Send photos, videos and files as a page
Attach a photo, several photos, a video or a document and send as you always do. When Hosted files is on (it is on for every workspace), every attachment becomes a page at link.ody.co/m/… that carries your business name, logo and website: a single photo opens large, two or more photos become a swipeable gallery, a video plays on the page, a PDF opens in one tap. The conversation then tells you who opened it, which photos they looked at and what they saved.
There is deliberately nothing to choose per message. One photo, one PDF, a gallery of twelve: all the same, always a page. If your team would rather send normal picture messages, that is one switch in Settings (see below), not a decision on every text.
Before you start
- Texting (including picture messages) requires your workspace's Text messaging setup to be complete. See Messaging limits and compliance.
- You can attach photos, PDFs, short videos, audio clips, contact cards (.vcf) and calendar invites (.ics), up to 10 per message. Photos can be up to 20 MB each, other files up to 15 MB each.
- Hosted files is on by default. A workspace admin or owner can personalize the page or switch it off in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files (web) or Settings → Hosted files (iPhone and Android). See Hosted files: personalize your page and see who opened it.
Step-by-step
Send photos or a file on the web (app.ody.co)
Open a conversation in the Inbox.
Click the Attach (paperclip) button in the composer and pick your files. On your phone's browser it is the paperclip at the left of the message box.
Look at the line under the thumbnails. It tells you how the text will arrive:
- Will arrive as one gallery of 3 photos: the photos go on a single page.
- Will arrive as a page with your branding: a single photo, a video, a document or a mix goes on a page.
Optionally type a message. It appears on the first photo of the gallery, or above a single file.
Click Send. Your customer receives one text: your message, then a line such as
3 photos: link.ody.co/m/….
On iPhone and Android
- Open a conversation in Inbox.
- Tap + at the left of the message box, then choose Photo Library, Take Photo or Choose File.
- Optionally type a message, then tap the send arrow.
The page is made by Ody when the text leaves, so photos and files sent from the apps arrive exactly the same way. The page chip under your message, the Open page and Revoke buttons and the "opened your photos" line in the thread are in the apps too.
What your customer sees
- The page opens on the content. A single photo fills the screen; a gallery opens on the first photo, large and edge to edge, with the rest in a strip below and a 1 / 7 counter. They swipe, tap a thumbnail or use the arrow keys. There is nothing to tap to "open" the gallery.
- A video plays on the page. A PDF or other document shows its name and size with an Open button.
- At the top: your business name and logo. At the bottom: Save (when you allow it for that kind of file), Visit website (if you added your website) and Text back, which opens their messaging app on the number you texted from.
- In small type under that: Shared securely with Ody, a Report link and, if your workspace limits how long pages stay open, the date it stays open until.
- Nothing is shown to search engines or link previews. Messaging apps that preview links only see "Your Business sent you 3 photos".
What you see in the conversation
- Under your message, a page chip shows the page: Sent as a page · not opened yet at first, then how many opens, how many photos were looked at and how many were saved. Click or tap Open page to see exactly what your customer sees.
- When your customer opens the page for the first time, the conversation moves to the top of the inbox (without an unread badge) and a line appears in the thread: Maria opened your 3 photos · looked at all 3 · saved 1 · visited your website. Repeat opens add opened 2×.
- The Files section of the Analytics screen (web) rolls all of this up. See Hosted files: personalize your page and see who opened it.
Revoke a page
Under your sent message, click or tap Revoke on the page chip. The link stops opening immediately and the chip changes to Link revoked. If your workspace set a limit under Pages stay open for, pages also stop opening on their own after that time; by default they stay open as long as the conversation exists.
When Hosted files is off
If an admin switches Enable hosted files off, files go out exactly as before: photos as picture messages (resized to fit), and any file too big for MMS as a plain secure link such as quote.pdf: https://api.ody.co/m/… that opens the file directly. No page, no gallery and no opens are tracked. See Send photos and PDFs in a text (MMS).
Troubleshooting
- My photos went as separate picture messages — Enable hosted files is off in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files. Switch it on and the next text goes out as a page.
- I want this one text to go as a normal picture message — there is no per-message choice. Either keep pages for everything, or have an admin switch Hosted files off for the whole workspace.
- My customer says the page has expired — your workspace limits how long pages stay open in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files, or someone revoked it from the thread. Send the files again.
- No "opened" line appears — opens only show when Show opens in conversations is on. Link previews and scanners are never counted, so a line always means a person opened the page. Pages do not open in a few countries where Ody is not available.
- The logo or color on the page is the old one — each page keeps the branding it was sent with. Pages you send after changing Settings use the new look.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I have to do anything to send a page?
No. Attach your photos or files and send as usual. Your customer gets one text with a link.ody.co/m/… link that opens straight on the content. One photo, one PDF or a whole gallery all arrive this way.
What does my customer see?
A clean page with your business name, logo and accent color if you set them, the photos, video or files, a Save button when you allow it, a Visit website button if you added your website, and a Text back button that opens their messaging app on your number. A small Shared securely with Ody line sits at the bottom.
Can I choose to send a normal picture message instead, just for one text?
No. There is no per-message choice. With Hosted files on, every attachment goes out as a page. If your team prefers normal picture messages, a workspace admin switches off Enable hosted files in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files, and every attachment goes out as a picture message again.
How long does the page stay open?
As long as the conversation exists, by default. A workspace admin can limit it to 7, 30 or 90 days in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files, and you can revoke any page from the thread at any time.
How do I go back to the old way of sending files?
A workspace admin switches off Enable hosted files in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files. Files then go out exactly as before: picture messages when they fit, a plain secure link when they don't, and nothing is tracked.