AURA

Frame chats: board zones

A board frame can be given a chat of its own («A separate chat for this frame»): it becomes a zone with the direction «Decor», «Catering», «Print and colour proofs» or your own. A zone has its own members and its own chat, which works like any chat in «Chats». The chats of all your zones are gathered in the «Discussion» menu on the board and in «Project chats» (the button in the project header). The messages stay if the frame is removed from the board. Available in beta to everyone, no invitation needed.

Learn more: Help · Features.

Reviewed:

Beta: open to everyone

  • Zones and their chats are in beta together with «Chats» (see the article about Chats). Since 4 October 2026 they are open to every account, no invitation needed.
  • An AURA administrator can close them again to everyone except invited people on the «Beta access» tab: then a project member without an invitation sees neither frame chats nor «Project chats». If you do not have them, write to support.
  • Found a bug or something missing? Write to support and describe what you clicked and what you expected. The board and the frame chats have no «Beta feedback» button; it is at the bottom of the «Project chats» panel.

How to make a zone

  1. Open the project board and the «Frames» panel on the right under the top bar (on a phone «More» → «Frames»). If there is no frame yet, draw one first with the «Frame» button.
  2. On the frame you need in the list, click «⋯» and choose «A separate chat for this frame». The coordinator sees this item: the project owner or an editor of the whole project.
  3. In the «New zone» window, enter the «Zone name» and choose the «Direction»: «Decor», «Catering», «Print and colour proofs» or «Custom zone». If the zone's materials should be hidden from part of the team, tick «Private zone». Click «Make a zone»: the frame chat opens right away.
  4. Add people: above the chat click «Zone settings», and in the «Who is in the zone» block tick «In the zone» for the project members you need. For a project editor you can tick «Edits materials», and the owner can set «Own zones only» for a person.
  5. If a person is not in the list, first invite them to the project with the «Team» button.

Zone chat

  1. The chat opens to the right of the board in three ways: the «Chat» icon on the frame itself (the number shows unread messages), the «Open the chat of this frame» item in the «⋯» menu of a frame in the «Frames» panel, or the «Frame chats · N» row in the «Discussion» menu of the top bar (it opens the chat where someone is waiting for you). Clicking a frame name in the panel shows it on the board.
  2. A frame chat works like any chat in «Chats» (see the article about Chats): the message field, «@» for mentions, replies, pins, reactions, voice messages, photos, videos and files. Above the chat are the chips of your other zones, and the coordinator also has «Zone settings».
  3. The «Attach» paper clip adds up to 10 attachments to a message: photos and documents up to 25 MB, videos up to 200 MB. A file is downloaded from the feed with «Download».
  4. The «Link to a material» field links a message to an object inside the zone's frame. «To the material: …» appears in the feed, and clicking it selects the object on the board.
  5. You can correct your own message («Edit») or delete it («Delete») in the «⋯» menu of the message; the coordinator can delete any message. Older messages load as you scroll up, and new ones are marked with the «New messages» line.
  6. Choose the zone's notifications in the chat details (the «i» button, on a phone a line of «⋯») or with the bell in the chat header: «All messages», «Only mentions and replies» or «No notifications». This is your personal setting; it does not change anything for colleagues.

The «Project chats» panel

  1. In the project header, click «Project chats» (formerly «⋯» → «Board chats» and the «Discussions» panel). The number on the button shows the chats with unread messages. No board is needed for it.
  2. A list opens on the right: «Whole project», «Subgroups» and «Board zones». Each zone shows its unread messages, the «You were mentioned» mark and the date of the last message.
  3. Clicking a zone opens its chat right in the panel. «All project chats» takes you back to the list, «Open board» goes to the project board, «Open in Chats» expands the chat to the whole screen, and «Beta feedback» is at the bottom of the list.

Who sees what

  • The coordinator (the project owner and editors of the whole project without the «Own zones only» mark) sees all zones and all chats, and creates, configures and deletes zones.
  • Other members see only the zones they have been added to. Until you are added to any zone, «Board zones» in the «Project chats» panel is empty.
  • Members allowed to comment on the project can write in the chat. A viewer sees the feed and the line «You can only read this chat».
  • «Private zone»: members marked «Own zones only» do not see its materials on the board until they are added to the zone. The chat of any zone is visible only to its members and the coordinator.
  • A member marked «Own zones only» changes materials in the zone's frame only if «Edits materials» is ticked for them. This mark can be set only for a project editor.
  • A client who has been given only chosen options does not see the board, the zones or their chats.

Good to know

  • A zone chat is not the same as «Project chat» (an item of the «Discussion» menu on the board) and comments on objects: those are visible to the whole project team. In a zone chat, only its members and the coordinator write to each other.
  • The messages of a zone do not depend on its frame. If the frame is removed from the board, the chat stays in «Project chats» among the «Subgroups», marked «The frame is no longer on the board»; an empty zone without messages goes with its frame. «Delete zone» in the «Zone settings» window asks you to type the name and deletes the zone and its chat together with attachments; the frame and its materials stay on the board.
  • A project has up to 60 chats including «Whole project», subgroups and zones. A message holds up to 4000 characters and up to 10 attachments; photos and documents up to 25 MB, videos up to 200 MB. Chat attachments are stored privately and do not count toward the project's file limit.
  • Mentions and replies arrive with «Only mentions and replies» too; with «No notifications» nothing arrives. If a Telegram bot is connected in your profile, the mention arrives there too, and the link in the message opens this chat in «Chats».
  • Board zones are not related to the floor plan's «Adjoining areas» (welcome area, veranda, outdoors): these are different tools.

Zones and chats in the app

  1. Open the project board and tap «Zones and chats». The section is available with the discussions beta key.
  2. Save a frame, make it a zone and set the name, direction, color and openness.
  3. Assign the chat participants. The right to change materials is granted separately from access to the conversation.
  4. Write in the chat, mention participants and attach private files. Links to a card help you quickly find the material on the board.
  5. In the zone settings, choose notifications about all messages, only about mentions, or none.
  • Deleting a zone removes its chat and attachments and keeps the frame and cards. Deleting a frame has a different result. The openness of materials does not automatically grant access to the chat.
  • If the reply was lost, the sending is not repeated by itself. First refresh the chat and check whether the message appeared.

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