Groups & communication · 3 min read
Send a message to your sponsor or sponsee
Open an accepted connection, unlock your messages, and start a conversation.
For everyone
These steps use the Beacon website unless the iPhone app is mentioned.
In this guide
Start with an accepted connection
Beacon’s participant Messages area is for your sponsorship conversations. You will need a linked participant profile and a conversation from an accepted connection.
Open Messages and choose a conversation from the list. You can also open it from an accepted request when a messages link appears. If you see Finish Linking Profile, complete that step first so Beacon can connect your account with your submitted intake.
If a request is still pending, check Connection requests. Submitting an intake alone does not create a conversation you can message.
Unlock and send your first message
- If asked to set up or unlock messaging, enter your account password in the Beacon prompt.
- Choose the conversation you want to open.
- Write your message and use the send button.
- Check the conversation for your sent message or an error before moving on.
Messages are end-to-end encrypted, which is why a signed-in account may still need to unlock them. The password prompt is part of opening your secure conversation.
A first message does not have to be long. Introduce yourself and suggest a time to connect. Sharing your phone number is optional; you can begin the conversation inside Beacon.
Make conversations easier to find
Use Search conversations to narrow the list. Clear the search if you think a conversation is missing.
You can also use the conversation’s edit control to choose Name this conversation. Enter a private name and choose Save. That name is for your account; the other person does not see it. Choose Use default if you want to remove your custom name.
If you cannot send a message
A conversation marked read-only cannot accept new messages. Check the connection’s status if this is unexpected.
For an unlock or connection error, read the message shown and try reopening the conversation. If Beacon says it is waiting for the other participant to refresh encryption access, that person may need to open their messages too.
If the problem continues, contact the team with the error and what you were trying to do. Never include your password or copy private conversation content just to report a loading problem.
Need a little more help?
Contact the team and tell us where you got stuck.