I joined Roblox in 2011 and back then, the messages feature was widely used because the message user button was prominently displayed on profiles. When Roblox changed that and put the message feature beneath the little three dots menu where the follow and block buttons are, that is when the messaging feature began to be used less and less. Since it wasn’t easy to find, new users did not get used to using it. It also did not help that Roblox forced many users, I assume due to their ages, to switch their inboxes off in their privacy settings. I recognize that the inbox can be used for scams, etc. but I do not believe removing it is a step in the right direction. The under-use of this feature is a problem created entirely by Roblox itself, not by users not wanting an easy way to communicate with one another. For scams and bot messages, rather than removing this feature with no replacement, Roblox should simply improve its famously terrible moderation system. I report every scam message I receive and I have never seen the sender (always bots) get terminated or in trouble for it.
I use this feature frequently and do not believe its removal is helpful for the player base nor do I believe it is a step in the right direction for the future of the platform.
Could we perhaps get a built in method for ingame bug/suggestion reporting, outside of messages, only other options are to get the player to join a Discord server (not ideal 100% of the time, also under 13 users cant see the invite link), or make a webhook to fire to a discord channel with the info, which has rate limits, and is frowned upon by Discord, can cause bans. With the new creator page, a tab showing suggestion, bug reports, etc, would be easier, and allow an option to even message back somehow?
Very low amounts of people actually use the inbox for a helpful purpose so I think that this is a good change. It’ll also bring in some little inconveniences, but over time people can just learn to communicate with someone using the profile links, such as Guilded or whatever people have on their profiles.
Tl;dr: not a widely used feature, especially at the moment I’m pretty sure most of the inbox traffic is just spam, so it’s a better change for everyone even if it brings some inconveniences in short term.
Public Forums → No effort on Roblox’s part to moderate → deleted (2017)
Oof sound → Roblox didn’t want to pay royalties to the original creator → deleted (2022)
Public Audio → No effort on Roblox’s part to moderate → deleted (2022)
Personal Servers → No effort to keep backend coding up to date → deleted (2017)
Roblox organised events → Near zero takeup on community feedback → shit events across the board (current)
User Generated Content → No effort on Roblox’s part to moderate → Catalog flood of low-quality, IP-infringing, sexually suggestive items. (current)
Leaderboard and Clans → No effort to update the feature → Deleted and made groups even more redundant (2019)
Tix → No effort to stop botting attempts or glow up of the currency to a workable state → Deleted (2016)
Party feature within Roblox chat → Ridiculously glitchy and not user friendly, no effort to fix these issues by Roblox → Deleted (2019)
Status updates on user profiles → No effort to popularize the feature so users actually use it → deleted (2021)
My Feed page → No effort to popularize the feature so users actually use it → deleted (2022)
Gears → No effort on Roblox’s part to keep backend code up to date → Gears have been broken ever since (current)
I listed these off the top of my head. Throughout my entire playtime on Roblox, I have noticed this pathetic behaviour of removing features instead of glowing them up to a workable state.
The messaging tab being removed is just another example in the above list- which I’m sure doesn’t even scratch the surface of features they have removed throughout the years. Its all just so tiresome and of non good-faith for the User audience. Its a bad idea to think this behaviour is good.
This is just another step of roblox’s own platform being on it’s way to shutting down.
Roblox keeps deprecating and removing systems that “work”, even if they have their own flaws, instead of fixing the flaws, they remove them, without having ANY alternatives.
Guilded is almost not even used by users on roblox.
All other social media platforms keep getting Hashtagged out, so you can’t use that.
No one uses the group i mean (Community) wall anymore either.
It’s just another thing they will “soon” remove.
Roblox’s only explanation is “safety”, and that is all they say every time they want to remove something without having to put much effort into “updating” something.
@sparkling_cola is spot on when it comes to features removed.
Also, PBS (Personal Build Servers) was a big hit, it was also one of the best ways to have auto moderation configs from the game page directly, auto-banning users from your game.
This was removed, and now people have to use external tools, in order for things to work.
Tix and Robux are about to be fully removed in favor of “local currency”.
Tix was removed many years ago, but it was the most fun way to convert from Tix to Robux and the other way.
Sadly roblox removed it because they thought it was for the best.
Now roblox wants to remove robux, because “direct payment” gives roblox a better income.
Don’t worry, only a matter of time until Roblox announces the removal of those too and says Guilded is the replacement. Instead of fixing the features, remove them!
too early. like many have said, atleast release the features first before trying to sunset messages. also, the chat tab isnt really used either, and it doesnt help that it can only be used with other friends.
I’ve been on the platform since 2008 - I believe the inbox system is flawed but full of potential.
The low usage, engagement and quality of the inbox system, in my view, can be contributed to years of unfiltered spam and Roblox alert messages (specifically Right to Erasures) completely clogging up the system. The inbox system used to work well, many years ago. I don’t think the low usage is due to an ‘outdated’ system, rather the result of years of neglect.
Communities are cool, but from a UX perspective, I don’t see how it’s more convenient for users to give feedback. As a game developer, while I think loyal fanbase feedback is important, first-time user feedback is also important. For a first-time user to have to join a community, that’s an extra step on their part - what will be the drop off of potential feedback caused from this?
The safety reason still does not make sense to me either because this could be a system purely forced off for users under 13 (or a set age.) The chat system (with a friend requirement now) seems just as vulnerable. Whether it’s the chat feature or inbox feature, they should just be forced off for users under 13.
Lastly - I want to note the phrase “in the coming months” in the last bullet point. Why sunset this when what’s coming isn’t yet ready? If there’s plans to sunset it, it should be once the alternative is shipped (and probably also giving users time to adapt to it.)
Funny thing about this is that I remember when they moved it to its own page back in 2018, meaning they killed it themselves… ROBLOX is such an interesting website
There are numerous creators that I have contacted with the messages feature because I had no other way of reliably contacting them.
Groups? Lost in the sea of other users on the wall
Discord/Guilded? Wasn’t linked or they didnt own one
Chat? Wasn’t friended with them, and its not like they’d randomly accept my friend request just to chat.
The Inbox Messaging allowed me to contact people who would otherwise never get my message, which is something you can’t replicate elsewhere on the site. As a developer myself again, I have my Inbox open to everyone so that users can submit bug reports and things to me, talk to me about business related ventures surrounding my experiences. For similar reasons above, this is the only way they can reliably contact me. My Groups are too busy for me to review all important messages, if they don’t own a Discord/Guilded account I cannot contact them off-platform, and even to initiate that process, I have thousands of friend requests and wouldn’t even think of accepting them all in the hopes that one of the people is trying to message me about something specific.
Please do not sunset this feature until there is a valid replacement for situations like these.
Yeah, I’ve used this feature to contact old friends who don’t know what my new username is. But I could explain it in a message, that resulted in them friending me again.
Roblox community: We need to avoid these scammers in inbox and due to no activity in last few years
Roblox: removing it until they find a better idea
Roblox community: sees the unbolded response and panics
