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Controlling Who Can DM You

Not everyone wants a fully open inbox. Tavrn gives you real control over who can slide into your DMs.

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The DM Privacy Setting

In Settings → Privacy & Safety → Direct Messages, you’ll find three options:

Everyone

Any Tavrn user can send you a direct message, even if you’re not friends. This is the default, open setting.

Friends Only

Only people on your friends list can DM you. Strangers and acquaintances can’t initiate conversations.

Nobody

No one can send you new DMs. Existing conversations are still accessible, but no new ones can be started.

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What Happens When Someone Tries to Message You

If your DM setting is set to Friends Only or Nobody and someone outside that threshold tries to message you:
  • They’ll see a message indicating they can’t contact you
  • You won’t receive the message or a notification
  • You won’t know they tried to contact you
It’s clean, no awkward “can’t reply” situations from your end.

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Existing Conversations

Changing your DM privacy setting doesn’t affect conversations you already have open. If you’ve been chatting with someone and then change your setting to “Friends only,” they can still continue the existing conversation. The restriction only applies to new DM attempts.

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When to Use Each Setting

Best for: Open, social users, people who want to be approachable, creators who want fan interaction, community members who are comfortable with open communication.Tradeoff: You may receive unsolicited messages from strangers.

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DM Privacy and Room Interactions

Your DM privacy setting applies to direct messages. It doesn’t affect:
  • Your ability to send messages in room channels
  • Others’ ability to see or reply to your messages in rooms
  • Voice/video calls (those are separate from DM settings)
If someone can’t DM you, they can still interact with you in any shared room channels.

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The Friend Request Alternative

If your DMs are set to “Friends only,” people who want to contact you privately would need to send a friend request first. This is actually a nice gate, it requires a deliberate action from them and gives you a chance to decide whether you want that connection before committing to a conversation.
Pairing “Friends only” DMs with an open Friend Request setting (everyone can send requests) is a common combination that keeps you approachable without making your inbox completely open.

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Blocking is More Comprehensive

If there’s a specific person you don’t want contact from, not just new DMs, but all interaction, blocking is the right tool. DM privacy is a general filter; blocking is targeted. Learn about blocking →