You can archive or permanently delete conversations in Beside to keep your conversation list organized. Archiving hides a conversation without removing it, while deleting removes it permanently.
📌 Archiving is mobile-only, deleting works on the web too. You archive conversations in the Beside mobile app (iPhone or Android). On Beside on the web you can delete conversations, but not archive them yet. Once a conversation is deleted on any device, it's removed everywhere you're signed in.
Archive a conversation
Archiving hides a conversation from your main view without deleting it.
Long-press the conversation you want to archive in the Chats tab
Tap Archive
On Android, you can also swipe a conversation to archive it (swiping the other way pins it).
To view archived conversations, open the Chats tab, tap the filter icon at the top, and under View select Archived.
Pin a conversation
Pinning keeps a conversation at the top of your Chats tab, above everything else, so you don't have to scroll to find the people you talk to most.
On iPhone
Swipe right on the conversation and tap Pin, or
Long-press the conversation and select Pin
On Android
Swipe the conversation in the opposite direction to archiving, or long-press it and select Pin
To unpin, repeat the same action and choose Unpin.
How many conversations you can pin
The limit depends on your phone:
On iPhone | On Android | |
How many pins | 10 | 5 |
Counted | Per line, so each of your lines gets its own 10 | Across your whole account, every line together |
Do archived, spam or deleted conversations use up a pin? | No | Yes |
📌 Good to know:
You need to be under the limit, not exactly on it. At 10 pins on an iPhone line (or 5 on Android), Pin is greyed out in the long-press menu and doesn't appear at all when you swipe.
If you had more pinned than the limit before updating, they all stay pinned. You just can't add a new one until you drop back under.
Pinning is not available on 📖 Beside on the web yet.
🟡 On Android, pins you cannot see still count:
A pinned conversation still counts towards the 5 when it is archived, marked as spam, or on another line - so your list can look almost empty while you are still at the limit.
To find them, open the Chats filter and look under View → Archived, then turn on Type → Spam, and check each of your lines.
On iPhone this no longer happens: archived, spam and deleted conversations give their pin back.
💡 Pins are saved on your device: They stay on the phone where you set them. They do not carry over to another phone or tablet, and they are cleared when you sign out.
Delete a conversation
Deleting removes a conversation and all history with that contact - call transcripts and summaries, voicemails, voice notes, and text messages. On a shared line, it is removed for everyone on that line, not just for you.
The steps differ depending on your phone:
On iPhone
Swipe left on the conversation and tap Delete, or
Long-press the conversation and select Delete
On Android
Long-press the conversation and select Delete
⚠️ On Android, swiping does not delete. Swiping a conversation archives it (or pins it, depending on the direction). The conversation leaves your list but is not deleted, so it comes back. To delete on Android, always long-press.
On Beside on the web
In the Chats tab, open the filter menu at the top and choose Select conversations
Tick the conversation you want to delete (you can tick several)
In the bar at the bottom, open More, choose Delete, then confirm with Delete
Right-clicking a conversation doesn't offer Delete on the web, so always go through Select conversations.
⚠️ Important:
Once deleted, the conversation cannot be recovered.
On a shared line, deleting removes the conversation for the whole team, not just for you.
You cannot delete individual messages - only entire conversations.
Act on several conversations at once
On iPhone and Android, you can select multiple conversations and apply one action to all of them.
In the Chats tab, open the menu at the top right and tap Select conversations
Tap each conversation you want to include, or tap Select all (Deselect all clears your choice). The header shows how many are selected.
Pick an action from the bar at the bottom
The available actions are Archive (or Unarchive), Read (or Unread), Pin (or Unpin), Block, and Delete. Which ones sit in the bar and which are folded into the More menu depends on what you're looking at - on a line or your combined view, Block and Delete live under More. Deleting or blocking asks you to confirm first.
On Beside on the web, Select conversations is the last item of the Chats filter menu. The actions there are Mark as read, Mark as spam (or Mark as not spam), Block for your organization, and Delete. Archive and Pin aren't available on the web yet.
💡 Good to know:
An action greys out if any selected conversation can't take it - Beside never applies an action to only part of your selection.
Whether the button reads Archive or Unarchive (and Read or Unread, Pin or Unpin) follows the majority of what you selected.
Pinning has a limit - 10 per line on iPhone, 5 on Android. If your selection would take you over, Beside pins none of them and tells you the maximum - see Pin a conversation.
Filter what you see
On the Beside mobile app (iPhone and Android), the Chats tab has a filter menu so you can narrow the list before acting on it. Tap the filter icon at the top, and you'll find the choices grouped into three sections:
View - which list you're looking at: Active (the default) or Archived. You can only be in one view at a time.
Type - Top clients and Spam. These narrow whichever view is on rather than replacing it, so a top client can still be archived or unread.
Status - Unread, to show only the conversations you haven't read.
Select conversations sits at the bottom of the same menu, and acts on whatever the filters above have left in the list.
On iPhone, a line at the top of the menu sums up what's on, for example Showing Archived · Spam · Unread. On Android, a badge on the filter icon counts how many filters are active, so you can tell a filtered list at a glance, and Clear resets them.
Mark conversations as read
To mark a single conversation as read without opening it in the Beside mobile app:
Long-press the conversation in your Chats tab
Tap Mark as Read
To clear several at once, use Select conversations, tap Select all, then tap Read - see Act on several conversations at once.
Archive voice memos
Voice memos can currently be archived only, not permanently deleted. More control over voice memo management is planned for a future update.
Known limitations
⚠️ Deleting from a shared line you don't own doesn't work yet. If you are an invited member rather than the account owner, conversations you delete come back to your list - refreshing, signing out or reinstalling the app won't help, because the deletion never reaches our servers. We have identified the cause and a fix is on the way.
What to do in the meantime: ask the account owner to delete the conversation. Deleting works from their account and clears it for the whole team.
📌 Note: If you don't see the option to delete a conversation, it's likely because the contact is also a Beside user. Archiving and deleting conversations with Beside contacts is not yet supported - this will be improved in a future update.
FAQ
Can I unarchive a conversation?
Can I unarchive a conversation?
Yes. In the Chats tab, tap the filter icon at the top and under View select Archived. Find the conversation, then long-press it and tap Unarchive. It will return to your main conversation list. You can also select several archived conversations at once and tap Unarchive.
Can I mark all conversations as read at once?
Can I mark all conversations as read at once?
Yes. Open the menu at the top right of the Chats tab, tap Select conversations, tap Select all, then tap Read.
Can I delete individual messages instead of the whole conversation?
Can I delete individual messages instead of the whole conversation?
No. Beside currently only supports deleting entire conversations. Individual message deletion is not available.
Can I bulk-archive or bulk-delete multiple conversations at once?
Can I bulk-archive or bulk-delete multiple conversations at once?
Yes. Tap Select conversations in the Chats tab menu, choose the conversations you want, then pick Archive or Delete (Delete may sit under More). You can also bulk Read, Pin, and Block.
Why can't I delete a conversation with a specific contact?
Why can't I delete a conversation with a specific contact?
If the contact is also a Beside user, the delete option may not appear. This is a known limitation that the team is working to resolve in a future update.
Can I delete the Receptionist demo conversation?
Can I delete the Receptionist demo conversation?
Yes, on iPhone (version 2.30.0 and later), on Android (version 1.29.0 and later) and on Beside on the web, the same way as any other conversation. On iPhone, swipe it left and tap Delete, or long-press it and select Delete. You can also include it when you select several conversations to delete. On Android it's the chat named Receptionist Demo. On iPhone it's named Receptionist Demo too, or shows your line's name if the demo call isn't its most recent item.
Why is an action greyed out when I've selected several conversations?
Why is an action greyed out when I've selected several conversations?
Because at least one conversation in your selection can't take that action - Beside greys it out rather than applying it to only some of them. Deselect the conversation that doesn't fit and the action becomes available again. Delete, for example, isn't supported on conversations with another Beside user.
How many conversations can I pin?
How many conversations can I pin?
It depends on your phone. On iPhone, 10 per line, so each of your lines gets its own 10. On Android, 5 across your whole account. Pinning is not available on the web app yet. If you had more pinned than that before updating, they all stay pinned - you just need to drop back under the limit before you can pin a new one.
I unpinned conversations but still cannot pin a new one
I unpinned conversations but still cannot pin a new one
You need to be under the limit, not exactly on it: at 10 pins on an iPhone line (or 5 on Android), Pin is greyed out in the long-press menu and does not appear at all when you swipe. Unpin one more and the option comes back.
On Android, also remember that pinned conversations still count when they are archived, marked as spam, or on another line - open the Chats filter, look under View → Archived, turn on Type → Spam, and check each of your lines. On iPhone those give their pin back, and a full line never stops you pinning on a different line.
I'm on the web app. How do I delete a conversation or its call recording?
I'm on the web app. How do I delete a conversation or its call recording?
Select it first: open the Chats filter menu, choose Select conversations, tick the conversation, then open More and choose Delete. Confirm, and the conversation and its call recordings are removed on every device you're signed in to. Right-clicking a conversation doesn't offer Delete.
I swiped to delete on Android and the conversation came back. Why?
I swiped to delete on Android and the conversation came back. Why?
On Android, swiping a conversation archives it rather than deleting it, so it returns to your list. To delete a conversation on Android, long-press it and select Delete. Swipe-to-delete is only available on iPhone.
I deleted conversations and they came back. Why?
I deleted conversations and they came back. Why?
Two things can cause this. On Android, swiping archives a conversation rather than deleting it - long-press and select Delete instead. On a shared line you do not own, deleting does not take effect yet and the conversations return to your list; this is a known issue and a fix is on the way. Signing out or reinstalling the app will not change either case. If you are an invited member, ask the account owner to delete the conversations - it works from their account and removes them for the whole team.
If I delete a conversation, does my teammate lose it too?
If I delete a conversation, does my teammate lose it too?
Yes. On a shared line, deleting removes the conversation for everyone on that line, not just for you. It cannot be recovered afterwards.