Pin Messages in WordPress Chat: Pinned Messages and Pinned Conversations
Two messaging UX patterns most consumer apps converged on: pin a message to keep an announcement visible at the top of a thread, and pin a conversation to keep an important thread visible at the top of the inbox. Better Messages supports both — moderators pin specific messages in group conversations and chat rooms, while every user pins their own conversations to the top of their personal inbox.
Two distinct pin features
Pinned messages (moderator-only)
In a group conversation or chat room, a moderator pins a specific message to the top of the conversation. Pinned messages stay visible to every participant regardless of when the rest of the conversation moves on. Typical uses:
- Group rules at the top of a community chat
- Welcome message with onboarding links at the top of a cohort chat
- Daily standup template at the top of a team chat
- Office-hours schedule at the top of an LMS course chat
- Stickied event details at the top of a live-event chat room
Pinning is a moderator privilege — the group chat's admin / moderator roles can pin and unpin. Regular members see the pinned message but cannot change it.
Pinned conversations (per-user)
Each user pins their own important conversations to the top of their inbox. Pinned conversations always appear first in the conversations list regardless of when the last message was sent. Typical uses:
- A community member pins the thread with their accountability partner
- An instructor pins the chat for the cohort they are actively teaching
- A vendor pins the support thread for their top customer
- An admin pins the "Bugs / Feedback" thread
Pinning a conversation is personal — your pin does not affect what other participants see in their inbox. Unpin at any time.
How to enable
WP Admin → Better Messages → Settings → Messaging:
- Pin Messages — allow moderators to pin messages in group conversations and chat rooms.
- Pin Conversations — allow users to pin conversations to the top of their inbox.
Both can be toggled independently. A site might enable pinned messages (for moderators in chat rooms) but disable pinned conversations (to keep the inbox sorted purely by recency).
How members pin / unpin
To pin a message (moderators)
- Open the message context menu (long-press on mobile, right-click or three-dot menu on desktop).
- Select Pin Message.
- The message appears at the top of the conversation with a pin indicator.
To unpin, repeat the action — the menu now shows Unpin Message.
To pin a conversation (any user)
- Open the conversation actions menu (three-dot menu in the conversation header, or swipe action on mobile).
- Select Pin Conversation.
- The conversation moves to the top of the inbox with a pin indicator.
To unpin, repeat the action.
Free vs WebSocket version
Pinning works on both versions:
| Feature | Free version | WebSocket version |
|---|---|---|
| Pin messages (moderator) | yes | yes |
| Pin conversations (user) | yes | yes |
| Pinned messages stay visible to all participants | yes | yes |
| Pinned conversations always at top of inbox | yes | yes |
| Real-time delivery of pin state changes | polling | instant |
Frequently asked questions
How many messages can be pinned in one conversation?
There is no hard cap, but pinning too many defeats the purpose. Most community admins pin one or two messages at most — typically the rules and a recent announcement.
Who counts as a "moderator" for pinning?
Group chats have their own admin / moderator hierarchy (separate from WordPress roles). Chat rooms designate admins via the chat-room settings. WordPress administrators are always moderators of every chat.
Can a regular member see what is pinned?
Yes — pinned messages are visible to every participant. Only the pin / unpin action is restricted to moderators.
Will pinned conversations sync across devices?
Yes — pin state is stored per-user in the database, so the same user on the web and on the mobile app sees the same pinned conversations.
Does pinning a message notify participants?
By default, pinning sends a system message to the thread (e.g. "Andrij pinned a message"). This can be toggled in the settings.
Can I pin a private 1:1 thread?
You can pin a 1:1 conversation to your own inbox (pinned conversations). You cannot pin a specific message inside a 1:1 thread to "the top of the thread" — that feature is for group conversations and chat rooms.
See also
- Pinned Messages feature documentation — full reference
- Chat rooms documentation — pinned messages are most useful in chat rooms
- Group conversations — where pinned messages also apply
- How to add a chat room to WordPress — pinning rules in a public room