Community & Safety

Reporting users, blocking, and appealing bans

StudyStream is a study space — harassment, explicit content, and disruptive behavior aren't tolerated. Here's how to report problems, protect yourself, and appeal if you think a moderation action was a mistake. Report a user On the web 1. In the room, open the user's menu (click their tile / name) and choose "Report user". 2. Fill in where it happened (Focus Room, Channel, DM, etc.) and the reason (Profanity, Bullying or harassment, Explicit content, Nudity or pornography, Other). 3. Describe what happened and attach evidence (a screenshot or recording) — reports without evidence may not be actionable. 4. Choose "Report", or "Report & Block" to also block them. On the mobile app (iOS & Android) 1. Long-press the user's tile in the room and choose "Report ". 2. Pick the reason, describe how the rules were broken, review, and Submit. You can tick "Block this user?" at the end. Rooms are moderated 24/7 — for urgent, in-progress incidents (e.g. explicit content on camera right now), use the same "Report user" flow above: moderators can remove and ban offenders within minutes. Block a user Blocking prevents all interaction between you and the other user (it works both ways): their tile disappears from your rooms (and yours from theirs), any pins between you are removed automatically, and they can no longer pin, encourage, wave at, or message you. Open their menu (web) or long-press their tile (mobile) and choose "Block user". A few details worth knowing: - Your existing direct-message conversation becomes read-only (it's restored if you unblock). - Group chats or channels with this user will remain as normal. - You can still open their profile — that's how unblocking works — but they can't see yours. - For privacy reasons, we never confirm to anyone who blocked whom. To unblock someone later: on the web, click your profile picture (top-right) → "View profile", then "Manage followers" under your bio and open the "Blocked users" tab — you can unblock from that list. On the mobile app there's no list: unblock from the person's profile menu or from the menu of your direct-message conversation with them — and since blocked users don't show up in search, the web list is the fallback if you can't reach either. You can also control who can message you, pin you, or see your details under Privacy settings — on the web: click your profile picture (top-right) → "Privacy settings"; on mobile: tap your profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings". Can someone I blocked still see me in a focus room? No. A block is applied on both sides as soon as you confirm it: your tile disappears from their room and theirs from yours, even if you are both in the same room at that moment. They also can't open your profile, find you in search, pin you, encourage you or send you new messages. The direct-message conversation you had with them stays visible to both of you but is read-only, and any pins between you are removed. Group chats and channels you share keep working, and leaderboards still list everyone. The other person is not told that you blocked them. Can I stop one person seeing or pinning me without blocking them? In rooms, yes: use "Two-way hide" (Premium, website). In a focus room, open their tile's "…" menu (or the "…" on their row in the participant list) and choose "Two-way hide". Their tile disappears from your grid and yours from theirs, any pin and favorite between you is removed, and they aren't told. It works for people watching on the website; someone in the mobile app can still see your tile. Plain "Hide user" (any plan, and in the app: long-press their tile → "Hide" with their name) only hides them from you. To undo either one on the web: Participant list → "All" tab → the eye toggle next to the search box ("Show hidden users") → "Unhide". In the app: tap your profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings" → "Hidden people" → "Unhide". Hiding doesn't touch messages. There's no setting that stops only one person from messaging you; for that, block them. We can't see each other in a room, but nobody blocked anyone Then one of you has probably hidden the other. Each of you should check the hidden list (website: Participant list → "All" → "Show hidden users"; app: profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings" → "Hidden people") and press "Unhide" next to the other person. A two-way hide can only be undone by the person who set it. Someone blocked me. Can I block them back? There is nothing you need to do: a block already works in both directions. When someone blocks you, you can't open their profile, find them in search, pin them or message them, and they can't do any of that to you either — exactly as if you had blocked them yourself. That is also why you can't find their profile to block them: the block is already in place. Your own "Blocked users" list only shows people you blocked, so they won't appear there. If they ever unblock you and you'd rather keep them away, you can block them from their profile at that point. "You have been timed out from a focus room" A moderator temporarily removed you. The message shows how long until you can rejoin. Repeated or serious behavior can lead to a permanent ban. If you think the timeout was a mistake, you can ask the moderation team to review it: email webapp.reporting@studystream.live from the email address on your account, with your display name, when it happened and what you were doing (screenshots help). Support can't lift or shorten a timeout from the chat. "You are banned from joining future sessions" A room ban was applied to your account. The ban notice arrives by email (subject "Account Suspension Notice") from webapp.reporting@studystream.live — check your spam folder if you can't find it. Appealing a ban If you believe your ban was a mistake, you can appeal — a few things to know: - Appeals are reviewed after a 7-day waiting period from the ban — replies before that won't speed things up. - Appeal by replying to the ban notice email from the email linked to your account, with your display name, what happened, and any evidence. - Write the appeal in your own words — AI-generated appeals are rejected. - If your appeal is accepted but you still can't enter the rooms after a day, reply to the email — reinstatement occasionally needs an extra step. - Creating a new account while banned counts as ban evasion: the new account (and any subscription on it) gets suspended. Banned with an active subscription? A ban does not stop your billing automatically. If you subscribed on the web, contact us to stop the payments; App Store / Google Play subscriptions can only be cancelled by you, in the store — see: Cancelling or changing your subscription. My whole account was deactivated or blocked See: Recovering or reactivating your account — moderation-level account actions are appealed the same way, via webapp.reporting@studystream.live. Content blocked or removed? - If you see "This post contains some text that our system detected as potentially inappropriate", your message or post contained wording our system doesn't allow — rephrase it and try again. - Our moderation team also reviews flagged content and may remove messages, comments, or reactions that break the rules. If you believe something of yours was removed by mistake, email webapp.reporting@studystream.live from the email linked to your account. A note on privacy We never share another user's personal data (name, email, activity), even in connection with a report — including for reports you filed. Our moderation team handles offenders directly. One limit to set expectations: if someone re-posts content about you on another platform (Telegram, YouTube, Instagram…), we can act on their StudyStream account, but the off-platform content has to be reported to that platform. Recording and streaming the rooms You may not record, stream, or re-upload footage of focus rooms (to YouTube, TikTok, or anywhere else) — other members haven't consented to appearing in your content. If you see a room being streamed or recorded, report it like any other violation. Sharing links, your own tool, or another app Our community rules (studystream.live/rules) don't allow promotion: no advertising and no mentioning or linking external platforms or tools, directly or indirectly, in rooms, chats, posts, or your profile. This includes free tools and projects of your own. If a tool offers anything StudyStream already does (study timers, task tracking, study groups, camera overlays, stats), it can't be shared on StudyStream, even when it's free and meant to complement the platform. We don't make exceptions, so there is no need to ask for permission. Posts and messages that break this rule are removed by the moderation team. Watch out for impersonators StudyStream staff and moderators will never DM you on Instagram or other platforms asking for favors, payments, or personal information. If someone claims to be a StudyStream admin outside the app or our official Discord, ignore and report them.

Messages, chats and message requests

StudyStream has direct messages (1-to-1 and group chats) on both the website and the mobile app, and channels on the website. This guide covers where everything lives, why you sometimes can't message someone, and what a message request is. Where are my messages? On the web - Click "Conversations" in the left sidebar. The page lists Threads, Saved items, Channels and Chats. - The Chats icon (speech bubble) at the top-right of the page opens a small chat tray on any page, so you can reply without leaving a focus room. - To write to a specific person: open their profile and click "Message", or, inside a room, open the "…" menu on their tile and choose "Message". - There is no search inside a conversation yet (the search box on the Conversations page finds people, not messages); scroll up to load older messages. If you'd like message search, post it on the feedback board at app.studystream.live/feedback. On the mobile app (iOS & Android) - On the Home tab, tap the chat icon at the top-right. The "DMs" screen has two tabs: "Chats" and "Message requests". - To write to someone: open their profile and tap "Message". Why can't I start a chat? The usual reasons, in order of how often we see them: 1. You're on the Free plan. Starting a new conversation is a paid-plan feature: Free accounts can't open new chats, Basic accounts can open a few new chats a day, Premium has no limit. The app tells you with "Please upgrade to be able to start new chats with other users." You can still reply in any conversation someone else started with you, including message requests you accept. See: Plans and daily focus room time limits. 2. Their privacy settings don't allow it. Everyone chooses who can message them ("'s privacy settings does not allow you to message them."). Nothing to do but respect it. 3. Professionals and Pre-University students can't message each other. This is a safety rule and applies on every plan. Group chats of three or more people are still possible. 4. One of you has blocked the other. A blocked chat becomes read-only: "This conversation is read only. You cannot currently send messages here." 5. Your messaging is paused while we look into reports about you. You'll see "You are blocked from sending messages while we investigate user reports about you." and, after 7 days, how to appeal. See: Reporting users, blocking, and appealing bans. What is a message request? When someone you haven't chatted with before writes to you, their first message may land as a message request instead of a normal chat. Nothing is lost: it waits until you decide, and there's no time limit. - The sender sees their message in the chat with the note "Recipient must first accept your message before you can chat with them." They can't send more until you accept. Nothing is wrong on their side: whether a first message waits as a request or lands straight in your inbox is decided by your "Who can skip message requests?" setting (default Smart filter), and there is no time limit on accepting. - You find it under Message Requests: on the web, open "Conversations" and click the envelope icon next to "Chats" (a blue dot means something is waiting); in the app, open the "Message requests" tab of the DMs screen. - Open the request to read it. It shows the sender's name, whether you have mutual followers, and the buttons "Accept", "Ignore" and "Report". Until you choose, the reply box says "You must first accept the message before chatting with the sender." - Accept turns it into a normal chat. Ignore deletes the request (you'll be asked to confirm: "Ignoring will delete this message request"). Report sends it to our moderators. Whether a first message arrives as a request or straight into your inbox depends on "Who can skip message requests?" in your Privacy settings: with the default "Smart filter", messages from people you haven't interacted with are held back for you to check. Full guide: Privacy settings explained. A word of caution that the website shows above every request, and which holds in the app too: don't reply to people you don't know or whose face you haven't seen in a focus room. In the app a request opens with "Accept" and "Ignore" buttons under the message (Ignore acts at once, without the confirmation the website shows); Report and Block are in the three-dot menu at the top-right. Why did my message turn into a message request? Because of the other person's privacy setting, not because of anything you did. Their "Who can skip message requests?" row decides whose first message goes straight into their inbox; with the default "Smart filter", a first message from someone they haven't interacted with waits as a request until they accept it. It isn't a block or a bug, and there's no time limit on the request. Who can message me, and how do I stop someone? In Privacy settings (web: profile picture (top-right) → "Privacy settings"; app: profile picture (top-left) → "Settings" → "Privacy settings") the Messaging tab has three rows: "Who can message me?", "Who can skip message requests?" and "Who can add me to group chats?". (The app words them "Who can message you?" and so on.) Two things catch people out: - These settings apply to new conversations. People you already have a chat with can keep writing in it, whatever you set. Setting "Who can message me?" to "No One" stops new chats, not existing ones. - To stop one specific person, block them. Blocking makes your existing chat read-only in both directions and removes you from their rooms and search. "Hide user" and "Two-way hide" only work inside focus rooms and don't stop messages. See: Reporting users, blocking, and appealing bans. Can someone on the Free plan message me first? No. Starting a new conversation is a paid-plan feature: a Free account can't send the first message to anyone, a Basic account can open a few new chats a day, Premium has no limit. A Free user can still reply inside a chat that already exists, including one you started with them. On top of the plan rule, your own "Who can message me?" privacy setting decides who may write to you at all, and depending on your "Who can skip message requests?" setting a first message may land as a message request. If a Free user did message you first, the conversation already existed, or they were on a paid plan at the time. Group chats - On the web: in "Conversations", click the "New Chat" (pencil) icon next to "Chats", type a few letters of each name and pick the people. With two or more other people you can name the group. Inside a group chat, the header menu has "Group Info", "Add Participant" (admins), "Mute Group" and "Leave Group". - On the mobile app: on the DMs screen tap "+" ("Choose message recipient"), search and tick the people, then tap "Start Group Chat" (with a single person the button says "Message" and opens a direct chat). The group's menu has "Leave group", "Mute group", "Mark as unread" and "Delete chat"; the group's admins also see "Add participants" and "Group Settings". - If you leave a group, only one of its admins can add you back. - Whether others can add you to groups is the "Who can add me to group chats?" privacy setting. People can't be added when their settings don't allow it ("Can't be added to a group due to their privacy settings"). Channels, threads and saved items (website only) Channels are public rooms like #announcements or #bugs, created by the StudyStream team. On the website, open "Conversations" and use the Browse icon next to "Channels" to find and "Join" one; use the channel's header menu to "Mute" or "Leave" it. - Everyone can read channels. Posting in channels is part of the paid plans; on Free you'll see "Upgrade to post in channels" instead of the reply box. - Some channels are team-only, and the #bugs and #feature-requests channels open for posting once your account is 5 days old. - Threads (replies to a message) and Saved items (messages you bookmarked from a message's hover bar) have their own pages in the Conversations sidebar. The mobile app doesn't have channels, threads or saved items. Muting, archiving and deleting a chat - Mute: the chat's menu → "Mute Chat" (or "Mute Group" / "Mute Channel"). You keep the chat, without the pop-ups and sounds. To silence all chat sounds on the web, see Managing email and push notifications. - Archive (web): the chat's menu → "Archive Chat" moves it out of your list; the Archive icon next to "Chats" shows archived chats and lets you bring them back. - Delete: the chat's menu → "Delete Chat" ("Delete chat" in the app). This deletes your copy of the history and can't be undone, by us either. The other person keeps theirs, and if they write again they'll see "This thread no longer exists for the receiver because they have deleted their chat history." In the app, deleting is in the chat menu as well. - Mark as read / unread is in the same menu on both platforms. My message won't send. Is something broken? Usually not. If you're on the Free plan and it's a new chat, the app stops you with "Please upgrade to be able to start new chats with other users.", and that's the plan rule, not a bug (you can still reply in chats others start with you). If your first message to someone is sitting there with "Recipient must first accept your message", it's waiting as a message request on their side. If you can send to some people but a message to one person fails, it's almost always one of the reasons under "Why can't I start a chat?" above. If messages fail for everyone, a chat opens but stays blank, or a reply shows up in the wrong conversation, that's on us: start a chat with us at app.studystream.live or in the StudyStream app (no login needed) and tell us the name of the person you were writing to and roughly when it happened.