Friends and invitations
Your friends are the people close to you with whom you share your animals' lives: they see your friends-only posts in the news feed and you can send them private messages.
The app also lets you follow accounts (a breeder, a shelter, a boarding facility…) to see their public news, and invite people who have not signed up yet.
Getting to your friends
Two routes lead to your friends list:
- the Friends button in the button bar at the bottom of the screen (or behind the "more" button if you don't see it directly);
- the side menu, Community section, Friends entry.
The Friends page has two tabs:
Friends
Your pending friend requests, then the My Friends list, with a Search a friend field to find someone quickly.
Followed accounts
The accounts whose public news you follow, which appear in your news feed.
Adding a friend who has already signed up
- On the Friends page, tap Add in the action bar at the bottom.
- In the Already on the app tab, type the person's name or their unique name.
- Tap Add as friend next to the right person: Request sent appears.
- The person receives a notification and must accept your request for you to become friends.
Replying to a friend request
When someone sends you a request, it appears under Friend Requests on the Friends page, and in the Pending requests tab of the add screen.
- Accept: you become friends.
- Decline (or the red cross): the request is deleted.
- Requests you have sent are marked Waiting; you can cancel them with the cross.
Managing your friends
For each friend in the My Friends list:
- Follow / Unfollow: choose whether their news appears in your news feed. The status is shown by Followed or Not followed.
- The globe icon opens their public page, if they have one.
- The bin icon removes them from your friends, after confirmation.
Following an account
Following an account does not require their agreement: you simply see their public news in your news feed.
- On the Friends page, open the Followed accounts tab.
- Tap Add (or Add a follow if the list is empty).
- Search for the account by name, then select it.
To stop, tap Unfollow next to the account.
Inviting someone who hasn't signed up yet
The add and invite screen opens in several ways:
- from the side menu, Community section: Invite friends in Son Espace Santé, Invite an adopter in the Shelter app, Invite a client in the Breeder and Boarding apps;
- from the Friends page, Add button;
- from the chat area (see Discussions).
Each tab is a different way to invite:
| Tab | What it does |
|---|---|
| By email | Enter the address then tap Invite: the invitation is sent for you. If the address already has an account, the person receives a friend request instead. |
| My contacts | On a phone only: Invite my contacts opens your address book so you can choose a contact. Nothing is sent to our servers; your address book stays on your phone. |
| My link | Your personal invitation link, to copy or share with Share my invitation (messaging apps, social media, text message…). |
| My QR code | The same link as a QR code, to have scanned face to face. |
Automatically friends
Anyone who signs up with your link or QR code automatically becomes your friend, with no request to accept. You are both notified.
If the app is already installed on their phone, the link opens it directly; otherwise, it leads to sign-up.
The My link tab shows the number of people you have already invited. In Son Espace Santé, your successful invitations earn you the Ambassador medal (see Medals).
For professionals: inviting your clients
In the Breeder, Shelter and Boarding apps, the By email tab also lists, under Not on the app yet, your clients (or adopters) saved with an email address but without an account. Tapping Invite next to a name sends them the invitation; Invitation sent then appears.
A badge on the tab shows how many clients are left to invite.
Frequently asked questions
My friend request stays "Waiting"
The person hasn't replied yet. You can cancel the request and send them your invitation link instead: if they don't have the app, they will sign up and you will become friends directly.
What's the difference between a friend and a followed account?
A friend is a two-way relationship accepted on both sides: you see friends-only posts and can message each other. A followed account is one-way: you only see its public news.
Can my friends see my animals?
Your friends see journal posts whose visibility is set to friends. To give access to an animal's profile (health, documents…), use animal sharing instead.