How Forums work

These screenshots use sample content in a preview version of Idle. Your app may look different. Select an image to see the full screen.

Open Forums

1. Open the Idle sidebar.
2. Tap Forums.
3. If Forums is available for your account, the Forums home opens. You can explore example Forums in the test drive.
4. If Forums is not available for your account yet, you will see Coming Soon.

Browse and organize Threads

• Browse viewsUse For You, My Garage, Local, Browse, or Saved when those views are available. Swipe the horizontal tab strip to reach views that are offscreen.
• SearchUse Browse to look for Forums and Threads by car, platform, topic, or region.
• My PostsUse My Posts to return to Threads you created and Replies or comments you posted.
• Follow ForumsFollow a Forum to keep that space closer to your interests, or unfollow it later.
• Save ThreadsSave a Thread to find it again from Saved. Tap the save control again to remove it.
• Mark HelpfulWhen available, mark another person's useful Thread or Reply as Helpful. Tap it again to remove your mark.

Find your activity with My Posts

My Posts keeps your own Forum activity together so you can return to a conversation without searching for it again.

1. Open Forums.
2. Tap My Posts.
3. Switch between the Threads you created and the Replies or comments you posted.
4. Tap an item or Open thread on a reply to reopen the conversation.

Create Threads and Replies

• Create a ThreadOpen a Forum and tap Start a thread. Enter a title and body, review the preview, then tap Post.

  

• ReplyOpen a Thread, write in Reply to thread and tap Reply. To reply to a particular comment, choose its Reply action, write your response and tap Reply.
• Format textUse the supported bold, italic, or underline controls when they help readability.
• Retry a postIf a Thread or Reply fails to publish, retry the same item or remove the failed copy.
• Edit or deleteOpen the three-dot actions menu on your own Thread or Reply. Choose Edit thread or Edit comment when available, make your changes and tap Save. Choose Delete thread or Delete comment to remove your content, then confirm the same action. Deleting your published content can remain available while Forums is read-only.
• Open links carefullyIdle may ask for confirmation before opening a website outside the app.

When you cannot post or open a thread

• Read-onlyA temporary Forum restriction can leave browsing, following, saving, reporting, blocking, and deleting your own published posts available while new Threads, Replies, edits, and Helpful are unavailable.
• Locked ThreadA locked Thread can remain readable while new Replies are unavailable.
• Forums unavailableA Forum-specific restriction can make Forums unavailable without removing access to the rest of Idle.

Forum reply and safety notifications

• Direct repliesWhen someone replies directly to your Thread or Reply, Idle can send an alert that opens the exact Thread.
• Forum replies settingTurn direct Forum reply alerts on or off from Idle's notification settings.
• Safety noticesImportant Forum account notices appear in Activity and stay on even when Forum reply alerts are off.

Safety controls

• ReportUse the report option when a Thread or Reply is abusive, spammy, misleading, unsafe, or breaks Idle's community standards.
• BlockBlock an account when you need to limit contact and visibility.
• Protect private informationForums contain user-created content. Do not post passwords, payment details, precise private locations, or other sensitive information.

Troubleshooting

• Forums shows Coming SoonForums is not currently available for that account. The test drive does not change which features your account can use.
• Preview access will not loadCheck your connection, reopen Forums, and tap Try again if that option appears.
• Thread or Reply failedCheck your connection, then use Retry. Remove the failed copy if you no longer want to publish it.
• Cannot replyThe Thread may be locked, your Forum access may be read-only, or the content may no longer be available.
• Reply alert is missingConfirm Forum replies are enabled in Idle notification settings and iPhone notifications are allowed.
• Saved Thread is missingRefresh Saved and confirm the Thread is still available to your account.
• Helpful is unavailableHelpful is not available on your own content or while Forums is read-only.