Hosted files: personalize your page and see who opened it
Hosted files is the setting behind the link.ody.co/m/โฆ pages Ody sends when your team texts a photo, a gallery, a video or a file. In Settings โ Analytics โ Hosted files (web) or Settings โ Hosted files (iPhone and Android) a workspace admin personalizes the page (business name, logo, accent color, website), decides how long pages stay open and what customers can save, and can switch the whole thing off with one switch. The Files section of the Analytics screen (web) shows what was sent, what was opened and what was never opened.
Before you start
- You must be a workspace admin or owner to change these settings. Every member can see them, and every member sees the opens in conversations.
- The Files section of the Analytics screen follows the Analytics screen's plan rule (Growth or above). The pages themselves and the opens in conversations work on every paid plan.
- On your phone's browser: More โ Settings โ Analytics. In the apps: Settings โ Hosted files.
Step-by-step
The one switch: Enable hosted files
At the top of the card sits Enable hosted files, on by default. Its description says it all: Every photo, video, PDF or file your team texts arrives as a branded page with your name, logo and website, and you see who opened it. If you want to just send normal pictures, disable this.
- On: every attachment of every text goes out as a page. One photo, one PDF, twelve photos: always a page. Nobody on the team chooses per message.
- Off: every attachment goes out exactly as Ody sent it before Hosted files existed: photos as picture messages (resized to fit), files too big for a text as a plain secure link that opens the file directly. No page, no opens tracked. Pages already sent keep working until they expire or you revoke them.
Personalize your page
- Click Settings in the sidebar, then Analytics, and scroll to Hosted files.
- Under Your page:
- Business name on the page: leave empty to use your workspace name, or type the name customers know.
- Logo: click Upload logo and pick a PNG or JPG (square works best). It is shown at the top of every page. Replace or remove it any time.
- Accent color: pick one of the swatches or Pick a color. It colors the counter, the buttons and the dots on the page. Neutral uses Ody's default ink.
- Website: paste your
https://address. Every page gets a Visit website button, and taps are tracked like any other link.
- The Preview on the right updates as you type, showing a sample gallery the way your customers will see it.
Choose what happens to pages
- Show opens in conversations: adds "Maria opened your 7 photos" to the thread, with which photos were viewed and what was saved, and moves the conversation to the top of the inbox on the first open. Off keeps the pages but records nothing.
- Pages stay open for: a row of pill chips, Always (default), 7 days, 30 days, 90 days. Always means the page stays open as long as the conversation exists. With a limit, the link shows "This link has expired" after that time and the page's footer tells the customer the date. You can also Revoke any page from the thread at any time.
- Recipients can save: Photos and Documents are on, Video is off by default. Saving shows a Save button for that kind; anything can still be viewed on the page.
In the iPhone and Android apps
Open Settings โ Hosted files. The same controls are there: Enable hosted files, Show opens in conversations, Your page (name, logo from your photo library, accent dots, website), the Pages stay open for chips and the Recipients can save chips. Changes apply to the next text from any device. Admins and owners can change them; members can read them.
Read the Files section of Analytics
Open Analytics in the sidebar (web). The Files section sits under Link clicks and covers the selected range:
- Pages sent, Opened and Open rate: how many pages went out and how many were opened by a person at least once.
- Saves and Website taps: files kept on a phone, and taps on the page's Visit website button.
- Time to first open: the median time between sending and the first open.
- Opens per day, By kind (Galleries, Photos, Videos, Documents, Mixed, sent and opened), and the share of galleries viewed to the end.
- Not opened yet: pages older than two days that nobody opened, with the contact and a link into the conversation so you can follow up.
- Recent opens: who opened what, on which device, and whether it was a repeat.
Until the first page goes out the section shows Waiting for the first page; if Hosted files is off it shows a Turn on Hosted files button. The section is included in the Analytics CSV export. See Export analytics as CSV.
What Ody does to keep pages safe
- Every page has a unique, unguessable address. Ody stores only a fingerprint of it, so even Ody's own database cannot be used to open your pages.
- Photos are re-encoded with location and camera details removed before anyone sees them; files are checked by their real content, not their name.
- Pages are never indexed by search engines and never cached. Messaging apps that preview links only see "Your Business sent you 3 photos", never the content.
- Opens are counted only when a person opens the page. Link previews, scanners and prefetchers are filtered out. Ody keeps the device type and country of an open, never the IP address.
Troubleshooting
- I can't change the settings โ you need to be a workspace admin or owner. Ask one to make the change.
- I want pages for some texts and pictures for others โ that is not something Ody offers. The switch is for the whole workspace so your customers always get the same experience. Pick the one your team prefers.
- The logo upload is refused โ use a PNG or JPG under a few megabytes. SVG and other formats are not accepted.
- "Enter a full website address starting with https://" โ the Website field needs a complete address such as
https://www.example.com. - My customers still see the old logo โ pages keep the branding they were sent with. New pages use the new look.
- Files shows "Turn on Hosted files" but I want the numbers โ switch Enable hosted files back on; opens recorded before you switched it off reappear.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hosted files on by default?
Yes, for every workspace. Every photo, video, PDF or file your team texts arrives as a link.ody.co page. A workspace admin can switch it off in Settings โ Analytics โ Hosted files (web) or Settings โ Hosted files (iPhone and Android); files then go out as normal picture messages, exactly the way Ody sent them before.
Can my team pick page or picture message for each text?
No. Hosted files is one switch for the whole workspace. On means every attachment is a page; off means every attachment is a normal picture message. If you want to just send normal pictures, disable it.
How long do pages stay open?
As long as the conversation exists, by default. Under Pages stay open for, an admin can choose 7, 30 or 90 days instead. Any page can also be revoked from the thread at any time.
Where does my logo appear?
At the top of every page, next to your business name. Upload a PNG or JPG in Settings โ Analytics โ Hosted files โ Your page. Pages already sent keep the look they were sent with.
Is the Visit website button tracked?
Yes. Every tap on it is a tracked link, so it shows in the conversation as visited your website and in the Link clicks section as Hosted page button.
Which plan do I need?
Hosted pages and the opens shown in conversations work on every paid plan. The Files section of the Analytics screen is part of Analytics, which needs the Growth plan or above.
What does my customer see from Ody on the page?
Only a small Shared securely with Ody line at the bottom with a Report link, plus the date the page stays open until if your workspace set a limit. Your business is what they see first.