Web and mobile differences
HushChat is one application built for the browser, iOS and Android at the same time. Your messages, calls, groups and settings are identical wherever you sign in — what changes is the shape of the screen and the gesture you use to reach an action.
The browser normally gives you the wide, two-pane layout. Opened in a phone's browser it switches to the phone layout instead, so a mobile browser behaves like the app in most of the ways described below — except for administration, which stays a desktop-browser or installed-app job.
At a glance
| Area | Web | iOS and Android |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation | Icon rail down the left edge; hover an icon for its name | Bar along the bottom; icon plus name |
| Layout | Two panes — list on the left, the thing you opened on the right | One screen at a time; go back to return to the list |
| Nothing selected | The right pane reads No chat selected | Not applicable — you see the list |
| Admin entry point | Gear at the bottom of the rail, opening Settings | The Admin tab |
| Admin sections | Invite, Users, Groups, Workspace Settings, Reports, Analytics | Users, Groups, Workspace Settings, Reports, Analytics |
| Invite | In the Settings menu | In the conversation list's Actions sheet |
| Message actions | Hover the message, then the chevron in the strip that appears | Long-press the message |
| Reply shortcut | Double-click the message | Swipe the message sideways |
| Conversation actions | Hover the row, then its chevron | Swipe the row and choose More |
| Extra views (profile, search, forward, message info) | Slide open as a panel beside the conversation | Open as their own full screen |
| Attaching files | Choose files, drag and drop onto the conversation, or paste from the clipboard | Choose files |
| Keyboard shortcuts | Yes | No |
| Screen sharing | Yes, if your browser supports it | Yes, in the installed app |
Both platforms are gated by the same roles and the same workspace settings. If an administrator has turned something off for the workspace, it is off on every platform — see Workspace settings overview.
Message actions
The menu contents are close, but not word-for-word identical, because each platform words its entries for its own gesture.
| Web | iOS and Android |
|---|---|
| Reply | Reply |
| Pin Message / Unpin Message | Pin / Unpin |
| Forward message | Forward |
| — (a copy icon sits in the hover strip) | Copy |
| Download Attachment | Download |
| Edit Message | Edit |
| Message Info | Message Info |
| Mark as Unread | Mark as Unread |
| Report Message | Report |
| Unsend Message | Unsend |
| Copy Message Link | — |
Entries appear only when they apply: Edit Message and Unsend Message on your own messages, Mark as Unread and Report Message on other people's, Download only when the message carries a downloadable attachment.
On the web, the strip that appears when you hover a message also holds a copy button and an emoji button for reacting. On a phone, the long-press opens the message on its own with a row of reactions above it and the action list below.
Panels versus screens
Anything that accompanies a conversation — the other person's profile, in-conversation search, choosing who to forward to, who has read a message, who voted in a poll — behaves differently:
- Web slides it in as a panel to the right of the conversation, roughly a third of the window wide. The conversation stays visible next to it, and you close the panel to go back.
- iOS and Android push it as a full screen over the conversation, and you use the back control.
The same is true of your profile rows: on the web Profile, Blocked contacts, Change workspace and Help & contact open inside the profile panel; on a phone each is its own screen.
Keyboard shortcuts
Shortcuts are a web-only feature. They are ignored on iOS and Android, where you use the on-screen controls instead.
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
Ctrl/⌘ + K | Focus search |
Ctrl/⌘ + N | New conversation |
Ctrl/⌘ + Shift + M | Toggle mentioned messages |
Ctrl/⌘ + / | Show keyboard shortcuts |
Esc | Close overlay |
Ctrl/⌘ + / opens a Keyboard Shortcuts dialog listing the same set, with the key names written
for whichever computer you are on — ⌘ on a Mac, Ctrl elsewhere.
Screen sharing
Screen sharing is offered on both platforms, with the same three conditions:
- The call must be one-to-one. The control is not offered in group calls.
- Your administrator must have left Allow screen sharing on for the workspace.
- The platform must support it — a browser that can share a window or tab, or the installed iOS or Android app.
When any of the three is not met, the screen-share button is simply absent from the call controls rather than failing when pressed.
What is the same everywhere
Sending and formatting messages, reactions, replies and mentions, polls, attachments, search, notifications, calling, and every workspace and group setting behave identically. A change you make on one device shows up on the others straight away — you are looking at the same workspace, not a copy of it.