Taking Control of Your Connections with illumy's Private Messaging App

illumy empowers you to have complete control over your connections, communication, and privacy within the app, ensuring a secure and personalized experience. Here's how you can make the most of illumy:

#### find and connect with others

To initiate a conversation on illumy, you have two convenient options:

1. Send an Email: Click the "Create a New" button, enter the recipient's email address, compose your message, and click the Send button. The recipient's email address will appear in the left-side Messaging panel.

2. Send an illumy Chat: For an illumy chat, both parties need to be using illumy. Click the "Create a New" button, start typing the person's name or illumy username in the To field, select it from the dropdown, compose your message, and hit Send. illumy chat threads are displayed in purple text (light mode) or white text (dark mode) in the left-side Messaging panel.

#### upgrade conversations to connections

Once you've initiated a chat conversation with another illumy user, you can take it further by connecting with them to unlock additional features:

- Share your illumy profile: Connect with someone to share your illumy profile information.

- Activate Smart Connections: Expand your network with illumy's AI-powered Smart Connections.

Sending a connection invite is straightforward. Open your conversation thread from the Messaging panel, click the "Go to Contact" button near the upper-right corner (next to the trash can icon), and click the Connect button at the top of the person's profile. You'll see a message in the conversation thread confirming that you sent a connection invite.

#### withdraw a connection invitation

If you change your mind about inviting someone to connect, you can easily withdraw the invitation. From your conversation thread in the Messaging panel, look for the Withdraw Invite button. The person will not be notified, and you can view your withdrawn invitations in the Friends panel for future reference.

#### accepting others' connection invitations

When someone sends you a connection invite, their name will be marked with a notification badge in the left-side panel of the Messaging view. Click their name, and in the middle panel, you will have the option to accept the invitation. Upon accepting, a dropdown will appear with three permission levels: Acquaintance, Friend, or Best Friend. You can also dismiss the request without notifying the sender.

These permission levels allow you to control the visibility of your illumy profile. For instance, you can choose to share your birthday with Friends or your address with Best Friends. Learn how to adjust permissions for your illumy profile in this support article: [link to article on setting permissions].

#### removing a connection

If you no longer wish to maintain a connection, removing them is quick and easy. Navigate to the Contacts panel by clicking the contact-book icon, select the contact you want to remove, and their contact info will be displayed in the middle panel. If the contact is an illumy member, you'll see a "Remove Connection" button with a white border (or "Delete Contact" if they're not on illumy). Click the button, confirm your action in the pop-up window, and the connection will be removed.

Please note that removing a connection permanently deletes your conversation history, ensuring your digital privacy. Although the contact won't be notified when you remove them, your name will disappear from their Contacts panel upon their next screen refresh or log in.

Take control of your connections with illumy's private messaging app, ensuring a secure and personalized communication experience tailored to your preferences.