Themes, emoji and sounds, all yours

Chat in your own style.

Relay is the messenger you make your own. Pick from 43 colour themes in light or dark, send emoji drawn just for Relay, and give every chat its own sound. Keep in touch with friends, family and groups on your phone, tablet or computer.

No ads, and no phone number needed. All it takes is an email address.

LLeo

Movie at 8?

I'm in

Saving you a seat

Message

SSam

What was that sound?

My new Bird tone

Okay, I need that

Message

MMia

Love your new look!

Thanks! It's Sunset

Mine's Amethyst

Message

Make it yours

Every part of Relay can look and sound the way you like. Try it right here: the page takes on your theme, and the chat shows your font and size.

Theme Corporate

Light or dark

Light Dark

Font

Text size 100%

Sounds 24 to choose from

Give each chat its own sound, so you know who it is without looking.

Create your account from here and these choices come with you, to every device you sign in on.

Emoji with personality

Relay draws its own emoji, so they look the same on every phone and computer and are never an empty box. There are more than 400 of them, plus two packs you won't find anywhere else: 36 Blobs and 36 Monster Mates in five colours.

Send one on its own and it bounces, waves or spins.

Everything you need to keep in touch

Groups and invite links
Start a group, make friends admins, and share a link anyone can use to join. Or share your own link so people can message you.
Voice notes, photos and files
Record a voice note, or send pictures and documents. Links show a preview of what you're sharing.
Disappearing messages
Set a chat to clear its messages after a while, so nothing hangs around.
Reactions and replies
React with an emoji, reply to one message, forward it, edit it, or save it for later.
Search every message
Find any message, in any chat, however long ago it was sent. Pin the important ones to the top of a chat.
Translation
Read messages written in another language, translated right in the chat on devices that support it.
Privacy on your terms
Turn read receipts and typing indicators off, block people, and report anyone who bothers you.
You choose who reaches you
New people start as message requests, and you decide whether to chat. Links show where they really go, and Relay gives you a heads-up if something looks off. Staying safe
Quiet when you need it
Mute a chat for an hour or a week, and set quiet hours so nothing buzzes at night.
Sign in your way
A password, a passkey or a one-time email code, and a PIN to unlock quickly on your own device.
Wherever you are
Use Relay in any modern browser on your phone, tablet or computer, install it like an app, or get the Android app on Google Play. Your chats come with you.
Text that suits you
Bigger or smaller text, extra spacing, bold text and five fonts to choose from, whenever you want them.

Your style goes where you go

Pick a theme on your phone and it's waiting on your computer. Your theme, font, emoji and chats follow you to every device you sign in on, and your friends see your messages exactly as you sent them.

Ready to make it yours?

Relay

Chat in your own style.

Your messages and settings are saved to your account and follow you to every device.

Pick a chat

Choose a chat from the list, or start a new one.

This is what other people see when they open your profile.

Photo

Choose a photo

A square crop from the middle, resized in your browser before it is sent. PNG, JPEG or WebP.

Identity

Display name

Username

How people find you. 3–20 characters: letters, numbers and underscores.

Role or job title optional

About you optional

280 characters left

Avatar colour

Let people see when I was last online — off means they only see whether you are online now

Let people find me by my exact @username or email — off means only people you already chat with, your contacts, and anyone you send your message link can reach you

Status

A short note shown beside your name. Clears itself when it expires.

Clear it

Time zone

Your time zone so people know when you're likely around

Message link

A link that opens a chat with you, in the Relay app or on the website. Put it in an email signature or a bio. Anyone who opens it can message you; people without an account create one first.

Help

How do I start a chat?

Choose Find people and type their exact @username or email address (names only search people you already chat with, so strangers can't browse who is on Relay). If they aren't on Relay yet, or can't be found, send them your invite link (Profile › Message link): it opens a chat with you once they've made an account.

How do I change how Relay looks or sounds?

Theme, text size and font are under Appearance. Underlined links, a stronger focus outline and larger touch targets are under Accessibility. Sounds are under Sounds, including a different sound for one chat.

My message says "Not sent"

Choose Try again under it, or Remove. If you were offline, messages wait and send by themselves when you're back; the bar at the top says how many are waiting.

Notifications stopped on one of my devices

This can happen after Relay is reinstalled, a phone is reset, or a browser's data is cleared. Open Relay on that device and sign in, and notifications turn back on by themselves. If they don't, allow notifications for Relay in that device's settings. Not using it any more? Sign it out under Account & security.

How do I mute a chat?

Open the chat, choose the three dots at the top, then Mute notifications. You can mute for a while or until you turn it back on. Quiet hours for this device are under Chat & notifications.

How do I block or report someone?

Open their profile from the chat and choose Block or Report. To report one message, open its actions and choose Report message. The people you've blocked are listed under Data & privacy.

Messages from people I don't know

They wait in Message requests at the top of your chat list. They can't see that you've read them until you accept.

Staying safe

Keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts
Search	`Ctrl` + `K`
Next / previous chat	`Alt` + `↓` / `↑`
New chat	`Alt` + `N`
Edit your last message	`↑` in an empty composer
New line	`Shift` + `Enter`
Settings	`Ctrl` + `,`
This help	`?` (outside a text field)
Move through messages	`↑` / `↓` in the message list
Message actions	`Enter` on a message
Reply / edit / copy / forward a message	`R` / `E` / `C` / `F`
Save a message / take it out of Saved	`S`
Pin a message / unpin it	`P`
Close / cancel	`Esc`

Formatting

Messages support **bold**, *italic*, ~~strikethrough~~, `code` and ||spoilers||, which stay hidden until tapped.

Start a line with - or 1. for a list, or > for a quote. Put ``` on the lines before and after code to keep its spacing. Links are detected automatically.

Accessibility statement

Relay targets WCAG 2.2 AA: full keyboard operability, visible focus, semantic landmarks, screen-reader announcements for new messages, respect for reduced-motion and forced-colors system preferences, and themes designed for deuteranopia, protanopia, tritanopia and monochrome vision. Status is always conveyed with icons and text, never colour alone.

About

Relay v2.0, a messenger you can make your own and actually read.

Chat in your own style.

Make it yours

Emoji with personality

Everything you need to keep in touch

Groups and invite links

Voice notes, photos and files

Disappearing messages

Reactions and replies

Search every message

Translation

Privacy on your terms

You choose who reaches you

Quiet when you need it

Sign in your way

Wherever you are

Text that suits you

Your style goes where you go

Ready to make it yours?

Sign in

Create your account

Reset your password

Sign in with an email code

Check your email

Pick a chat