Live Chat is a powerful engagement tool that turns one-way broadcasts into dynamic, community-driven events.
By enabling real-time conversations between you and your audience, Live Chat helps increase viewer retention, build stronger connections with your community, and create more valuable content through direct feedback and interaction.
Impact on your Membership Platform
Increased Viewer Retention: Audiences stay 3x longer on livestreams with active chat engagement
Community Building: Foster connections between members who share common interests
Real-Time Feedback: Gather instant insights about your content and offerings
Revenue Opportunities: Enable donations directly through chat for additional monetization
📝 NOTE: Live Chat is not available for Gated Zoom Links events, as these use Zoom's native chat functionality instead of Uscreen's chat system.
🔗 Learn more about Live Streaming with Gated Zoom Links
Enable Live Chat
Enabling Live Chat takes just a few clicks and instantly transforms your livestream into an interactive experience. Follow these simple steps to get started:
Navigate to Content > Live Streaming
Select an existing event or create a new one
Scroll down to the Player Options card
Toggle Live Chat to enable it
Click Save Changes
💡 TIP: Enable Live Chat for all your events to build engagement habits with your audience consistently.
Live Chat Experience
When you enable Live Chat, your members gain access to a seamless social experience that enhances their viewing. Here's what they'll see and be able to do:
A chat panel beside or below the video (depending on device)
The ability to post and read comments in real-time
Options to report inappropriate messages
A counter showing the number of active participants
📝 NOTE: Even for free events, users must be logged in to participate in chat. This helps maintain community standards and prevents spam.
Moderating the Live Chat
Maintaining a positive, safe environment is essential for successful livestreams. Our moderation tools give you complete control over your chat experience.
Accessing Moderation Tools
As an admin, you have two ways to access moderation tools during a live event:
From Live Studio: If you're streaming using Uscreen Live Studio, moderation controls are built directly into your streaming interface.
🔗 Learn more about Uscreen Live Studio
From the Website: While logged in as an admin, you can access the actual content.
Both methods give you access to the same moderation interface with three key tabs:
Live Chat: View all active messages
Flagged: Review messages reported by users
Blocked: Manage users who have been blocked
Moderation Actions for Admins
As an admin, you have powerful tools to maintain chat quality:
Delete messages: Remove inappropriate content with one click
Block users: Prevent disruptive participants from posting (all their previous messages will also be removed)
Unblock users: Restore chat privileges by visiting the Blocked tab
Member Actions to Help Moderate Chat
Your community can assist with moderation through the report function:
Members can report inappropriate messages by clicking the vertical ellipsis (⋮) next to any message
Reported messages appear in your Flagged tab for admin review
This community-driven approach helps you catch issues you might miss during busy streams
💡 TIP: Having clear community guidelines communicated before your event starts helps set expectations and reduces the need for moderation.
Troubleshooting Live Chat Issues
Even the best technology occasionally needs troubleshooting. Here are solutions to common chat issues that you can share with your members:
For Members Who Can't See Messages
If members report they can't see chat messages, these steps often resolve the issue:
Refresh the page: This reestablishes the chat connection
Check login status: Confirm they're logged in (required for chat access)
Try a different browser: Chrome and Safari provide the most reliable experience
Clear browser cache/cookies: This resolves many common connection issues
For Members Whose Messages Aren't Appearing
When members can see chat but their messages don't appear, try these solutions:
Check internet connection: Unstable connections can delay message delivery
Verify they haven't been blocked: If moderation actions were taken, they may need to be unblocked
Ensure they're using supported characters: Some special characters may not display properly
For Chat Loading or Refresh Issues
Our team is continuously improving chat reliability with recent backend updates that enhance performance:
Increased timeout duration from 15 minutes to 1 hour
Moved the Live Chat feature to a more stable server environment
Implemented technical improvements to prevent stuck chats
ℹ️ INFO: If issues persist, collecting the following information helps our support team assist faster: device and browser information, screenshots of the problem, and the specific time when the issue occurred.
FAQs
Can I see who's watching my livestream even if they don't chat?
Can I see who's watching my livestream even if they don't chat?
Yes, you will be able to view attendance data in the Live Stream Attendees Report, which is also accessible from your Analytics section, after the stream has ended.
Can I save the chat history after my livestream ends?
Can I save the chat history after my livestream ends?
Currently, chat messages aren't automatically saved after the event. We recommend taking screenshots of important conversations or assigning a team member to record key points.
Can I customize the appearance of the chat window?
Can I customize the appearance of the chat window?
The chat appearance is standardized across the platform to ensure a consistent user experience, but you can customize your overall player and branding.
Is there a limit to how many people can participate in the chat?
Is there a limit to how many people can participate in the chat?
There's no set limit to chat participants, though extremely high-volume chats (hundreds of simultaneous messages) may experience slight delays.
Can I pin important messages to the top of the chat?
Can I pin important messages to the top of the chat?
This feature isn't currently available, but you can highlight important information by repeating it periodically during your stream.
Do mobile app users have access to Live Chat?
Do mobile app users have access to Live Chat?
Yes, Live Chat is fully supported on both iOS and Android mobile apps, allowing your on-the-go audience to participate.