🏠 Room Management Guide

✉️ Inviting People

An invite is a link that takes someone straight into a room, even a private, hidden, locked or password room. You choose who can use it, how long it lasts and how many times it works.

Create an invite

1. Sign in. Share on a room (room card or room header) now makes an invite too, so everyone you share with gets an official VoiceLink invite. In a room, you can also choose Invite people in the room header. From the room list, open a room's Actions menu and choose Invite people. Admins can also use Admin, Invites, Create invite, which can invite to the whole server.
2. Person to invite is optional. Type their VoiceLink username or email. If they already have an account on this server they also get a notification and a VoiceLink direct message ("You've been invited to General Chat by Dom"), and only they can use that invite. Leave it blank to make a link you can share with anyone.
3. Under Who can use the link, choose "Anyone with the link, as a guest or signed in", or "Only people with a VoiceLink account".
4. Choose when the link expires (1 hour, 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 30 days, 90 days or 1 year; only the times up to the server's longest allowed time are offered, which the admin sets in Admin, Invites, up to one year) and how many times it can be used (once by default), and add a message if you like.
5. For a room invite, choose What can people do with this link:
   • Room only: they stay in that room. If they leave, they go back to that room's join screen, never the server's room list.
   • Room, then explore (the default): after the room or event they can browse this server's rooms like anyone else.
   • Pick rooms: tick the other rooms they may see and join. People who came in through the link see only those rooms and reach them by joining them. Only rooms you can see and could invite people to are listed; hidden rooms are never offered. A picked room's password and lock still apply.
   This limits guests who came in through the link. People who are signed in keep their own access to the server. The server checks it on every room list and every join.
6. For a link to put on a blog or website, choose Never expires under "Link expires after" and No limit under "Link can be used". The link keeps working until you or a server admin cancel it. These two choices only appear for people the server admin allows (by default server owners and admins). Right after creating an invite, Cancel this invite next to Copy link stops it at once.
7. Choose Create invite, then Copy link (or Share link where your browser offers it). Email them an official VoiceLink invite is ticked by default: the invite is emailed to the address you typed, or to the account email of the person you named. Untick it to make a link only. If no email goes out, the dialog says why (for example, they chose not to get invite emails).

Invite people who already have an account here

In a room, Invite people in the room header (or Invite people to this room in your own menu in the people list) starts with People on this server:

1. Type part of a name or username in Search people by name. People online now are listed first. The number found is read out after you stop typing. Enter searches straight away; it never makes a link.
2. Tab to the list and check everyone you want to invite. Each one says if they are online now or already in this room (people already here can't be checked). An email address finds nobody, so nobody can use the list to look up someone's email.
3. Choose Invite. Each person gets their own invite to this room, needing their account. You hear who was invited, for example "Invited Cat and Carl to General. They get it in VoiceLink now, or when they next sign in." Focus stays on Invite.

The same rules as any invite apply: room owners, room managers and server admins can invite into rooms they run, and members only into open public rooms when the admin allows it. Hidden rooms are never offered this way; share their room code instead. Below the list, Or make an invite link is the link form described above.

When someone invites you: Join or Decline

An invite to your account shows under Invites for you near the top of the page, with Join (for example "Join Lounge") and Decline. You hear "Ann invited you to Lounge. Join or Decline it under Invites for you." once; nothing takes you out of the room you are in. Join opens the room's confirmation screen first. Decline tells the server, so the invite stops working and the person who sent it gets a notification that you declined; focus moves to the next invite, or to the page heading when it was the last one. If you were offline, the invite is waiting when you next sign in. Notifications lists invites with the same Join and Decline buttons while they are still open, and says when one was declined, cancelled, used or has expired.

Room owners, room managers and server admins can invite to any room they run. Other signed-in members can invite people to open public rooms, if the server admin allows it. Only server owners and admins can invite people to the whole server. Every room also has a room code: Copy Room Link and Copy Room Code are available for every room, including hidden rooms. Paste either into Search or Join Room to preview the room before joining.

Moving between rooms and hearing announcements again

Rooms are one flat list, side by side; there are no rooms inside a room. In a room, the Recommended rooms section (collapsed at first; choose Recommended rooms to open it) lists the rooms this room's owner, a moderator or an admin recommends, and only the ones meant for you. Up and Down Arrow, Home and End move between them. Enter (Return on a Mac) on a room switches to it: you leave this room and join that one in one step, quietly, with one short "Now in" line and no join sound. A room with a password asks for it first. A room on another VoiceLink server says which server it is on; choosing it switches to that server. If you are signed in, that server asks "Continue as" your account name, with Continue and Not me; choose Continue and you are signed in there and join the room right away. Not me (or Escape) keeps you signed out there. That question means a link someone else sends you can never sign you in to their account. If you are not signed in, the room's join screen opens with Join. There is no separate "switch servers" button. If you came in through a Room only or Pick rooms invite link, you see only the rooms that link allows.

Changing recommended rooms (the room's owner, its moderators and server admins): in the room, press the Applications key or Shift+F10 on Windows (Shift-F10, or VO-Shift-M with VoiceOver, on a Mac) on one of the room's buttons at the top, then choose Change recommended rooms. From the room list, the same keys on a room open its menu with Recommended rooms. Add a room and choose who sees it: Everyone, Signed-in members, Admins only, Guests, or Selected people (type their user names, separated by commas). Each recommended room has its own "Who sees" choice with Save and Remove. People only ever see recommendations meant for them, and never a hidden or private room they can't see themselves. A room in the Recommended rooms list also has a menu with Join, Change who sees it and Remove from recommended rooms.

People online (in the room list and in a room, collapsed at first) lists who is connected on this server and our other servers, with what each person is doing, for example "Walter, signed in, In Chill Zone on Dev server". If they are in a room that is private or hidden from you, it says "On Dev server, and is in a private room" and never the room's name. When someone isn't in a room you hear their own status text. In the room list, each room also says who is in it and their status text.

Joining without signing in: in the room list, Join as guest goes straight into the room with your guest name (one is picked for you, like "Guest 1234", and remembered). You are asked for a name only if the server asks guests for one, and for a password only if the room has one. If a server doesn't take guests, the button says Sign in to join and opens Sign in.

Recent announcements (also collapsed at first) keeps the last few things agents said and the last few PA and emergency announcements you heard in the room, so you can hear them again without rejoining: choose Play next to one, or press Control+Shift+Y to replay the newest. They are kept only in this browser, only until you close the page; nothing is saved on the server.

What an official invite says

Invites come from VoiceLink itself: a VoiceLink notification in the app, and an email from the server's own address (for example services@voicelinkapp.app). Both say:

• that it is VoiceLink, and which server (its name and address) and who owns it,
• the room, who the invite is for, and who sent it,
• the sender's message, if they wrote one,
• the invite link, how long it works, and how to open it: in a web browser, in the VoiceLink app on Mac or iPhone, or by getting the app (Mac and Windows downloads, iPhone TestFlight).

Each email ends with a link to stop invite and file emails from that server to that address. People with an account can choose for themselves under Notifications, Notification choices: invite notifications, invite emails, file notifications and file emails. One person can send at most 20 invite and file emails an hour by default.

Invite links, room links and server links

Every one of these links goes straight to that server's own detail and invite-confirmation screen and then into the room - it never stops at a list of servers. On this screen you see: the server's name and owner (verified or not), location, description, how many people and rooms it has, whether VoiceLink has verified it, its identity fingerprint, and (for an invite link) who invited you, to which room, when the invite expires and whether the room has a password. The server's own admin-set invite message appears near the top; if the server hasn't set one, VoiceLink shows its own short welcome text instead. A server flagged as a development/test build (voicelink.dev, or any server its admin has marked as a dev server) shows a clear "Development server" notice here too, read before the Continue/Join button, since a bleeding-edge build can change or break without notice. Choose Continue (or Join on a plain room link) to join, Not now (or Escape) to leave without joining, or, for an invite link, Report to tell the server's owners and admins privately (there is nothing to report on a plain room link, since no one sent it to you). If you are signed in to the web app, an invite sent to your account opens the same screen in the app, with no browser link. See Joining with an invite.

After Continue, the join screen says who invited you (for an invite link) and to which room, then joins that room when you choose Join Room. If the invite needs an account, you sign in or sign up first and then go straight to the room. Someone who signs in and accepts an invite to a private room can come back to that room later without the link. Bans and the room's size limit still apply.

A server admin sets or clears the server's invite message under Admin, Invites (the same settings as who is told about an invite and how long invites last).

Who is told

• In the room: by default the room chat shows a system line such as "Matt joined the room, invited by Dom."
• The person who sent the invite is told privately in their notifications: "Matt accepted your invite and joined General Chat."
• Server owners and admins are told privately in their notifications as well.
• Choose Notifications next to your name on the main screen to read your notifications, including ones that arrived while you were away. Direct messages sent while you were offline are delivered when you next sign in.

Admin, Invites

Server owners and admins choose what happens in Admin, Invites:

• In the room: post the "invited by" system line (on by default). When off, the room shows the ordinary "joined the room" line.
• The person invited: send a notification, and a VoiceLink direct message with the link (both on by default).
• The person who sent the invite: tell them in their notifications (on), and also by direct message (off).
• Server owners and admins: tell them privately in their notifications (on), and also by direct message (off).
• Who can invite and how: invites on or off, members inviting to public rooms, guest invites, iPhone push where this server has push set up, and emailing the person invited (on by default).
• Server owner name shown in invites (empty uses the owner account's name), and how many invite and file emails one person can send an hour.
• Default link limits: how long links last and how many times they work.
• Who can make links that never expire or have no use limit: nobody, server owners and admins (the default), also room owners and room managers, or everyone who can make invites. These permanent links skip the limits above. Changing this setting doesn't cancel links already made.

The same tab lists every invite on the server with who made it, who it is for, its status (not used yet, used, expired or cancelled), when it expires ("Never expires" for a permanent link), how many times it was used (for example "12 so far, no limit") and who used it. Each open invite has Copy link and Cancel invite. Members see the invites they made.

⚙️ Managing Your Rooms

🎵 Room Background Media

A room can play music or a radio stream under the voices. The server plays it and mixes it into the room's live audio, so everyone (guests, web, iPhone, iPad, Mac and Windows) hears the same song at the same moment. It automatically gets quieter while people talk, and only plays while someone is listening.

• Who can control it: server admins and the room owner, plus anyone the owner allows in the room's Jellyfin access settings. Guests can listen only.
• What it can play: songs, albums, artists and playlists from the server's Jellyfin music library, or one of the server's radio streams.
• Controls in the web app: the "Background media" section in the room has Previous, Play or Pause, Next and Stop, settings (shuffle, repeat, level for everyone, listener requests), a music library browser with search, and the queue.
• Your own level: everyone can use "Background media volume" and "Mute background media" to change what they hear, without affecting others.
• Listener requests: when turned on, signed-in listeners can request songs (up to 5 waiting each).
• Jukebox categories: each room can have a category (Lounge, Chill, Late night, Gaming, Quiet study, or Talk with no music). New rooms get one from their name. With category music on, the server picks matching songs by itself. Room owners and managers change it with the "Jukebox settings" button in the Background media section; server admins can also create, edit and delete categories there. See Jukebox categories.
• Limits: a few rooms at a time (3 by default); when the server is busy it waits and starts by itself.

Full guide, including the protocol for app developers: Room Background Media.

Finding rooms: search and filters

Each server's room list has a search field and filters. They help you find a room quickly on a busy server.

• Search: type any words. VoiceLink matches the room name, description, category, type, keywords, language and server name. Every word must match, in any order. For example, "music chill" finds a room called "Chill Music Lounge".
• Category: Social and hangout, Music, Gaming, Education and classes, Study and focus, Technology, Creative and arts, Help and support, Wellness and mindfulness, Radio and broadcast, Work and meetings, Community and events, Languages and culture, Entertainment and fun, Books and reading, or Sports and fitness.
• Type: Public, Private, Broadcast, Class, Meeting or Event.
• Keyword: the short tags the room owner gave the room.

Each filter shows how many rooms match each choice. After a search, the number of results is announced. Filters work on one server at a time. To search every server at once, use Federated Rooms, below.

You only ever see rooms you are allowed to see. Private rooms stay hidden unless you have access.

Federated Rooms

Federated Rooms is one flat list of rooms from this server and other VoiceLink servers. There are no server groups to open. Each row reads the room name, the server name, how many people are in it, how many agents are in it, and whether it is locked or needs a request to join.

Search and filter

Use the search field to find rooms by any words. Use the filters for category, type and server. The number of results is announced after each search. The same server reached by more than one address is only listed once.

Room details

Choose a row to open its room details. The details include:

• the description, category, type and keywords;
• the welcome message, the server's message of the day and its rules;
• whether guests can talk, and what music is playing;
• the room owner, the server name and the server owner.

Join is the default action

Join is the first and default action for a room. Preview and the other actions come after it.

• Web: press Enter on Join.
• Mac: press VO-Space on the room, or Return.
• iPhone and iPad: double tap the room.
• Windows: press Enter on the room.

Use Preview to listen before joining. Press Escape, or use Back, to close room details.

Rooms on another server

Each room belongs to one server. When you join a room on a different server, VoiceLink connects you to that server first. In the web app, the other server's own web app opens with that room. On Mac, iPhone, iPad and Windows, the app switches to that server and joins the room.

A room that says "request to join" is private. Joining sends a request to the room's managers. You get in when they approve it.

Room category, type and keywords

Every room has a category, a type, keywords and a language. They are used by search, the filters and Federated Rooms. You set them when you create or edit a room.

• Category: choose one from the list, for example Music or "Study and focus".
• Type: Public, Private, Broadcast, Class, Meeting or Event.
• Keywords: up to 12 short words, separated by commas. For example: jazz, vinyl, chill.
• Language: the main language spoken in the room. The default is English.

If you leave the category empty, VoiceLink picks one from the room name and description. Rooms that already existed were given a category and type the same way. You can change them at any time.

Rooms added from a room template start with the template's category, type and keywords. You can change them afterwards.

A new room's jukebox category comes from its room category. For example, a "Study and focus" room starts with Quiet study music, a Gaming room with Gaming music, and a "Help and support" room with Talk, which plays no music. You can change it in "Jukebox settings". See Room Background Media.

Two rooms on the same server can't have the same name. If the name is taken, you are asked to choose another.

Show in federated rooms

"Show in federated rooms" is a setting on each room. When it is on, the room appears in Federated Rooms on other VoiceLink servers. It is in the room's create and edit settings.

• Server admins can change it on any room.
• Room owners can change it on their own rooms only if the server admin allows it. If not, the setting is shown but can't be changed, and it says why.
• Private rooms and rooms with a password or PIN are hidden from other servers. The server admin can choose to list them as "request to join" instead.
• Other servers never receive a room's password, PIN, allow list or anyone's email address.

For server admins: Federated rooms listing

Open Admin, then Federation, then "Federated rooms listing". These settings decide which of your rooms other servers can see. The server enforces them, whatever app is used.

• Listing enabled: turn this on to list your rooms in the VoiceLink federated directory. When it is off, no rooms are shared.
• Room owners can list their rooms: No one, All room owners, or Selected users and roles. For selected, add user names, email addresses or roles.
• Private rooms: Hide, or show as "request to join". This also covers rooms with a password or PIN.
• Show all public rooms in federated rooms: a one-time action that turns on "Show in federated rooms" for every public room at once.

The settings screen shows how many rooms you have, how many are set to show, and how many other servers can actually see.

Hidden rooms, disabled rooms, expired rooms and private call rooms are never listed.

For server admins: Room templates

Open Admin, then Modules, then "Room templates". This is a catalogue of about 30 ready-made rooms. Examples are Lounge, Coffee Chat, Game Night, Study Hall, Book Club, Support Desk, Assistive Tech Corner, Meditation and Team Meeting. Templates are grouped into packs.

1. Browse the list. Each template shows its category and description.
2. Choose Preview to see the room that would be created.
3. Choose Add to add one template, or "Add pack" to add a whole pack.

A template is skipped if you already have a room with the same name.

Rooms added from a template are yours. Edit them like any other room.

Template updates

Templates can get new versions. Nothing updates by itself. When a newer version exists, the room appears under "Updates available". Choose Update to apply it. Rooms you changed are never overwritten; they are listed as changed and left as they are.

Rooms on a new server

A new VoiceLink server starts with only two rooms: Lobby and General. Add more from Admin, then Modules, then Room templates, or create your own.

Existing servers keep their rooms. Restarting the server never re-creates built-in rooms or rooms you deleted. See Getting Started for more on running your own server.