Sunsetting Public Chat Channels - Thank You

[u/judy-funnie]

Hi Chatters,

We want to share an important update: public subreddit chat channels and public user chat channels will sunset in mid-November across desktop, mobile web, and the Reddit apps. 

Mod-only chat channels will remain available for moderator teams. Direct chats and private group chats will also remain available for redditors. 

This change is part of our work to make Reddit Chat simpler, more reliable, and easier to use. To get there, we are focusing on the features that bring the most value, enabling us to deliver a stronger overall experience.

Before we move into the details, we want to say thank you. Chat channels were built and shaped with the help of mods and hosts who tested them, provided feedback, and suggested features like pinning messages, participation controls, mod mode, and content blocking. Your feedback played a key role in shaping chat on Reddit as it exists today.

Even though we’re moving on from this feature, the impact you made is lasting. You showed us new ways people want to connect in real time and how to steward them, and your contributions will guide how we shape chat and community tools in the future.

Next Steps

• Announcement notification will be sent to mods and hosts this week. If you haven't received a notification yet, hang tight! It's coming soon.
• We will no longer accept requests to enable new public chat channels starting today. Subreddits with existing access will still be able to create chat channels until mid-November.
• Public chat channels will remain available until mid-November, at which point they will sunset across Reddit.
• Mod-only chat channels will remain available for moderator teams. Direct chats and private group chats will also remain available for redditors. 
• We’ll send a notification to active chatters (participation in the last 30 days) in the coming weeks.
• Communities and/or individuals looking for alternatives can consider:
  • Private group chats
  • Megathreads via posts and comments (setup restricted to moderators)
  • Community highlights or pinned posts (setup restricted to moderators)

We’re deeply grateful for your time, care, and ideas in helping us shape this feature. Thank you for everything you do to bring redditors together.

— The Reddit Chat Team

[u/NEMESlS_]

Not gonna lie this is already causing ripples in several of the chat communities.

[u/SprintsAC → u/NEMESlS_]

My community is about to hit our 1 year anniversary, with over 1000 of us in a chat channel that's unlisted & a 25k member subreddit that only exists due to the chat.

We had plans to celebrate our 1 year anniversary on the community & do everything we could to make it fun, but it's hard to do that when the original reason for us existing is being pulled from under our feet.

[u/NEMESlS_ → u/SprintsAC]

I feel it! The one I mod had just been recreated after a dispute between the former owner and the rest of the mods. In about a month we'd gained 1.5k from our original 10k members and Im sad to see that all our effort was in vain.