How to Use Chat in the Web App - for Admins
HydroApps Chat gives your team a way to communicate directly within the platform. Administrators can control when Chat becomes available, create assigned groups, manage participants, monitor conversations, and configure user permissions.
This guide walks through the Chat administration features available in the HydroApps web application.
Watch the video below for a complete walkthrough, or follow the written instructions.
Accessing Chat Administration
To access the Chat administration tools:
Open the Admin menu.
Scroll down and select Chat.
You'll see three main tabs:
Chat Monitor: View chat activity and conversations.
Admin Group Setup: Create and manage assigned groups.
Settings: Enable or disable Chat for users.
Monitoring Chat Activity
The Chat Monitor provides read-only access to conversations created within HydroApps.
Administrators can view both manager-created groups and user-created chats.
To review chat activity:
Open the Chat Monitor tab.
Use the toggle to include user-created chats.
Adjust the date range to view activity from a specific period.
Select a conversation to review its activity.
By default, the monitor displays approximately one month of activity. You can expand the date range to review older conversations.
Chat activity includes messages, reactions, emojis, and other interactions.
Important: The Chat Monitor is read-only. Administrators can review conversations but cannot send messages from this screen.
Viewing Deleted Chats
The Chat Monitor also allows administrators to review deleted conversations and their messages.
This provides visibility into communications that have occurred within HydroApps, even when a chat has been deleted.
Creating Assigned Groups
Assigned groups are administrator-created conversations that members cannot leave on their own.
These groups display a lock icon and can be useful for maintaining communication channels for lifeguards, supervisors, managers, or other designated teams.
To create an assigned group:
Open the Admin Group Setup tab.
Click Create Group.
Enter a group name.
Choose a two-character abbreviation for the group's avatar.
Select a color.
Use the available filters to find the staff members you'd like to include.
Select the appropriate users.
Click Create Group.
Your new group will appear as a manager-assigned group.
Tip: Use the staff filters to create groups based on facility or position. You can select all visible users within your filtered results.
The staff list initially displays 20 users, with the option to load additional users as needed.
Managing Assigned Group Participants
Administrators can control membership in assigned groups.
From Admin Group Setup, open the group's management options to view its current participants.
You can select and remove individual members as needed.
Removing Members From Assigned Groups:
While you can add participants through the regular Chat interface, removing members from locked groups must be done through Admin → Chat → Admin Group Setup in the web application.
Enabling Chat for Your Team
Chat is disabled for users by default, giving administrators time to explore the feature and create any necessary groups before making it available to staff.
To enable Chat:
Navigate to Admin → Chat.
Select the Settings tab.
Enable the user-facing Chat page.
This setting controls access to Chat in both the web application and the HydroApps mobile app.
You can disable Chat again using the same setting.
Managing Chat Permissions
Administrators can control which users have access to Chat and which users can access the Chat administration tools.
To update an individual's permissions:
Navigate to the user's profile.
Click Edit.
Open Permissions and Access.
Scroll to the Chat permissions.
Adjust the appropriate permissions.
The available permissions include:
Chat Administration: Grants access to the Chat administration page.
View Chat Page: Controls whether the user can access the user-facing Chat interface.
The View Chat Page permission is enabled by default. You can disable it for individual users who should not have access when Chat is enabled for your organization.
Sending Messages in the Web Application
The Chat administration page is designed for monitoring and setup. To send messages, use the regular Chat page.
To send a message:
Open Chat from the main navigation.
Select an existing conversation or group.
Type your message.
Click Send.
You can also send emojis, attach photos and files, and reply to individual messages.
Managing Groups From the Chat Page
Managers and administrators can access additional options by opening a group conversation and selecting its group settings.
Available options include:
Renaming the group
Changing its abbreviation or color
Adding participants
Muting notifications
Deleting the group
You cannot remove individual members from locked groups through this page. Access that functionality via Admin Group Setup.
Muting notifications primarily affects mobile push notifications.
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