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WordPress Chat Widget: Floating Bubble and Mini Widgets

· 5 min read
Andrij Tkachenko
Creator of Better Messages

A messenger that lives only on its own page is half a messenger — members have to remember to visit. A chat widget that follows them across the site (and is one click away on every page) keeps the messenger present, which keeps the conversations active. Better Messages ships Mini Widgets — a configurable widget layer with two display styles (Floating Bubble or bottom-tab bar), four placements (bottom bar, side panel, mobile bar, floating bubble), and dedicated tabs for Friends, Groups, Courses, Spaces, AI Bots, and Chat Rooms.

Two display styles​

Choose per site:

  • Bottom tab bar (classic) — a horizontal bar pinned to the bottom of every page, with tabs for the user's recent conversations and the configured widget tabs. Closer to a desktop messenger.
  • Floating Bubble — a circular button in the corner, like a Crisp / Intercom chat bubble. Click to expand into a chat panel; click outside to collapse. Closer to a standard SaaS support chat.

Both styles share the same underlying widgets — only the chrome differs.

Tabs you can add to the widget​

Each widget tab can be enabled or disabled per site, with its own icon and label:

  • Conversations — recent threads, with unread badges.
  • Friends — the user's friend list (BuddyPress / BuddyBoss / PeepSo / UM / FluentCommunity Friends), with quick-DM.
  • Groups — paired group chats from the user's community-plugin groups.
  • Spaces — FluentCommunity Spaces (separate from social Groups).
  • Courses — LMS course chats (LearnDash / LearnPress / Tutor LMS / MasterStudy / FluentCommunity Courses).
  • Chat Rooms — public or members-only chat rooms the user has access to.
  • AI Bots — start or continue conversations with configured AI Chat Bots.
  • Users — browse and message any site member, with optional online-only filter and three display modes (all / by role / hand-picked).

Tabs can be reordered. The most common combination for a community site: Conversations + Friends + Groups + Chat Rooms.

Per-role visibility​

Each widget can be restricted to specific WordPress roles. Common patterns:

  • Free members see only Conversations.
  • Paid members see Conversations + Friends + Groups + Courses.
  • Staff / admins see everything + Users.

Hide tabs when empty​

The Friends / Groups / Courses / Spaces tabs can be set to hide when empty for that user — a member with no friends does not see an empty Friends tab. Reduces UI clutter for new users.

Where the widget shows up​

By default the widget renders on every page of the site, except:

  • Inside the messenger page itself (redundant)
  • Inside wp-admin
  • On pages blocked by the per-role / per-page restriction filter

A custom filter lets you exclude specific pages (checkout, landing pages, etc.).

Mobile mode​

On mobile (below the configured breakpoint), the bottom-tab bar style switches to a full-screen mobile UI on tab click. The Floating Bubble style remains a bubble but expands into a full-screen panel when tapped.

Installing mini widgets​

Mini widgets are part of the core plugin — no separate install.

  1. Install Better Messages from WordPress.org and activate it.
  2. Open WP Admin → Better Messages → Settings → Mini Widgets.
  3. Pick a display style (Floating Bubble or Bottom Tab Bar).
  4. Enable the tabs you want; configure icons, role restrictions, and "Hide Tab When Empty" behavior per tab.
  5. Save. The widget appears site-wide for users with permission.

Free vs WebSocket version​

Mini Widgets work on both versions. The differences:

FeatureFree versionWebSocket version
Floating Bubble + bottom-tab baryesyes
Friends / Groups / Courses / Spaces / AI Bots / Users tabsyesyes
Per-role visibilityyesyes
Real-time unread badge updatespollinginstant
Mini-chat popups from member profiles—yes
Online presence dot in the Users tab—yes
info

The mini-chat popup (WebSocket version) is the single biggest UX upgrade with the widget — clicking a friend in the Friends tab opens a chat overlay without redirecting to the messages page. Members stay on the article / course / product page they were reading.

Frequently asked questions​

Can I disable the widget on specific pages?​

Yes — use the better_messages_mini_widgets_excluded_pages filter, or list page URLs in the admin's exclusion field.

Does it conflict with WooCommerce floating cart / Crisp / Intercom?​

The widget tries to position itself out of the way of common floating UI. For specific conflicts, the widget's position is configurable (left / right corner, bottom offset).

Will the widget show for guests?​

Optional. With Guest Chat enabled, unregistered visitors see the widget and can start a thread without registering.

Can I have only the Conversations tab without the others?​

Yes — enable just Conversations, disable every other tab.

Does the Users tab show every site user?​

The Users tab is configurable — show all users, filter by role, or hand-pick specific users (e.g. "show only these 3 instructors"). Optionally filter to online-only, order by online-first, sort by last activity / registration date.

See also​

Install Better Messages from WordPress.org →