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Wire Android provides a full-featured messaging experience built around end-to-end encrypted conversations. This page covers conversation organization, message composition, file sharing, and message management.

Conversation List

The conversation list is the primary entry point after login. It is organized into distinct sections:

Conversations

All active 1:1 and group conversations, sorted by recent activity.

Favorites

Conversations pinned by the user for quick access.

New Activities

Conversations with unread messages or recent activity.

Browse Channels

Discover and join public channels (when public_channels_enabled is true).
The list supports both paginated and non-paginated modes, controlled by the paginated_conversation_list_enabled flag (default: true). Search is available directly within the conversation list to quickly find contacts or groups.

Archived Conversations

Conversations can be archived to keep the main list uncluttered. Archived conversations are hidden from the default view but remain accessible through a dedicated archive section. Archiving does not delete messages or leave the conversation.

Muting Conversations

Each conversation can be individually muted to suppress notifications without leaving the conversation.

Message Composer

The message composer sits at the bottom of each conversation screen and supports multiple input types.

Text Messages

Type and send plain text messages with support for rich text formatting.

Rich Text

Toolbar buttons for bold, italic, and heading formatting.

Voice Messages

Record and send audio messages directly from the composer.

Location Sharing

Share your current location as a message attachment.

Rich Text / Markdown Support

The composer includes a rich text toolbar (RichTextOptions) with three formatting actions:
  • Header — marks text as a heading
  • Bold — wraps selected text in bold
  • Italic — wraps selected text in italic
The toolbar is toggled from the composer action bar and can be dismissed via its close button.

Mentions

Type @ in the composer to trigger a member suggestion list. Selecting a name inserts an inline mention that notifies the mentioned user.

Typing Indicators

While composing, other participants in the conversation see a real-time typing indicator.

Attachments and File Sharing

The attachment panel (opened from the + button in the composer) provides the following options:
OptionDescription
Share FileBrowse and send any file from device storage
Share ImagePick one or more images from the gallery
Take PhotoCapture a photo with the device camera
Record VideoRecord a video clip with the device camera
Voice MessageRecord an in-line audio message
Share LocationSend current GPS location
File sharing can be restricted by deployment configuration. When file_restriction_enabled is true, only file types listed in file_restriction_list are permitted.
The default file_restriction_enabled value is false (all file types allowed). When restrictions are enabled, the permitted extensions are:3gpp, aac, amr, avi, bmp, css, csv, dib, doc, docx, eml, flac, gif, html, ico, jfif, jpeg, jpg, jpg-large, key, m4a, m4v, md, midi, mkv, mov, mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpeg3, mpg, msg, ods, odt, ogg, pdf, pjp, pjpeg, png, pps, ppt, pptx, psd, pst, rtf, sql, svg, tex, tiff, txt, vcf, vid, wav, webm, webp, wmv, xls, xlsx, xml
Multiple files and images can be selected and sent in a single action.

Self-Deleting Messages

Self-deleting messages automatically delete themselves from all devices after a configurable timer expires. The feature is enabled globally via the self_deleting_messages flag (default: true). Users choose a timer duration per message from the composer settings. Available durations are:
DurationNotes
OffNo automatic deletion
10 seconds
1 minuteDeveloper builds only
5 minutes
1 hour
1 day
1 week
4 weeks
The 1-minute option is only shown when developer_features_enabled is true. It is filtered out of release builds.
Self-deleting messages are marked as ephemeral. Reply and reaction options are not available on ephemeral messages.

Message Reactions and Emoji

Users can react to any non-ephemeral, non-composite message with an emoji. The reaction picker is accessible by long-pressing a message and selecting the reaction option from the context menu.
  • Reactions from all participants are aggregated and displayed as pill counters below the message.
  • Tapping an existing reaction pill toggles your own reaction.
  • Own reactions are highlighted in the reaction list.

Message Actions

Long-pressing a message opens a context menu with the following actions (availability depends on message type and sender):

React

Add or change an emoji reaction. Not available on ephemeral or composite messages.

Details

View delivery and read receipts for the message.

Copy

Copy message text to the clipboard (text messages only).

Reply

Quote and reply to the message. Not available on ephemeral or composite messages.

Edit

Edit a message you sent (your own messages only).

Delete

Delete a message. Always available, even while uploading.

Reply (Quote)

Replying to a message embeds a quoted preview of the original message above the composer. The quoted message is rendered inline in the conversation thread so recipients can see the context.

Edit Message

Editing updates the message content in place. An edited indicator is shown to all participants.

Delete Message

Users can delete their own messages for everyone in the conversation or only for themselves. A confirmation dialog is shown before deletion.

Message Status

Each sent message shows a delivery status indicator:
  • Sending — message is in transit
  • Sent — delivered to the server
  • Delivered — received by at least one other device
  • Read — read by the recipient (1:1 conversations, read receipts enabled)
  • Failed — delivery failed; can be retried

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