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Contacts

Contacts are how you connect to other Handrive users—like connecting to a machine on your network.

What are Contacts?​

Adding a contact is like connecting to someone's computer on a network. Once connected, you can see folders they've shared with you.

  • See their shares - All shares they've given you access to, across all their devices
  • Easy invitations - Quickly add them to your shares
  • Presence awareness - Know when they're online

Adding Contacts​

To add a contact:

  1. Click + New in the sidebar
  2. Select New Contact
  3. Enter their email address
  4. Click Add

The person must have a Handrive account with that email address.

note

Adding someone as a contact doesn't automatically give them access to your shares. You need to explicitly invite them to each share you want them to see.

Contact Aliases​

You can set a custom display name (alias) for any contact:

  1. Find the contact in the sidebar
  2. Right-click or use the contact menu
  3. Select Edit Alias
  4. Enter your preferred name

The alias is only visible to you and doesn't change their actual name.

What Contacts Can See​

When someone is your contact:

  • They can see shares you've explicitly invited them to
  • They can see your display name and avatar
  • They can see when you're online

They CANNOT:

  • See shares you haven't invited them to
  • Access your files without permission
  • See your email address (unless you share it)

The Connect Model​

Like network file sharing, you connect to people—they don't push to you.

Key principle: Just because someone shares with you doesn't mean you have to see it.

How it works​

ActionWhat happens
Alice adds Bob as a member of her shareBob has permission, but nothing appears in his app yet
Bob adds Alice as a contactBob connects and sees shares Alice has given him access to

Why this matters​

  • No spam: No one can push content into your app
  • You're in control: You choose who to connect to
  • Multi-device: One contact = all their shares across all their devices

One-way vs. Mutual contacts​

Adding someone as a contact is a one-way action:

  • You add them → You can see their shares (that they've invited you to)
  • They add you → They can see your shares (that you've invited them to)

For full two-way collaboration, both parties should add each other as contacts.