How early 2023 transformed Pachca: updates and plans

January: dark mode, better threads and search

At the start of the year, we added dark mode by popular demand. If you often work at night or just prefer darker colors, Pachca is now even more pleasant to use. You can switch themes in your profile settings. It's already available on the web, desktop apps and Android, and dark mode is coming to iOS soon.

We didn't want to stop there, so we got to work improving existing features.

First, we added a separate threads page. It works the same as the button next to your profile that was there before, but a dedicated window is much more convenient.

Second, we improved search in Pachca. You can now find people in global search, and search in chats and channels now accounts for periods, underscores and other symbols.

Other January updates:

• You can now share a message or thread with a private link.
• Profile pictures are bigger, and there are new buttons to remove your picture and save changes.
• You can now edit your messages at any time. Previously, there was a 24-hour limit.
• Inline code is now highlighted inside lists.
• When a call ends, you now get a message with its duration.

February: the updates window and formatting

February brought just as many important changes. We kicked off the month with a new updates window. You no longer have to look for the latest updates on our website: we show them right in the app.

Even if you close the window, you can always come back to it. Just click your profile in the bottom-left corner and select Latest updates.

After the updates window, we turned to working with text.

First, we built a new message input. It's more versatile: in one place, you can attach images or files, pick an emoji or mention someone. We also added an icon with markdown tips. Writing great-looking messages has never been easier.

Then we improved formatting. It now keeps line breaks and spaces and no longer breaks how lists display. We also made formatting available to bots and added code syntax highlighting, which makes code easier to read and errors easier to spot.

Other February updates:

• Threads are no longer marked as read just because you opened the threads page. To read all new messages, you need to open each thread.
• Users who log in with SSO can no longer change their first name, last name or email. All data syncs through SSO.
• When you log in to the desktop app, the page now fully reloads, so you'll run into fewer errors.

March: chatbots and notifications

We broke every productivity record at the end of Q1 2023, but let's take it one step at a time.

In March, we did a big overhaul of the integrations catalog. Now any employee can connect a chatbot. Developers and other technical folks will especially appreciate this: you can connect the work tools you need to Pachca yourself in no time.

We also added advanced bot settings. A bot's creator can choose which chats it's available in and who can edit it. You can also give a bot a profile picture now.

Next, we took on notifications. We know an endless stream of them can be distracting, so we made them friendlier. Now, if you mute a chat, you won't see a message count next to it, just a small gray dot. Nothing extra!

We also added the option to change the notification sound or turn it off entirely. You can do this in your profile settings. For now, it's only available on the web, but it's coming to other devices soon.

Other important March updates:

• Chat admins can now delete members' messages. No more spam!
• You can now resize the sidebar. This works not only for threads, but for every other side panel that opens on the right. To widen one, hover over the edge and drag. The app remembers the new width and won't change it.
• We added a player for audio and video files. All content is now available right in Pachca.
• When a new version comes out, users will see a banner prompting them to update. No more worrying about missing an important update!
• You can now see how many users your company has in the Members section.
• We released a new version of the desktop apps. It adds copy and save options in the right-click menu and new logos, plus lots of fixes. For example, we fixed an issue with opening PDF files.
• A big iOS update! The integrations catalog and other important features have made it to the app. Chats are now also stored on your device and load faster.

April: chat indicators, keyboard shortcuts and future plans

New month, new plans! We've already shipped a few new things in April.

First, we added an indicator for private chats in Pachca. Now they're easy to tell apart from public ones: there's a lock icon next to their name. Your private information is even safer.

The same update expanded formatting options again. You can now format text with keyboard shortcuts. Here they are:

• cmd/ctrl + b: bold
• cmd/ctrl + i: italic
• shift + cmd/ctrl + x: strikethrough
• shift + cmd/ctrl + c: inline code
• shift + cmd/ctrl + option/alt + c: code block

Plans

We're always improving Pachca, and to wrap up, we'd like to share our plans for the second half of April and beyond:

• Transferring company ownership.
• Multiple admins in chats.
• Pay-for-activity billing for small companies.
• Full-fledged workspaces.
• Permission settings for editing employee profile fields.

That's all for now. We want our work to be even more transparent for users, so we're retiring these recap articles. Now anyone can check the latest information at any time: all new updates are in the Changelog, and our future plans are on the public roadmap.