Help center support eXpress

We have collected answers to all the most popular questions to make it easy and convenient for you to use eXpress. If you do not find the answer to your question, please contact our support team.

User Profile

Personal Account

Personal Account (also referred to as an external or public profile) is created on RTS or ETS (a personal account cannot be used on ETS) when a user registers in the app. eXpress users registered with a personal account are highlighted in green.

What Is the Personal Account Responsible For?

A personal account is the basic identification entity of a user in the system. Despite the ability to connect to various servers (RTS/CTS/ECTS), the unchanging identifier remains the HUID, which is tied specifically to the personal account. This ensures seamless user identification regardless of the servers used.

Can I Stay in a Personal Account on the Public Server?

Yes, but only in the eXpress app. Start registration with an unused mobile number and skip email input to become a “green” user on the public server.

Personal Account on ETS

In custom branded apps for ETS, you cannot log in to a personal account; it exists on ETS solely for internal purposes. Additionally, if ETS is not isolated, a personal account is also created on RTS during registration.

Selecting RTS for a Personal Account

Since there are several public regional servers (RTS) in the federation, a personal account is created on one of them according to the following rules:
  • If a user registers using a mobile phone number, their personal account will be created on the RTS corresponding to the country code (for example, for +7, it will be the Russian RTS).
  • If a user registers without a phone number, the personal account will be created on the RTS associated with their CTS or non-isolated ETS.

Profile Identification by HUID

The unique identifier of a profile is not a mobile phone number, login, or email, but the HUID (Human Unique Identifier) of the personal account. The HUID consists of 32 alphanumeric characters separated by hyphens.

Can HUID Change?

The HUID of a personal account cannot be changed to another. It is the HUID of the personal account that identifies all user data stored on the servers. The HUID is also associated with personal encryption keys. When you change the linked phone number in your profile, the HUID remains unchanged.

What Happens When Connecting to a Corporate Server?

A personal account user can log in to an account on the corporate server (in any app) or log out of the corporate account and remain on RTS in their personal account (only in the eXpress app). On first corporate account login, the system copies the HUID from the personal account, overwriting the corporate account's temporary 'dummy HUID'. The status of an account on the corporate server is indicated by its type in the Admin Panel.

When is a New HUID Generated?

A user receives a new HUID only when creating a new personal account in the following cases:
  • registering a new account;
  • the old account was deleted, and the user registers with the same phone number for a new account.

How to Avoid Losing the Correspondence after Logout?

⚠️ To save your correspondence, meaning to use the same HUID after logging out, changing your login, email or surname, add a mobile phone number to your profile: Settings (avatar button) > Profile > three-dot button > Edit Profile, and then log in with your mobile phone number.

How to Check My HUID?

Your HUID can be viewed by your organization's system administrator or eXpress Support, and it is also present in the profile link and in the app's engineering menu.

eXpress Personal Account Features

A personal account in the eXpress app, unlike a corporate account, has certain limitations:
  • You can send files no larger than 25 MB (corporate users have a limit of 1 GB).
  • A personal account user cannot call another personal account user. Calls can only be made to corporate users.
  • Creating conferences is not available, but you can join conferences hosted by corporate users by invitation.
  • Corporate features such as Tags, Reminders, SmartApps, and Confidential Mode are not available (if a group chat or channel includes a personal account user, this mode cannot be enabled).

Encryption Keys

When a personal account is created, encryption keys are generated to protect user data. The private part of the encryption keys is secured by the personal password for additional data security.

Creating an eXpress Personal Account

You can create a personal account in eXpress on your own. Instructions for registering a personal account are available in the section Registering or Logging In to eXpress. If your organization uses a dedicated custom app for ETS with a different name, a personal account is also created on ETS during registration. However, it cannot be used because logging in to the corporate server is mandatory. The user can only delete it later.

Corporate Account

A Corporate Account is created by the organization either at a user's request, automatically during synchronization with the internal system, or when a user enters their email address (if self-registration is enabled). The organization manages corporate accounts. In the app, a corporate user is highlighted in blue.

Connecting a Personal Account to a Corporate Account

A personal account can be linked to a corporate account to become a corporate user. The process differs between the eXpress app and custom-branded ETS client apps:

How to Become a Corporate User in eXpress?

In the eXpress app, a personal account user can transition to a corporate user by logging into the corporate account via Settings (avatar button) > Profile > Corporate Information > Connect. The correspondence from the personal account will remain accessible.


To retain your previous correspondence, connect to the corporate server in eXpress using this method.

How to Become a Corporate User in a ETS App?

In custom-branded ETS client apps you must log in to the corporate account directly. However, you can log in using your personal account phone number, which associates it with your corporate account. Note that correspondence from the personal account will be unavailable until you log out of the corporate server.

Corporate Regustration Instruction

To learn how to obtain a corporate account and log in, refer to the Registering or Logging In to eXpress section.

Corporate Account Features

Users with a corporate account have access to all corporate features within the app.

What Functionality May Be Limited for Corporate Users?

Your organization may enforce certain restrictions (for example, limiting access to the corporate server to specific IP addresses). For more details, contact your organization's support team. Additionally, file access may be restricted for different user groups through the Role Model.

Creating a Corporate Account

A corporate account is created by the organization's administrator either through synchronization with the corporate directory or manually. Automatic creation of corporate accounts through self-registration can also be configured, though this is not recommended.
To Administrator: How Are Corporate User Accounts Created
  • Automatically when synchronizing with the corporate directory Active Directory or OpenID (KeyCloak). For the first login, users authenticate through these systems.
  • Manually, when the administrator creates a corporate account in the Users section (the first and second methods of creating users can be combined if the Email authentication method is selected). Such users log in to the app using a confirmation code sent to the associated email address.
  • Automatically when a new user registers and enters their email address (self-registration). Later, via the Contacts Bot (if installed on the corporate server), the administrator of this bot can complete the user's personal data. Other users can access this data only through the bot, as it is not managed on the server or in AD. Such users log in to the app using a confirmation code sent to the associated email address.

Can a User Register With Only a Phone Number?

No. Corporate users must have either an email or AD/OpenID credentials to log in.

Guest Profile

Guest Profile is created automatically when a user joins as a guest via a group chat or channel link or via a group call or conference link.

What Functionality Is Limited for Guests?

Guest profiles have limited functionality: mentions, personal messages, access to other chats on a server (only via invitation), access to other calls, personal settings, and access to chats or calls after ending a session are not available.

Where Are Guest Profiles Created?

The corporate server administrator can configure whether the guest user profile will be created on a public server (RTS) or on the corporate server (CTS).

Avatar, Name, Mobile Phone Number and Other Data of a Profile

Profile Avatar Picture

To change your profile avatar, in the app open Settings (avatar button) > Profile > three-dot button > select Edit profile.

Cannot Change the Avatar of a Corporate Profile?

Changing avatars for corporate profiles must be enabled in the server settings, otherwise contact your support. If preliminary moderation of changes is enabled on the corporate server, administrator confirmation will be required. For more details, contact your organization's support team.

Name and Other Personal Details

If you have a personal account: to change your profile name, in the app open Settings (avatar button) > Profile > three-dot button > select Edit profile.

Can I Edit My Corporate Profile Data?

No, you cannot. Personal data for corporate accounts is managed by the organization. To change the surname, for example, or other personal details in a corporate account, contact your organization's support team.

Mobile Phone Number Associated with Profile

You can link a mobile phone number to your profile. This will enable SMS verification code requests when logging into the app.


An administrator can configure the system to skip secondary SMS verification when your device is on a secured corporate network.

Why Is It Advisable to Add a Phone Number?

⚠️ It is highly recommended to sign in to the app with a phone number if you have used it in the app before. If no phone number is added, add it to your profile, but only if no other account is associated with it. This ensures your correspondence is preserved when switching accounts.

Can I Add Multiple Numbers to Profile?

No. Only one phone number can be associated with a profile.

Can I Link a Number Already Associated With Another Profile?

No. A phone number can only be linked to one profile.

How Can I Edit or Remove Associated Phone Number?

To change or remove the phone number in your profile, in the app open Settings (avatar button) > Profile > three-dot button > select Edit profile. Changing or removing phone numbers must be enabled in the server settings. For more details, contact your organization's support team.

Cannot Change Phone Number?

If the ability to manage the phone number is unavailable, follow these steps to change it:

  1. Unlink the corporate account from the personal account with the old phone number by logging out. There are two ways to log out:
    • If you have access to your old phone number, sign in to your corporate account with the old number, go to Settings (avatar button) > Profile > Corporate Information > click the Logout button. A logout request will be sent to the corporate server. The corporate server administrator must confirm the request.
    • If you no longer have access to your old phone number, ask the administrator to log you out manually.
    To contact an administrator regarding a logout from the corporate server, reach out to your organization's support team or eXpress Support.
  2. After that, register with a new phone number. Then, enter your corporate account credentials to sign in and link it to your new personal account with the new phone number.

Who Can See My Phone Number?

If you registered in the app using a phone number or added a phone number, it will be visible to another user who has your number saved in their phone book. Other users will not see your phone number.

Can I Share My Phone Number in the App?

You cannot grant another user access to your phone number through the app. However, you can send contact cards from your phone book, which may include this information.

Visibility of Corporate Account Personal Data

Can I Control What Corporate Information Others Can See?

The organization’s administrator can configure globally on a server which corporate account data is visible to other users. For more details, contact your organization's support team.

How to Hide My Server From Others?

The name and address of the corporate server can also be hidden from others (for public users, they are always hidden). For more details, contact your organization's support team.


Statuses

You can set a status that will be displayed next to your name for other users: Settings (avatar button) > Profile. The feature is available starting from version 3.40 (server software and clients). Additional functionality is planned for future updates.

Status Features

  • Select a predefined status or create your own with emoji
  • Set the duration: permanent or temporary (for example, during vacation)
  • Manage notifications: disable all or configure exceptions
  • Redirect incoming calls: disable all or configure exceptions
  • Set an auto-reply for users who message you

Why Did My Status Change Not Update for My Colleagues?

If you change your status, it will update for other users:

  • Automatically every 30 minutes
  • Instantly after they open your contact card

Going on Vacation? How to Notify Your Colleagues

Before your vacation (e.g., two weeks in advance), create a special status to inform colleagues you'll soon be away. Also set up an “On Vacation” status to activate on your last workday. You can configure both statuses to automatically turn off at specified times.

Corporate Account Logout

What is Logout?

Logout is the process of disconnecting from a corporate server, where a personal account on a public server (RTS or ETS) loses its association with a corporate account on a corporate server (CTS or ECTS). After this, the user profile ceases to be corporate and loses access to all corporate properties and data. After logout, you can switch to another corporate server.

Types of Logout

There are several types of logout procedures:
  • At the user's request. After logging into the corporate server account, go to Settings (avatar button) > Profile > Corporate Information and click the Logout button. A logout request will be sent to the corporate server. The corporate server administrator must approve your request to complete the logout. Until then, you will lose access to the app's corporate features on the current device. If you log in to the app again without using a QR code, the logout request will be canceled and removed from the Admin Panel.
  • Manually by an administrator. Contact your administrator and request a manual logout. The corporate server administrator must approve your request to complete the logout. Until then, you will remain logged into the app.
  • Through the corporate directory. A logout request is generated when a specific event occurs in the corporate directory. The corporate server administrator must approve your request to complete the logout. For example, if your account is locked in Active Directory, you will immediately lose access to the app's corporate features and will not be able to return to the corporate account (unless the NTLM registration method is enabled). Automatic logout requests are not supported through OpenID (KeyCloak).
  • When deleting an account. When a personal account is deleted, a logout request is sent for the associated corporate account. The server administrator must approve the request to complete the logout and disconnect the corporate account from the deleted personal account. The corporate server administrator can configure the system to automatically perform logout when user accounts are deleted, without requiring confirmation. For more details, contact eXpress Support.

Additional Questions

Who Performs the Logout?

Since corporate information is the property of the organization, when an employee leaves, their logout must be performed by the system administrator of their previous employer. If your account remains associated with the corporate server of your previous employer after moving to another organization, contact eXpress Support — we will reach out to your previous employer to facilitate the logout.

What Happens While the Logout Request is Pending?

Until the administrator confirms the logout, your account will remain linked to the previous corporate server, and you will not be able to log in to another server using your phone number (if applicable). Whether you'll be logged out of the app while the request is active depends on the request type (see above).

What Happens After Logout?

Access to corporate correspondence will be lost, as logout is equivalent to termination, and corporate correspondence is the property of the organization. Only correspondence from when you were a public user will remain, if any.

What Will My Profile Look Like After Logout?

How other users will see your profile after logout:
  1. Other users will see your personal chat displayed as Unknown User.
  2. Concerning associated phone number:
    • If you had a phone number and were using eXpress or a non-isolated ETS client app, after logout you will become a public "green" user. Other users will be able to continue communicating with you in personal chats or in new group chats and channels.

      If you then log in to the corporate server without a phone number, you will have two accounts: a public one with a phone number and your old correspondence, and a corporate one without a phone number and without old correspondence.

    • If you did not have a phone number in eXpress or used a dedicated ETS app in isolation, after logout you will not become a public "green" user. Other users will not be able to communicate with you in the app. What other users will see when trying to interact with you after logout in this case:
      • the old chat with you will remain in the chat list but will not appear in contact search results;
      • when attempting to send you a message, they will see the error "User no longer has access to the application. Message will not be delivered";
      • when attempting to call you, they will see a warning that the call cannot be completed;
      • the Reply privately button will be unavailable in the message context menu;
      • your profile details will not change to those of your personal account on RTS.
      If you then log in to the corporate server, other users will see two chats with you but will only be able to use one of them. The other will remain for historical purposes.

What About Group Chats & Channels I Admin — what happens to them?

You will also be removed from all corporate group chats and channels, even those where you were an administrator. A new administrator will be automatically assigned by the system.

Can I Return to the Previous Server After Logout?

If after logging out your corporate account with a phone number associated with it, you log in to the app on the same corporate server with the same phone number, then:

  • your personal chats will have their corporate history restored;
  • in group chats and channels, the history will be restored after you rejoin them;
  • call history will be restored (group call names will reappear after accessing the corresponding chats; until then, a list of participants will be displayed);
  • to restore conferences, you will need to rejoin them.

How Phone Number Binding Protects Your Message History?

This is possible because the server identifies you by your HUID, which remains unchanged. If you use a phone number, even if you log in to another account on the old corporate server with the same phone number (and thus the same HUID), your previous corporate correspondence will be restored. If the logout occurred due to the deletion of a personal account, or you log in again without a phone number, the correspondence will not be restored, as a new HUID is created during registration.

Changing the Login (E-mail) of a Corporate Account

If your login or email address has changed (e.g., due to a name change), contact your organization's support team to update your current account or create a new one.

How to Preserve Chat History After Login Change?

⚠️ Changing your login may require logging out from the corporate server. If you registered without a phone number, changed your number after logout, or reset your personal password, previous chat history will be permanently lost as a new account with a new HUID will be created.


To preserve chat history, add a phone number to your account before changing your login. This ensures the HUID associated with your chats remains the same, even if the old account is logged out.

To Administrartor: Changing User Login (Email)

Actions depend on account creation method:

Account Synced From AD or OpenID

If login changes in directory create new accounts (pre-v3.43 software):

  • Have the user add a phone number to preserve chat history.
  • Perform and confirm logout of the old account.
  • Synchronize CTS with directory.
  • Verify new account creation with correct login.
  • Have the user log into the new account.

If login changes don't create new accounts (v3.43+ software):

  • Synchronize CTS with directory.
  • Verify email update in existing account.
  • Have the user log in with new login.

Manually Created Admin Panel Accounts

Email = login and cannot be changed directly.

Solution:

  • Have the user add a phone number to preserve chats.
  • Create new account with desired email.
  • Perform and confirm logout of old account.
  • Have the user log into the new account using their phone number (to transfer chat history).

OpenID Sync Issues?

If OpenID changes created a new corporate account, contact eXpress support.

What to Do After Login Change?

After admin completes these steps, log in with your new credentials. ⚠️ If logout occurred during the change, log in using your previously added phone number and don't reset your data protection personal password (if set) to preserve chat history.


After returning to the server with a new login (post-logout), you'll need to rejoin corporate group chats and channels to load their history. Identify required chats from your old account before admin confirms logout.

Deleting Account

You can permanently delete your personal account, even if it is linked to a corporate account on CTS:

  1. In eXpress, open Settings (click your avatar above the chat list).
  2. Go to the Profile section.
  3. Click the three dots button > select Delete Account > confirm the action.

Additional Questions

Can Account Deletion Be Canceled?

⚠️ This action cannot be undone: after deletion, you will lose access to all chats, contacts, and message history, as they are tied to your HUID.

Sounds Dangerous. Why Was This Feature Added?

This feature was added to the app at the request of app stores and cannot be disabled.

What Happens After Account Deletion?

Your registered phone number will be freed up for reuse. The chat history from the old account will become inaccessible because - even if you create a new account — you'll receive a new HUID.


When deleting a personal account associated with a corporate account:

  • A logout request is automatically sent to the corporate server.
  • The administrator must approve the logout — otherwise, the phone number (if linked) will remain blocked for reuse. Even if the administrator rejects the logout request, the account will remain deleted permanently.

On some servers, logout is performed automatically when deleting account. To check your corporate server’s configuration, contact eXpress support.

How Will My Profile Appear After Account Deletion?

Other users will see your personal chat displayed as Deleted.

Can I Periodically Delete My Account for Maintenance?

⚠️ Do not delete your personal account unless absolutely necessary! If you are a corporate user, coordinate this with your administrator first.

Profile Troubleshooting

“Phone number is already used. Unlink it from another account to use it in this one” Error

If you, as a corporate server user, are trying to add or change a phone number in eXpress and see the error “Phone number is already used. Unlink it from another account to use it in this one” this means the number is linked to another account. In most cases, this is an extra personal account, created during phone number registration. A phone number in eXpress can only be associated with one account.

How to Resolve This?

To resolve this issue, you must delete one of the accounts — choose the one with less critical data.

Option 1: Delete a personal account on the public server RTS

It will delete the personal account’s chat history:

  1. Log in as a public user via phone number (skip email input).
  2. Delete the account: Settings (avatar above the chat list) > Profile > three dots > Delete Account.
  3. Log in to your corporate account without a phone number: use corporate email or server address.
  4. Link the freed-up number to your corporate profile: Settings > Profile > three dots > Edit Profile.

Option 2: Log out of the corporate account on CTS

It will delete the corporate account’s chat history:

  1. Log in to the corporate account without a phone number: via corporate email or server address.
  2. Request a logout:
    • Via the app: Settings > Profile > Corporate Info > Log Out;
    • Via an administrator: contact your organization’s support team to perform the logout.
  3. After the administrator confirms the logout, log in to the corporate account via phone number.

How to Avoid This in the Future?

To avoid number conflicts, use your phone number to log in if it has already been registered — even for a public profile. This preserves chat history.

“An error has occurred. Try again later” When Changing or Adding Phone Number

If you receive this error when changing or adding a mobile phone number, please contact the eXpress Support.

Low Quality Avatar when Uploaded via Corporate Portal (OWA)

If you change your avatar via your corporate system/the Microsoft Exchange web portal (Outlook Web Access, OWA), it may appear in low quality in the app.

Why eXpress Displays Lower Quality Avatars?

The reason lies in the avatar synchronization specifics:
  1. Microsoft Exchange (OWA) stores the original image in high resolution.
  2. During synchronization with Active Directory, the photo is converted into the thumbnailPhoto attribute (JPG format, max. size 10 KB) with quality loss due to dual compression (resolution and detail reduction).
  3. The app retrieves the already compressed image from Active Directory, resulting in reduced avatar clarity.

How to Improve Avatar Quality?

To ensure proper avatar display in the app:

  • Do not use OWA to update corporate avatars.
  • Upload new avatar via profile settings in the app.
  • Ask your organization’s administrator or support team to upload the image directly to Active Directory using administrative tools — this preserves the original quality.

Another User's Profile is Displayed Twice in the App

If you see another user (your colleague) twice in the application, this may be due to one of two reasons:

User Actually Has Two Profiles

The user has a public account with a phone number and a corporate account without a phone number or with a different number.


This situation occurs if the user, already having a personal account on the public server with a phone number, logs into CTS without a phone number or with a different number, thereby creating an additional profile.


You can send messages or make calls to both the personal and corporate profiles. Both profiles will appear in chat and contact searches. The personal profile will be marked with a green (in chats — green and blue) icon, while the corporate profile will have a blue icon.


If the user needs to use the phone number from their personal account, share this guide with them.

There Is a Numberless Account with Lost Access to It

The user’s corporate account without a phone number was logged out, after which they logged into the same CTS again.


After logout, a numberless corporate account doesn't become public — other users can no longer interact with it, and its owner permanently loses access without the ability to save chat history.


You can send messages or make calls only to the new corporate profile of such a user. The old profile will not appear in contact searches, but the old personal chat with them will remain accessible. Both profiles (old and new) will be marked with blue icons. Learn more.

Updated information for another user is not visible

If outdated information (job title, internal phone number, etc.) is displayed in another user’s profile, follow these steps:

Is the User on Your Server?

  • Open the user’s profile card;
  • Receive a new message from them;
  • Restart the application.

These actions will synchronize the updated data.

Is the User on a Trusted Server (Another Server in Your Organization)?

  • Wait for automatic updates (from 12 hours to 7 days);
  • Or request the server administrator to force-update the cache (contact your organization's support team).

Waiting Was Not Helpful. What Else to Do?

Ask the user to log into the app again. This may help, e.g. if user profiles are being synchronized from Keycloak. If nothing helps, ask the eXpress Support for help.

For Administrators: Updating the Trusted Profile Cache

1. Access the phonebook console of the CTS where changes are not visible:

docker exec -i cts-phonebook-1 ./bin/ad_phonebook remote
⚠️ Pre-3.43 server versions require remote_console command instead of remote.

2. Clear the profile cache:

CcsCache.AdPhonebook.V1.ProfileCache.delete
For Administrators: User Changed Avatar, but the Old Avatar Remains in the Admin Panel

The avatar uploaded by the user via the client app is only visible in client apps and in the “Profile change request list” section of the admin panel. The user's profile in the admin panel displays the old photo from AD or one previously uploaded via the admin panel.

For Administrators: User Avatar did not Update (KeyCloak is Used)

For eXpress, the avatar from Keycloak is just one of the attributes stored as a Base64 dataset.


If the built-in Keycloak database — H2 — is used, avatars cannot be stored in it. To support avatars, the Keycloak database must be built on PostgreSQL, Oracle, or another supported DBMS.


The avatar updates during user authorization. If the eXpress integration with Keycloak has the SPI extension from eXpress developers installed, user attribute changes (including avatars) will be applied automatically.


If the Keycloak extension is not installed, the user needs to log in to the application again to update the data.

Another User Changed Their Status, but I Still See the Old One

Statuses update every 30 minutes. To see the change immediately, open the user's contact card (profile).