Glossary

Wire uses certain words in a special way. This glossary defines our terminology to make sure we all use the same words for the same things.

The list below includes ~~deprecated terms~~ that are either ambiguous or obsolete and should be replaced with the corresponding → preferred term.

To report an error or suggest a new term, file an issue.

accept: Answer an incoming voice call in a conversation.
~~answer~~ → accept: Accept an incoming voice call in a conversation.
~~application~~ → (specific client): Potentially confusing term that couples Wire platform with client apps.
archive: Archiving a conversation removes it from the conversation list and moves it to the archive. Archived conversations can be restored to the conversation list with the unarchive command.
audio message: Record a brief sound clip and send it in a conversation.
~~availability~~ → status: Best avoided, as “availability” is only one aspect of status, and suggests some degree of automation. Take care to avoid language that conflates status states with automated presence indicators.
avatar: User profile picture that appears in search results and conversations.
bot: A non-human (robot) participant in a conversation. When you add a service such as GitHub to a conversation via an integration, a new bot is added to the conversation to represent the service.
call: Used as both noun and verb for the voice channel in a conversation (Conversation > Call).
~~cellphone~~ → phone: US-specific jargon for mobile telephone.
~~change password~~ → reset password: Deprecated term for the password reset process.
~~chat~~ → conversation: Informal term for 1:1 or group conversation. Use “conversation” if space allows.
client: A logged–in user account on a specific Wire installation. Users may have multiple clients if they are logged in on multiple Wire installations (on desktop and mobile devices, or different desktop browsers). A Wire installation can also have multiple clients (personal and team accounts on a single installation).
conference call: When referring to audio calls in a business context, use “conference call” rather than “group (audio) call” — never “concall”.
For video, see video conference.
conversation: Preferred term for 1:1 or group chat. If space is tight or context is informal, “chat” is OK.
contacts: People you’re connected to on Wire. Provide context to avoid confusion with the system address book.
create account: Preferred term for registration/signup.
decline: Ignore or reject an incoming voice or video call.
desktop application: Wire client for desktop computers (macOS, Linux, Windows).
device: An Wire installation on a physical piece of electronic equipment, such as an iPhone, an Android tablet or a Windows PC. On mobile platforms, users typically run one instance per device, but on desktop computers, users may log in with multiple Wire clients using different browsers.
guest room: A secure group conversation that people outside of a team can join by invitation without downloading anything or creating an account. Guests without a Wire account have access for 24 hours, or until the room creator removes them. (Paid plans only.)
group call: Generic term for audio and video calls in group conversations. Use when space is tight or when the audience may be either business or personal users. In a business context, use conference call or video conference.
hang up: End an ongoing voice or video call.
~~icon~~ → avatar: User profile picture. Avoid to prevent confusion with app icons.
ignore: Decline a connection request (the other user will not be notified).
~~image~~ → picture: Deprecated (sounds more technical than necessary).
in Wire: Use this when you mean “in the app”. See “on Wire” (platform).
integration: External webhook used to add a service to a conversation.
~~join~~ → create account: Deprecated term for creating a Wire account.
~~knock~~ → ping: Deprecated term for getting users’ attention by tapping the screen
(this gesture is no longer supported).
~~log on~~ → log in: Users “log in” to a Wire account (not “log on” or “sign in”).
log in/out: Users now “log in” to a Wire account (no longer “sign in”).
~~login~~ → account: Deprecated noun form for user credentials (“login” is not a verb).
mobile app: Wire client for mobile devices (currently iOS & Android).
~~mobile phone~~ → phone: Use only if necessary to distinguish mobile telephone from landline. Otherwise, just “phone”.
mute: Disable microphone in a call or disable notifications in a conversation (formerly “silence”). Muted conversations do not trigger notifications, and are not counted as unread on the app icon’s unread badge.
~~notify~~ → unmute: Deprecated term for re-enabling notifications in a conversation.
on premises: Wire servers installed on customer hardware. Do not use ~~on premise~~.
(The trailing “s” in “premises” is critical — a “premise” is an assumption. Use “on premises” to mean on site at a particular location.)
on Wire: Use this to refer to the Wire platform as a whole. See “in Wire” (app).
party: The person (or people) placing or receiving a call. Used for business audiences to convey that several people joining a video conference from the same meeting room count as a single connection.
~~people picker~~ → search: Deprecated term for the search UI, avoid if possible.
personal account: A free account for private use with friends and family.
(Separate from team account.)
phone: Generic term for mobile smartphone platforms (iOS & Android) as distinguished from tablets & desktops.
~~photo~~ → picture: Deprecated term for specific image formats (not all pictures are photos).
picture: Preferred universal term for images, photos and other graphics.
ping: Initial attention-getting action (formerly known as “knock” or “poke”). Pings appear in conversations as messages with no content (only the ping icon).
~~popover~~ (avoid): Don’t call pop-up UI elements by name. Describe what the user must select or do.
profile: Shows details on a person such as picture, email address and list of devices.
~~register~~ → create account: Deprecated term for the account creation process.
reset password: Preferred term for the process by which users alter their password
(not “change password”).
ringing: Connection-in-progress notification for voice and video calls
(appears when calls are pending but not yet answered).
screen sharing: Show the contents of your computer screen during a video call.
~~self conversation~~ → profile: Deprecated internal jargon for your own user profile.
service: An external application or utility that can be added to a conversation. Users can search for services by name to add them to a conversation. Once a service is added, a bot represents the service in the conversation.
settings: In-app dialog used to configure certain aspects of the app experience.
~~sign in/out~~ → log in/out: Deprecated term for logging in to (or out of) a Wire account.
~~sign up~~ → create account: Deprecated term for the account creation process.
~~silence~~ → mute: Disable sound alerts & text notifications for a conversation.
(“Do not Disturb” mode). Opposite of unmute.
single image view: Tap an image in a conversation to open it in a new view, where you can save or sketch on it.
sketch: Draw or write on a picture and send it in a conversation.
start UI: Deprecated internal jargon for people picker and search. Avoid if possible.
status: A manual setting in your profile to let people know if you’re available, busy or away. Status is a team-only feature and shown only to members of the same team.
~~talk~~ → call: Deprecated term for voice channel in a conversation. Use “call” instead.
team: A business or organization that uses Wire on a paid plan for work.
Managed via teams.wire.com.
team account: An individual account on a paid plan administered by a business or organization, typically for use at work.
(Separate from personal account.)
theme: Switch the Wire UI between dark (black) and light (white) appearance.
typing indicator: When a user is currently entering new text in a conversation, a pencil icon appears below the conversation and shows the name of the person that is typing.
unarchive: Un-archiving a conversation removes it from the archive and restores it to the conversation list.
unmute: Re-enable notifications in a conversation (formerly “notify”).
Applies to both sound alerts & text banners. Opposite of mute.
unread notification: Dot that appears in the conversation list or within a conversation to indicate new messages.
~~video calling~~ → calling with video: System notifications that announce someone “…is video calling” imply that accepting the call would automatically enable the camera, whereas “…calling with video” helps to clarify that the calling party has enabled video, but the called party may choose not to (and still accept the call).
video conference: When referring to video calls in a business context, use “video conference” rather than “group video call”. (Paid plans only.)
For audio, see conference call.
view: Generic term for UI areas such as conversation list, participants, etc.
~~voice message~~ → audio message: Not all audio messages are voice recordings, so we use “audio message” as a universal term to cover all types of recorded sounds.
~~VoIP~~ (avoid): Don’t use peer-to-peer, P2P, or “VoIP” in any user-facing communications.
~~web app~~ → Wire for web: Internal jargon for the browser-based Wire client.
Wire for web: Browser-based Wire client. Note capitalization: ”web” is lowercase to avoid any perception of a separate product. There is only one Wire, wherever it runs.