New improved messaging system

[Phoenix]

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?

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]

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?

[Mary from Italy]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

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]

Originally Posted by Mary from Italy

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.

[kiterunner]

By the way, my old laptop is having trouble coping with the new messaging system.

[kiterunner]

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.

[Mary from Italy]

Originally Posted by kiterunner

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?

[kiterunner]

Originally Posted by Mary from Italy

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.

...and you can only delete your sent messages not the ones received.