You can add photos and files to a message in the phone app. Each one waits above the message box until you send the message. A message can carry several items; the limits are at the end of this article.
Attach a photo or a file
- Tap the attach button (a paperclip) at the left of the row under the message box.
- A menu opens with two choices: Photo and Files.
- Tap Photo to pick pictures from your photo library, or Files to pick files from your phone.
- Choose one or more items. The menu closes and they appear above the message box.
- Type your message, then tap the send button.
To close the menu without choosing anything, tap outside it.
Photo
Photo opens your photo library and shows pictures only, not videos. You can select several pictures at once.
The first time you use it, the phone asks whether the app may see your photos. If you said no and the library does not open, allow access in your phone's settings. See Permissions on iPhone or Permissions and notifications on Android.
Files
Files opens your phone's file picker. You can select several files at once. The picker offers these kinds of file:
- PDF documents, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations
- Text, Markdown, CSV, JSON and HTML files
- Pictures in PNG, JPEG, GIF and WebP
- Audio files, such as MP3, M4A, WAV and OGG
- Video files in MP4, WebM and QuickTime
- Source code and configuration files
For what Bluedeer reads in a file, including long PDFs and scanned pages, see What can Bluedeer read in my files?
See what is attached
Each attachment appears above the message box as a tag with its icon and name. A long name is cut short with "...".
- One file shows as one tag.
- Two or more files share one Files card. It shows the kinds of file in it and the total, such as "3 files · 2 MB". Tap the card to see the list. Each line has its own remove button.
- A voice recording shows as a tag called Recording. See How do I send a voice message?
Long pasted text
When you paste 4,000 characters or more, the text becomes a Pasted text card above the message box, so the box stays short. The card shows the size of the text. Tap the card to read it, or tap its × to remove it. Several pasted texts share one card that lists each one. The web app works the same way; see How do I add files, voice messages or @ mentions to a message?
Remove an attachment
- To take out a single file, tap the × on its tag.
- To take out one file from a Files card, tap the card, then tap the × on that file's line.
Removing an item before you send it does not affect the other items.
Send it
Tap the send button to send the message with its attachments. The send button shows once the box has typed text, a long pasted text or a voice recording. With only files attached and the box empty, the button on the right is still the microphone, so type a word or a full stop before you send.
In the chat, your attachments sit under your message. Tap a Files card to see its list, then tap a line. A picture or a sound opens in a sheet over the chat, a web page opens in a viewer, and any other file opens through its link, usually in the browser or in the app for that kind of file.
An @ tag in a sent message shows a preview when you tap it or touch and hold it. Tap Open full screen in the preview to see the item full screen.
Limits for one message
- Up to 10 files in one message.
- Up to 50 MB in total for all the files in one message.
- Each file up to 25 MB.
When you go over the file count or the total size, the app shows a notice ("Too many attachments" or "Attachments are too large"), and the new items are not added. Remove an item to make room, then pick again.
A single file over 25 MB is not stopped when you pick it. Bluedeer refuses it when you send, and the message does not go through. Remove the large file, then send again.
Mention a file with @
You can also point to a file that is already in this workspace, so Bluedeer works from it without an upload.
- Type @ in the message box. A list opens with these rows:
- People: members of a shared workspace, to choose someone in it. The row is there only in a shared workspace with people to choose from.
- Artifacts: the files in this workspace. The row is there once the workspace has files. The web app calls this row Files.
- Tap a row to see its items, then tap an item to insert it as a tag, such as @report. If you keep typing after the @, matching people and files appear straight away.
When you cannot attach
The attach button and the message box are not there when you have no seat in a shared workspace. The app shows a card in their place instead. See What does the app show when I have no seat in a workspace?