Comments, mentions and your inbox

Each task has one timeline. Comments, changes and files all show there, in order. When a task you are on changes, you hear about it in your inbox and as a push on your phone or Mac. There are no email alerts.

How it works

Comments are plain and quick:

• Write a comment on any task. Type @ and pick a name to mention someone.
• Edit or delete your own comments. An admin can delete anyone's.
• A deleted comment leaves a short note in its place, so the thread still reads right.
• Guests can read comments but cannot write them.

You can attach files to a task, up to 10 MB each. Images open in a preview inside the app, and you can pinch to zoom. Other files, PDFs too, have no preview. You save or share them from a download button. On a Mac you can drag files onto a task. The person who added a file, or an admin, can remove it.

The history writes itself. devBoard logs who changed what: status, priority, type, dates, estimate, release, assignees, tags (labels), files, time logged and more. It sits in the same timeline as the comments. So you can read a task from top to bottom and know its whole story.

Your inbox has three kinds of entry:

• Someone assigned you to a task.
• Something changed on a task you are assigned to.
• Someone mentioned you in a comment or a description.

Your own changes never show up in your own inbox. Opening the inbox marks it all read. If new entries come in while it is open, a Mark all read button appears. Each entry also goes out as a push to iPhone, Android and Mac.

Email is used for three things only: sign-up codes, password resets and workspace invites.

An example: Luka, Mira and Ivan

Luka, Mira and Ivan are a three-person studio shipping a mobile app. Mira finds a layout bug on a small screen. She takes a screenshot, attaches it to the task and writes "@Luka this breaks on the iPhone SE". A push lands on Luka's Mac. He opens it, sees the image in the task and replies.

Ivan is also assigned to the task. His inbox shows that Mira commented, and later that Luka moved it to Done. Anyone who opens the task reads it all in one timeline: the screenshot, the reply and the move. It all shows up without a refresh.

What it does not do

• No email alerts or daily digests.
• No threads or emoji reactions. Comments are one flat list.
• No inbox entry for tasks you are not on, unless someone mentions you.
• No preview inside the app for PDFs or other files that are not images.
• Guests cannot comment or attach files. See the roles on one workspace per client.
• No push on Windows or Linux yet. Those apps are not out.

Set it up

There is nothing to set up. Allow alerts when the app asks. Then invite your team, so there is someone to mention. Or see all devBoard features.