Features
A full overview of VAU! Chat's features — from account sign-in to privacy and appearance settings.
All features by section
- 01Sign-in and registration
- 02Chat list
- 03Chat window
- 04Sending messages
- 05Message actions
- 06Media and files
- 07Group chats
- 08Contacts
- 09Calls
- 10Profile
- 11Settings — Account
- 12Settings — Privacy and security
- 13Settings — Notifications
- 14Settings — Appearance
- 15Settings — Data and storage
- 16Settings — My devices
- 17Saved Messages
Sign-in and registration
A quick start with no unnecessary fields, plus built-in protection in case someone is forced to hand over their account.
Sign up with a username
No email or phone number is needed to start using the messenger. The user picks a username and password and gets access to the app right away, or after admin approval if the company has that turned on. Especially handy for corporate use and for people who don't want to share personal details.
Signing in
A simple sign-in with a username and password. The session is kept, so reopening the app takes the user straight to their chats — no repeated confirmations or extra steps.
A “duress” password
If someone is forced to show their chats, they can enter a special password, and the app opens as if it were empty. All chats, messages, and contacts disappear instantly, while the attacker sees an untouched account. Later, the administrator can restore all the data. A unique feature for journalists, lawyers, executives, and anyone for whom physical safety matters.
Chat list
The app's main screen: all conversations are visible at a glance, and it's easy to stay organized even with a large number of chats.
One feed for all chats
Personal chats and groups are gathered in a single list, sorted by the time of the last message. You see the latest message, the other person's avatar, the unread counter, and a call marker. Nothing gets lost.
Filters and tabs
One click cuts out the noise: show only unread chats, the archive, or chats from a specific folder. Helps you focus quickly on what matters right now.
Search across chats and messages
A single search looks through both chat names and message text. The conversation you need turns up in a second.
Folders for chats
Users can create as many folders as they like — “Work,” “Family,” “Projects” — and sort chats into them manually. Switching between folders takes just one tap.
Pinning and archive
Important chats are pinned to the top and always within reach. Rarely used conversations go to the archive — they stay out of sight but remain one click away.
Mute mode for a chat
A noisy chat can be muted: it stays in the list but stops sending notifications. Work continues, with no one interrupting.
“Unread” marker
If a user has opened a message but wants to come back to it later, they can manually mark the chat as unread. A handy substitute for bookmarks.
Pull-to-refresh
On the phone, the chat list refreshes with the familiar pull-down gesture. Useful right after the connection comes back or when you need to force a sync.
Chat window
Comfortable reading and confidence that not a single message gets lost.
Message feed
New messages appear at the bottom, with history loading automatically as you scroll up. Date dividers separate the days so it's easy to keep track of time.
Chat header with quick actions
At the top: the other person's name and avatar, an “online/last seen” status, and buttons to call, search for a message, and open chat info. Everything you need is within reach, with no extra menus.
Unread divider
Opening a chat with new messages, the user immediately sees a line marking “this is where the unread messages begin.” No need to remember where you left off.
“Jump to latest message” button
Scroll far back up through the history, and a round anchor button appears with a counter of new messages. One click jumps back down to the current conversation.
Delivery statuses
Every sent message shows exactly what's happening to it: sending, delivered, read. No doubt about whether the other person has seen it.
In-chat search
Need to recall where a specific project or address was discussed? Search right inside the chat: a list of matching messages, one tap takes you to the right one.
Sending messages
Convenient input for any scenario: from a quick reply to a voice message or an album of ten photos.
Text and mentions
An input field that grows automatically for longer text. In group chats, mentions work with “@”: start typing a name, and the app will suggest participants.
Emoji
A built-in emoji panel for quickly adding them to messages.
Attaching files
Several attachments can be sent at once: photos, videos, documents, audio, archives. A preview is shown before sending, and anything extra is easy to remove.
Voice messages
Hold the microphone button to record. Let go, and it's sent. Handy when your hands are busy or you need to say more than you feel like typing.
Video circles
A short video right from the chat — just like in Telegram. Recorded with one button, sent instantly. Warmer than text, and faster than a call.
Built-in photo editor
Before sending, a photo can be cropped, rotated, drawn on, captioned, or filtered (brightness, contrast, saturation). No need to switch to a separate app — it's all right there in the chat.
“Typing…” indicator
The other person sees that the other side is typing right now. In groups, the specific participant is named (“Igor is typing,” “Igor and Anna are typing,” “three people are typing”). Creates the feel of a live conversation.
Message actions
Any sent message can be edited, forwarded, reacted to, or pinned.
Quoted replies
A reply is attached to the original message, so it's clear exactly what someone is responding to. Clicking the quote scrolls the feed back to the original. A lifesaver in group chats — no one gets confused about who's replying to whom.
Forwarding to other chats
One or several messages can be forwarded to any other chat, personal or group. Multiple recipients can be selected at once and everything forwarded in a single action.
Editing and edit history
Made a typo? An already sent message can be corrected. Every edit is logged in a history, so the other person can see exactly what changed, if they want to. Transparent and honest.
Emoji reactions
A quick way to respond without words: add a 👍, ❤️, or 🔥 right on a message. You can see who added which reaction. Great for speeding up work chats — no need to reply “ok” ten times in a row.
Pinned messages
Anything important — a meeting address, a link to a document, the group's rules — gets pinned to the chat header. Every participant sees it first thing.
Deleting messages
Sent something to the wrong place by accident? The message is deleted both for you and for the other person. A “message deleted” note stays in its place — no hidden tricks.
Bulk actions
Several messages can be selected at once and forwarded, deleted, or copied in a single action. Saves time when sorting through long conversations.
Copying text
Any part of a message can be copied in one click and pasted anywhere.
Media and files
Photos, videos, voice messages, documents, and links — all neatly organized and easy to browse.
Chat gallery
Every conversation with a person or group has separate tabs: photos, videos, voice messages, files, links. No need to scroll through history to find an attachment — it's always just a couple of clicks away.
Viewing photos and videos
Photos open in a full-screen viewer and can be swiped through. Videos play with a built-in player: pause, seek, volume, full screen.
Playing voice messages
A waveform, play/pause, and 1.5× and 2× speed — for quickly getting through a long message. The player can be minimized so you can keep listening while browsing other chats.
Link previews
If a link is pasted into a message, the app automatically pulls in the site's title, description, and image. The other person immediately understands what it's about without having to follow the link.
Flexible auto-download
Users decide for themselves what gets downloaded automatically: photos only, photos and videos, or nothing at all. Mobile data isn't wasted.
Downloading files
Any file can be saved to the device in one click, with a progress indicator for large files.
Group chats
From a family group chat to a corporate department with roles and permissions.
Creating a group
Pick a name, choose participants — the group is ready. An avatar and description can be set right away, so everyone understands what the chat is about.
Group profile and avatar
The group's name, description, and photo can be changed at any time. The avatar can be cropped right in the app when uploading.
Invite links
The owner generates an invite link — anyone who opens it joins the group. The link can be reset at any time to cut off access for old participants.
Roles: owner, admin, member, reader
In a group, someone can be made an administrator, given regular membership, or set to a restricted “read-only” mode — they see the conversation but can't write. Good for announcement channels and work notices.
Member list
All participants on one screen with avatars, roles, and online status. You can see who's online right now and reach out to them immediately.
Adding and removing members
An administrator adds new people by searching for their username, and removes unwanted ones in a single action.
Color-coded sender avatars
In groups, every participant gets a stable avatar color. At a glance you can tell who wrote what, even when people have similar names.
Contacts
A directory of the people a user talks to — with quick search and a direct route into the chat.
Contact list
All saved contacts in alphabetical order, with search and online status. One click opens the chat with that person.
Finding people in the system
Need to find a colleague or friend who's registered in the app? Search by username — and start chatting right away, without having to add them to contacts first.
User profile
A contact's page shows their name, bio, custom fields (job title, department, and anything else they've filled in), last seen time, and “message” and “call” buttons.
Adding to contacts
Liked chatting with someone? Save them to contacts in one click, so you don't have to search for them again later.
Calls
Voice, video, and group calls — right from the chat, with no third-party apps.
Personal audio and video calls
A call button right in the chat header. You can call with video or voice only, and toggle video on or off mid-call with one click.
Group calls
An entire team can talk at once in a group — with a grid of participants, an active-speaker indicator, and reactions. A replacement for Zoom/Meet for internal meetings, without leaving the messenger.
Incoming call
A call triggers a full-screen notification with “answer” and “decline” buttons.
Microphone and camera controls
During a call: mute, turn off video, switch device (headset, camera, speaker) buttons. Everything is big and obvious, so there's no fumbling in a panic.
Reactions during a call
An emoji reaction — 👍, 👏, ❤️ — can be sent and it animates across the video. Livens up meetings without interrupting the speaker.
Noise and echo suppression
The system automatically removes background noise (keyboard, fan, street noise) and echo, so the other person hears only your voice. This can be turned on or off in call settings.
Profile
A user's personal page, visible to other chat participants.
Avatar and name
Upload a photo with in-app cropping, and change your first and last name at any time. A polished profile is a user's face in the messenger.
“About” bio
A short line that others see: job title, current project, “on vacation until the 10th” — anything worth telling everyone at once.
Custom profile fields
Beyond name and bio, there are custom fields set up by the company administrator: department, job title, contact phone, and others. Especially valuable for corporate use.
Changing your username
A username can be changed (if the company administrator allows it). Old chats and messages are preserved.
Settings — Account
Basic information and account management.
Account overview
Username, registration date, ID — everything you might need for a support request, on one screen. It's also where you jump to every other settings section.
Sign out
One button closes the current session. On other devices the user stays signed in (managed separately, see “Devices”).
Settings — Privacy and security
Full control over what others can see about a user. Plus end-to-end encryption that protects chats even from us.
End-to-end encryption
Every message is encrypted on the sender's device and decrypted only on the recipient's. Not the server administrator, not a hacker, not even us — no one can read someone else's chat. Works automatically, with nothing to configure.
Verifying the other person's devices
For the most important conversations, you can personally compare device “fingerprints” — special codes confirming you're talking to the actual person, not an impostor. No attacker can swap the other party without being noticed.
Hiding “last seen”
Users decide for themselves who sees their last-seen time: everyone, contacts only, or no one. Handy if you don't want to report your online hours to the world.
Read receipts
The “read” checkmarks can be turned off — then the other person won't see that you've opened their message.
Who can call you
Allow calls from “everyone,” “contacts only,” or “no one.” Protection against spam calls and strangers.
Password-protecting Saved Messages
A separate PIN can be set on the “Saved Messages” section, so no one picking up an unlocked device can see your notes.
Duress password
A separate “emergency” password that opens the app in a safe mode — with no chats, messages, or contacts. For situations where a user is forced to unlock the app.
Transferring to a new device
Keys transfer quickly between your own devices — via a QR code or a one-time code. A new phone or computer instantly gets access to all chats with no loss of history.
Settings — Notifications
Fine-grained control over what the app notifies about and how.
Separate rules for personal and group chats
Personal messages with sound, groups silent, calls always with a ring — any combination can be set.
Banners and pop-ups
A short notification in the corner of the screen about a new message while the user is in another app. Turned off with a single switch if it gets in the way.
Unread count badge
In the desktop app, the icon shows the number of unread chats — a way to check for anything new without opening the messenger.
Settings — Appearance
So the app looks just the way a user likes it.
Dark and light themes
Light during the day, dark in the evening. Switching is instant, with no restarts.
Message font size
A slider makes chat text bigger or more compact. Handy both for those who want to fit more messages on screen and for those who find small text hard to read.
Interface scale
Buttons, spacing, and icons grow or shrink all together. Useful on both large monitors and small screens.
Settings — Data and storage
Control over what the app takes up on the device and in data usage.
Auto-download by file type
Choose what downloads automatically: photos only, photos and videos, or nothing. Full control over data usage and storage.
Clearing the cache
The local media cache can be cleared in one action, while chats and messages remain untouched.
Resetting settings
If a user gets lost among all the switches, one button restores everything to the defaults. Chats and the account itself are left untouched.
Settings — My devices
An overview of every place the account is signed in, with the ability to close any of them remotely.
List of active sessions
Every device that has signed in: browser/system name, last activity time. It's immediately obvious if someone unauthorized has logged into the account.
Remote sign-out from another device
One button closes a suspicious session with no physical access to the device needed. The password can be changed right after.
Signing out of all devices at once
Lost your phone? Had a laptop stolen? One action closes every session except the current one.
Saved Messages
A personal "chat with yourself" — like a notebook you can drop anything into.
Personal notes and files
Links, passwords, email drafts, favorite photos, documents to sign — everything you need close at hand. It carries over from device to device automatically.
PIN protection
A separate code just for this section. Even if the phone is unlocked in someone else's hands, Saved Messages won't open without the PIN.
Recovering access through the administrator
Forgot your PIN? Send a request to the administrator, and once it's reset you can set a new one. The data stays intact.
Clearing Saved Messages
Everything can be deleted at once — for example, before handing off a device.