Chatting with a business
Chatting with a business
Paperwork generates questions. Is a photo of the card enough, or do you need the original? Which of the two addresses do you want? I sent it — did it arrive? Those questions usually end up scattered across email, text messages, and voicemail, none of which sit next to the document they are about.
My Chats puts them next to the document.
Who you can chat with
Conversations exist with businesses you are already connected to on my-id.ca — most often one that has sent you a document request: a realtor, mortgage broker, lawyer, or similar professional using the business side of the platform.
There is no directory and no way to start a conversation with a business you have no relationship with. This is deliberate: it keeps the feature from becoming an inbox for strangers.
Starting a conversation
Open the page for the business that requested documents from you — the one listing what they have asked for — and use the messages action there. That opens the conversation and takes you into it.
After that, the conversation lives in My Chats in the sidebar, and you can return to it from there.
In a conversation
- Messages arrive in real time. No refreshing.
- Attachments — send a file directly in the thread when it is easier than going through the formal document flow.
- Read state — messages are marked read as you view them, so both sides know where things stand.
- Delete — you can remove a message you sent.
Unread counts appear as a badge on My Chats in the sidebar, and in the app's status bar, so you do not have to go looking.
What the business can and cannot see
Chat is messages and attachments only. Being in a conversation gives a business no access to your profile, your files, or your documents.
Anything they receive from you comes through one of two deliberate acts: you respond to a document request, or you attach something in the chat. Both are you choosing to send it.
Everything shared is recorded in Sharing history, so there is one place to check what actually left your account.
Practical notes
- Keep the document flow for documents. Sending a signed form as a chat attachment works, but responding to the actual request keeps it tracked, versioned, and visible in your sharing history. Use chat for the conversation, not as the delivery mechanism.
- Do not paste sensitive numbers into chat. A SIN or full account number in a message is a copy sitting in a thread. Send it through the request flow, which is built for it. See Is it safe to store my SIN.
- If a business asks for something that feels wrong, ask in the chat why they need it. A legitimate professional will have an answer.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- Can I message any business on my-id.ca?
- No. Conversations exist only with businesses you are already connected to — typically one that has sent you a document request. There is no open directory to message strangers.
- Can the business see my whole profile through chat?
- No. Chat is messages and attachments only. The business sees what you explicitly share through a document request or a share action, nothing more.
- Are messages kept?
- Yes, the conversation stays in My Chats so you can go back to it. You can delete individual messages you sent.