What it is
Conversations in Messages carry more than text. From a conversation you can send a photo (JPG, PNG, WEBP or GIF), a PDF document, an audio file, or record a voice note in the browser. Each file becomes its own message in that conversation; everyone on the conversation can open it and nobody else can.
How to send one
- Click Messages (speech-bubble icon in the top bar) and open the conversation.
- For a file: click the paperclip, choose the file, optionally type a caption, then Send.
- For a voice note: click the microphone, allow the microphone when the browser asks, speak, click Stop, listen back if you like, then Send (or Remove to discard it). Recording stops by itself at the institute's time limit.
Photos show as a thumbnail (click to enlarge and download), voice notes and audio play inside the conversation, and a PDF shows as a card with Load → Open / Download.
If the paperclip or microphone is missing
- The institute switched them off, or allows only some kinds: Messages → Settings → Attachments and voice notes (needs the Communication Settings privilege).
- "Attachments are not active for your institute yet" means the school's database has not received the update — ask EDUBase support.
- A closed or resolved conversation accepts no new messages or files; reopen it first.
- The microphone needs a browser that can record (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) and permission for this site.
Common errors
- This kind of file cannot be sent here — only photos, PDFs and audio are accepted. Save a Word or Excel file as PDF first. Videos, HEIC photos and AMR recordings are not accepted.
- The file is larger than the … MB this institute allows — the limit is set in Settings (up to 25 MB).
- No longer available on an old attachment — it is older than the institute's Keep attachments available for … days setting.
- Your message was not sent with a highlighted caption — the caption contained contact details and the institute blocks those; edit the caption and send again. The file itself is never checked, so report an inappropriate file with the flag on that message.
For administrators
Messages → Report shows Attachments sent (photos, PDFs, voice notes, audio and total size), a Files count per conversation, and on the Flagged tab a View … link to open a reported file — every such look is recorded in the access log. The Teacher, Parents and Owner apps receive the same attachments once their app update ships; older app versions show a short line such as "Photo" or "Voice note (0:42)" instead.
When enabled for the institute, New → Parent Chat also opens Messages. The New menu sits between General and Core and is hidden if no new modules are enabled. The existing Messages shortcut and text conversations stay available separately.