transit is encrypted, as are the backups automatically performed by Infomaniak.
• The data is hosted in Switzerland in data centers developed and managed exclusively by Infomaniak.

• … receive messages only from your colleagues or external users that you have approved.
• … you can create private channels to restrict sensitive information to specific people.
• … you constantly monitor the access rights of users who can access kChat.

This guide explains how to invite an external user to your Organization on kChat who will be counted as a kSuite user.

Preliminary

• Refer to this other guide to grant access to one or more kChat channels to an external user who can thus interact with your team without being counted as a kSuite user and without having any special rights in the Organization (of which they will not be a part).
• You can also invite a work team in full from kChat.
• Refer to this other guide if you wish to manage the channels to which new members will automatically belong.

Invite to use kSuite

Prerequisites

• Be an administrator of the Organization where kSuite is located with full rights granted for kChat.

Once invited, the user will be able to confirm their membership and access kChat with the limited permissions that you will have granted them:

1. Click here to access the management of kChat on the Infomaniak Manager (need help?).
2. Click on Add a user:
   
3. Click on Create a kSuite user.
4. Click on Next:
   
5. Enter the user's first and last name, and define their role as a simple user:
   
   • Legal representative
     • Legal responsibility for the organization
     • Can manage all products and users
     • Can manage accounting and orders for new products
   • Administrator
     • Can manage all products and users
     • Can manage accounting and orders for new products
   • User‍
     • Can manage the products you authorize‍
     • Can manage accounting if you authorize it‍
6. Do not create an email address for the user and indicate their existing email address to which to send the invitation:
   • You can force this future user to log in with this email address or allow them to specify another email address (especially useful if they already have a user account with Infomaniak under a different login ID).
   • Add the user to your kSuite with the toggle switch.
7. Click on the Invite button:
   

The invitation is pending until the invited user completes their registration (read more below). The Organization's user dashboard clearly indicates this status:

Accept the invitation

To access the Organization holding kChat:

1. The invited user receives the invitation at their email address and clicks on the Accept the invitation button:
   
2. He specifies his contact details as well as the email address/password he wishes to use and completes the registration:
   
3. Once registration is complete, the newly registered user can log in to their Manager and access kChat to which they have been invited.
4. Existing users are automatically notified of the new participant's arrival and can now converse with them; as soon as they are added, the new user receives a welcome message from kChat.bot:
   

Access to kSuite, not access to managing kSuite!

It is important to differentiate the use of the kChat app (within kSuite) and the management of kSuite itself.

In the invitation example above, the new user has been invited to join kChat. They are counted as a kSuite user when an administrator accesses the management of their kSuite users:

However, this new user will not be able to directly manage the kSuite to which he was invited since his role (defined in the first point 5 above) does not authorize him to do so.

This is why this user will not see any active links in the Collaborative Tools → kSuite section of their Infomaniak Manager. They will need to switch to the Infomaniak applications using the menu ‍ at the top right:

Note that if necessary, this user can order their own kSuite with no connection to the kSuite to which they were invited.

This guide explains how to enable or disable dark mode on your operating system (macOS / Windows) since the theme setting "automatic" of Infomaniak tools (animation below) is based on the Dark mode or Light mode setting of the OS:

Managing dark or light mode…

… on macOS

1. Click on System Preferences…
   
2. Click on Appearance and choose the dark mode on the right:
   

… on Windows

1. Open the start menu
2. Click on Settings:
   
3. Click on Personalize then Colors:
   
4. Click on Dark:
   

And on mobile?

The dark theme is enabled on mobile devices for Infomaniak login and account creation pages; it automatically adapts to the mobile system's preferences, thus providing a consistent visual experience between mobile apps and login and account creation pages.

This guide explains how to insert rich text and images into your messages on kChat.

Format the message text (markdown)

Here are the symbols to add before and after your text to format it in the desired style:

ligne de code

You can also insert this:

Insert an image into the message…

… from a URL

Insert the following code into your message, replacing the alt text and the image address (URL) with the image link (the latter must be accessible and visible on the Web):

![alt-text](https://www.domain.xyz/xyz/image.png)

Example

Message with image insertion syntax:

But if the URL of the image is in the clipboard, simply paste the link into a conversation and the image will be added to your message.

… from your hard drive or kDrive

Click on the paperclip icon to insert an existing image from your hard drive or from kDrive:

The image will be inserted into the message that you can send directly in the conversation without necessarily adding any additional text.

This guide explains how to start an audio or video conversation between one or more users kChat, with Infomaniak's free ethical videoconferencing solution, kMeet.

Preamble

• The call function in kChat is available on all Web (browser), mobile (iOS / Android) and computer (macOS / Windows) versions.

Create a meeting between kChat users

To be able to discuss in a virtual room with the microphone and webcam of your device, simply press the Call button visible on any kChat conversation, private or public channel, via the application or directly on the browser:

• Call a user directly if you are in a direct discussion with them, or initiate a call to all members of a channel if you start the meeting from the channel.
• Calling a user who is set to "Do Not Disturb" will not trigger a ring or call modal on their end, but they will see the message in the conversation.
• The microphone is enabled by default when the call is accepted, but not the camera.
• View the users of the meeting (who accepted, declined, or missed it) using the avatars in the kChat message.
• Once the call has started, an emoji appears in your kChat status to indicate that you are busy with the conversation.
• A message sent from the video (kMeet) will also be visible in the kChat conversation (and vice versa).
• Indications regarding the start and end of the meeting automatically appear in the relevant kChat conversation thread.

Specifics for calls in channels

• The call will not ring for the recipients, but they will see a message in kChat as well as a notification.
• A warning message will appear if you want to start a call in a channel with more than 7 users.

Refer to this other guide if you are looking for information about kMeet.

This guide addresses issues that may arise when using Infomaniak applications (such as kChat, kDrive, kAuth, etc.) or tools (such as config.infomaniak.com, the Manager Infomaniak, etc.) with outdated hardware (OS, browser, devices, etc.) old / not up to date / obsolete. For example, it will not be possible to comfortably access Infomaniak services with an iPhone 5s or 6 on iOS 12.

Technologies used by Infomaniak

Many web tools developed by Infomaniak use Angular. The need for up-to-date or recent hardware to run applications is not specific to Angular itself but rather a general requirement for running any modern web application. Here are a few reasons why up-to-date hardware is often necessary:

1. Angular relies on advanced features of modern browsers, which are often missing or poorly handled in older versions.
2. Recent browsers optimize JavaScript execution and graphical rendering, which improves the smoothness of Angular applications.
3. Up-to-date versions fix known vulnerabilities, reducing the risk of compromise.
4. Modern browsers are more compliant with the latest HTML, CSS, and JavaScript specifications, ensuring better compatibility.
5. Modern APIs (camera, geolocation, notifications, etc.) are only accessible via recent browsers, which are essential for interactive experiences.

This guide explains how to interact in kChat with a conversational agent or bot powered by artificial intelligence. Familiarize yourself with this other guide about the possibilities offered by AI in kChat.

Introduction

• The bot can help you perform all sorts of calculations, translations, provide information on various topics and answer your questions.
• Familiarize yourself with this other guide regarding the model used and the responsibilities of each party.
• As soon as a new user is added, they receive a welcome message from kChat.bot.

Add the bot to kChat contacts

The bots currently available on kChat are already part of your contacts.

If you do not see them yet, click in the left sidebar of kChat…

1. … on the channel search (the bots also appear as a channel)
2. … or on the + icon next to Direct Messages to search for the bot
   ‍
3. Add the bots indicated as such with the label [bot] or search for the term bot or chat.
   ‍

Do not create a group conversation between the bots and yourself as it will not work. You must create a private discussion channel between each bot individually and yourself.

It is then sufficient to write to it as if you were chatting with an acquaintance:

This guide details the important elements to ensure you don't miss any discussions in kChat that concern you.

Manage desktop app icon notifications

You can, for example, decide to animate the desktop app icon when there is a new message:

1. Open the desktop app kChat (desktop application for macOS / Windows / Linux).
2. Left-click on the desktop app icon in your computer's notification area (top right on macOS, bottom right on Windows, and a double left-click in the taskbar on Linux).
3. Click on Preferences...
4. Under Application Options, set the operating system notification preferences:
   

Manage kChat notifications

To manage kChat notifications, and thus be notified, for example, when a new message is directly addressed to you or when you follow a specific message, including based on certain keywords:

1. Click here‍ to access the kChat Web app (online service kchat.infomaniak.com) or open the kChat mobile app (application for iOS/Android smartphone or tablet) or the kChat desktop app (desktop application for macOS / Windows / Linux).
2. Click on the Settings icon ‍ in the top right corner of the interface.
3. Click on Notifications:
   
4. Set how you want to be notified (computer/mobile, present/absent, etc.) and in which cases (all messages or only messages with a mention, followed messages, etc.).
5. Choose to receive regular email notifications:
   • This email is sent either every day or once a week, between 6 and 8 in the morning and indicates to the user the messages they would not have read.
   • The user receives an email for each kChat product they have access to.
6. Set a keyword to be notified about when a new message is published:
   

To be notified of the progress of a discussion

To be notified of a new message in any discussion even if you are not directly participating, you need to activate Follow:

• … or by hovering over the action menu to the right of a user in a discussion:
  
• … or by clicking on Follow at the top of the discussion: