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Mini Chats

Facebook Messenger-style chat popups anchored to the bottom of the screen. Users open conversations from the mini conversations list or notifications, and a compact chat window appears. Multiple windows can be open at once. Combined Mode lets the chat slide into the mini widget panel itself. Bubble Chat Heads keep recently closed conversations one click away.

How it works#

Similar to Facebook Messenger's chat popups, mini chats provide a convenient way to have conversations without navigating to the main messaging page. When a user opens a conversation from the mini conversations list or clicks on a notification, a compact chat window appears at the bottom of the screen. Multiple mini chat windows can be open simultaneously, allowing users to manage several conversations at once while browsing your site.

Key capabilities#

  • Compact chat windows anchored to the bottom of the screen
  • Multiple simultaneous chat windows
  • Real-time messaging without leaving the current page
  • Open from the mini conversations list or notifications
  • Full messaging features in a compact interface
  • Combined Mode — open chats inside the mini widget panel instead of as separate windows
  • Bubble Chat Heads — show recently closed conversations as avatar bubbles for quick re-opening
  • Private messages from a conversation — message someone from a chat room without leaving the room
  • Smooth slide animations between conversation list and open chat (in Combined Mode)
  • Smooth minimize/maximize animations for chat windows
note

Mini Chats require the WebSocket version for real-time functionality.

Combined Mode#

When Combined Mode is enabled, opening a conversation displays it inside the mini widget panel itself instead of opening a separate floating window. The panel slides smoothly between the conversation list and the open chat:

  • Click a conversation → the chat slides in from the right
  • Press the back button → the conversation list slides back into view
  • Press the close (×) button → closes the chat and the panel

Combined Mode works with both Classic Bar and Floating Bubble display styles.

Bubble Chat Heads#

When using the Floating Bubble display style, you can enable Bubble Chat Heads — a feature that shows recently closed conversations as small circular avatar bubbles stacked above the main floating bubble button. This makes it easy to quickly jump back into recent conversations.

How it works#

  • After closing a mini chat, its avatar appears as a chat head bubble above the main bubble
  • Hovering a chat head shows a tooltip with the conversation name, time, and last message preview
  • Clicking a chat head reopens that conversation
  • Each chat head has a dismiss (×) button that appears on hover
  • Group conversations show a grid of participant avatars
  • Unread message counts appear as a red badge on each head
  • The number of chat heads shown is configurable (1–10, default 5)
  • Chat heads persist across page reloads via IndexedDB

Private messages from a conversation#

In the messenger, Private Message on a participant of a chat room, or on one of their messages, opens the private conversation in place of the room, so talking to someone privately means leaving the room. With Private messages from a conversation switched on, the private conversation opens in a mini chat instead, and the room stays open in the messenger. It works the same from any conversation, not only from chat rooms.

It applies wherever a mini chat can be seen. Phones, windows 800px wide or narrower and the messenger in full screen have no space for one, so there the conversation still opens in the messenger.

The switch is off by default and needs Mini chats on.

info

Available since Better Messages 3.0.9.

How to enable#

Navigate to WP Admin → Better Messages → Settings → Appearance → Mini widgets, and turn on Mini chats under Mini chat windows.

  • Mini Chats — Turn on popup chat windows
  • Combined Mode — Open chats inside the mini widget panel instead of separate windows
  • Bubble Chat Heads — Show recently closed conversations as avatar bubbles (requires Floating Bubble display style)
  • Chat Heads Limit — Maximum number of chat head bubbles to display
  • Private messages from a conversation — Private Message on a participant or on a message opens the new conversation in a mini chat, so the conversation it was started from stays open

Frequently asked questions#

How many mini chats can be open at once?#

There's no hard cap. Practical limit is what fits on screen — typically 3-5 windows on a desktop. The plugin auto-stacks them and lets users minimize / close individual windows.

Does Combined Mode work with the Floating Bubble?#

Yes — both display styles (Classic Bar and Floating Bubble) support Combined Mode. The chat slides into the active panel rather than opening a separate window.

Do mini chats persist across page reloads?#

Open mini chats reopen on the next page load if the user hasn't closed them. Combined with Bubble Chat Heads, recently closed chats also persist as bubble avatars (stored in IndexedDB).

What opens as a mini chat on the messages page itself?#

A conversation picked in the mini widgets opens as a mini chat there too, unless it is the one the messenger already shows. From Better Messages 3.0.9, a message notification opens in the messenger while the messenger shows no conversation, and as a mini chat when another conversation is open there, so the one being read stays on screen.

Can administrators force-close a user's mini chats?#

No — mini chat open state is per-user, stored client-side. Admins control whether the feature is available at all but not individual users' open windows.

Are voice / video call buttons available in mini chats?#

Yes — see Group Video Chat → Mini chat buttons for the per-button toggles. 1-on-1 audio and video call buttons are also in mini chat headers when calls are enabled.

See also#