View Full Version : New improved messaging system
My aunt's death has prompted me to look at old photos and I want to send one to a DNA match.
I have managed to search my old emails to find their address, but Ancestry appears to have deleted old messages.
Am I right, or are they merely temporarily unavailable?
maggie_4_7
30-05-20, 08:41
I don't like the new look at all.
Interesting that all of your messages have dissapeared because I deleted all my messages in January, sent and received, and they have now all come back!
kiterunner
30-05-20, 09:20
All my old messages back as far as 2009 are still there as far as I can see, but it's one of those systems where you have to scroll through and wait for more to load. I don't seem to have any left from before 2009 though. :(
It gives me the option to download my "1 folder and messages from our previous system ... until 31 August 2020." but that just downloads my "dealt with" folder containing 1 message. I didn't even know I had such a folder! Edit - or is it just because that was the oldest message left and so was displayed on the screen when I clicked to download?
As for whether the missing messages will come back or not, who knows?
But anyway, don't your old emails show the message text in them?
kiterunner
30-05-20, 09:24
By the way, my old laptop is having trouble coping with the new messaging system.
kiterunner
30-05-20, 11:45
A couple of things I have noticed:
1. You may not get a notification of a message arriving, and you will only see that there is a new one when you actually go into messaging.
2. If you view the profile of an Ancestry member and click "Message" it will show you previous messages exchanged with that person. I haven't managed to find someone whom I messaged before 2009 yet, to see whether older messages would show up that way.
maggie_4_7
30-05-20, 12:58
...and you can only delete your sent messages not the ones received.
kiterunner
30-05-20, 18:44
I tried installing the Ancestry app on my Android smartphone to see whether the messaging system works better on that, but I have no idea what system it is using to sort the messages on there. The first one it showed me was from 2017 and from someone who died a couple of years ago. And it seems to have messages I have sent and received all jumbled in together. The search facility does seem to work quite well, though.
Oh, I should add that when I installed the Ancestry app it asked me to select a family tree to download. Luckily I have some small ones as well as my main massive one, so I picked one of those. I should think my main tree would use up all the storage on my phone!
kiterunner
30-05-20, 18:54
Ah, it looks as though Ancestry brought in a new "online messages" feature in 2009 which "replaced the email-based Ancestry Connection Service." So that will be why the messages only go back to 2009. I don't remember what the previous system was like now.
Mary from Italy
30-05-20, 19:25
1. You may not get a notification of a message arriving, and you will only see that there is a new one when you actually go into messaging.
Are you still getting emailed notifications?
I'm sure I used to get notification of incoming messages, but I haven't received any for a year or two. I complained to Ancestry, who said they'd never sent any such notifications.
That's not right, is it?
Mary from Italy
30-05-20, 19:32
I have a nasty feeling I've asked that question before - if so, just ignore it :confused:
Mary from Italy
30-05-20, 19:35
It gives me the option to download my "1 folder and messages from our previous system ... until 31 August 2020."
Where did you find that option? I can't see it anywhere.
kiterunner
30-05-20, 22:06
Are you still getting emailed notifications?
I'm sure I used to get notification of incoming messages, but I haven't received any for a year or two. I complained to Ancestry, who said they'd never sent any such notifications.
That's not right, is it?
I was receiving email notifications until they switched me to the new messaging system. But I have only received one message since then so I can't say for sure that I'm not getting the notifications any more. It certainly didn't show up on the envelope icon in the top right-hand corner of the ancestry site.
kiterunner
30-05-20, 22:11
Where did you find that option? I can't see it anywhere.
I click on the envelope, then on "see all messages" and then on the page that comes up for the new messaging system, in the bottom left-hand corner it says "Download message folders" with a little up or down arrow next to it. If you click on that little arrow it pops up with "Your messages are now located in our new message center and can be viewed by recipient.
Your 1 folder and messages from our previous system will be available to download and save until 31 August 2020."
I think I understand why it only downloaded 1 message for me now - it is only downloading messages which have been put into folders and I didn't know that folders existed, and must have just accidentally put that one message into a folder.
If you never used folders at all, then I imagine you wouldn't get the download option at all.
Is the text box for your email green? Is there anyway to change that colour?
kiterunner
02-06-20, 08:27
Yes, it is, and I don't know whether you can change it.
kiterunner
25-06-20, 22:41
I got an email today telling me that I had a new message, so it is still sending those emails out, at least some of the time.
I just got an email today to say I had a message, so that is working for me. Let's hope the person get notification that I have messaged them back!
It tells you that your messages have been read, so now I know I'm being ignored rather than they don't log in and haven't seen my message. :(
It tells you that your messages have been read, so now I know I'm being ignored rather than they don't log in and haven't seen my message. :(
I am not sure how good the "read" notification is, someone who had not logged on for more than 3 months seems to have read my message from about a month ago. Could they tell if the person had read the email they send??
kiterunner
02-07-20, 22:49
I've seen a lot of posts on Facebook which say the "read" notification is glitched.
kiterunner
08-07-20, 22:32
It looks as though they are having a go at fixing the notifications on the Ancestry website itself (the envelope in the top right-hand corner, which should show a number if you have new messages). I just got a notification of two new messages dated today, though they both seem to be the same message, from a few weeks ago.
Mary from Italy
23-08-20, 13:45
I've just noticed that the original message Ancestry sent to announce the new messaging system says "You can read and reply to messages and create folders for saving and organizing messages."
I can't see any way to do that - can anyone else?
"Downloading folders
It's not currently possible to create folders in the new messaging center, but you can download folders you already created to your computer. You can download folders until 31 August, 2020.
In the messaging center, click Download Folders at the bottom of the panel on the left side. You'll only see this option if you created folders in the previous messaging center.
A .zip file will be downloaded to your computer. If you see it at the bottom of your page, click on it there. Otherwise, check your Downloads folder."
Actually, it would be quite nice if my 35 recent in messages were shown as read, and I got email notifications of new messages.
Mary from Italy
25-08-20, 15:54
A feedback message popped up the other day, so I made some of these points in my feedback.
Mary from Italy
27-08-20, 20:20
I was astonished to get an almost immediate result after sending in my feedback: today, for the first time in years, I got an emailed notification that a new message had arrived!
I also noticed that when I send a new message it now immediately says "delivered", with the time I sent it, and presumably changes to "read" when the recipient has read it.
kiterunner
27-08-20, 21:52
It won't stop saying I have 1 new message now, although I have read them all.
Damn thing told me I had 35 unread messages (which I had already read), but omitted the latest one.
Mary from Italy
28-08-20, 15:08
I also noticed that when I send a new message it now immediately says "delivered", with the time I sent it, and presumably changes to "read" when the recipient has read it.
I spoke too soon.
I sent a message at 9.57 last night, and it showed "delivered" followed by that time.
When I looked at it this morning it said "read", followed by exactly the same time. Seems unlikely.
maggie_4_7
03-09-20, 06:21
I had a new message yesterday which it showed, I read it and the notification went, then later on in the day it was showing that I have 7 new messages which I don't and it is still showing 7 new messages!
Yep, and when I traced them back, they were conversation strings dating back months.
Mary from Italy
04-09-20, 20:17
It's also annoying that the list of messages you see when you click on the envelope at the top right (next to the leaf icon) doesn't include the latest messages, or if it does, they're in the wrong order.
maggie_4_7
05-09-20, 09:43
I think this new messaging system is atrocious.
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