Chat

The Chat feature is the main way that users in Animal Jam communicate. It is a basic feature that everyone gets, but every player must use the parent dashboard to change their chat settings.

Types of Chat
There are four types of chat in Animal Jam, and all of them have their perks.
 * Safe Chat-Plus: The player may type in anything he/she likes, but some words such as swear words will be blocked. This chat option was restricted to members-only in an update in 2015,But it was called safe chat but it was changed to safe chat-plus in may 11th 2017. However, non-members who enabled this option before the update still have Safe Chat-Plus.

If the player has Bubble Chat and/or Restricted Chat, next to the chat bar there will be a purple button with a question mark on it. This takes the place of the blue arrow on the panel in Safe Chat. If the player clicks the button, there will be a suggestion box for words that should be added to the dictionary.
 * Safe Chat: The most basic form of chat in Animal Jam, Restricted Chat is very similar to Bubble Chat with the exception that the player may only type words pre-approved by Animal Jam's dictionary.
 * Bubble Chat: In Bubble Chat, the player has to pick what he/she would like to say out of a pullout menu. Unlike Restricted Chat however, the player can see things that other people are saying in free or limited chat.
 * Restricted Bubble Chat: This can be only obtained by emailing AJHQ. A parent provides the phrases that the player can select. The player will only be able to see players with Bubble chat.

Chat Log
The chat log, available for all Jammers, can be accessed by clicking the arrow above the chat box. Not only does the chat log show a record of the chat in a room or area since the player entered, but it also allows the player to click on the names so that the Player Cards of those chatting can be viewed.

Changing Chat
When a player first creates their account, an email is required. The player can check that email or ask permission from their guardian to view their inbox. The subject is titled "National Geographic Animal Jam - WELCOME", from the Animal Jam HQ. The player has to scroll down and skim the email until he/she find the link to make a parent dashboard. After the player is redirected, he/she should be brought to the page that will create a parent dashboard. The username field is already filled with the email address. The player must then decide on a password to remember and retype it in the confirm section. Receiving emails from Animal Jam or National Geographic is purely optional. The player can then click continue.

Once the player has clicked the button, she/he should be at its parent dashboard. There are three options: Safe Chat, Restricted Chat, and Bubble Chat. If the player decides on one, this message would appear: "Warning: Are you sure you want to change your child's chat option?" The player can then click "yes" or "no". Clicking yes would automatically save the option. However, non-members can't change their chat option to safe chat anymore due to an update but if the player is a non-member and has already changed it as a member or before the update, the player can still have safe chat. The player may then log out of the parent dashboard and play the game. If the player ever forgets their password, they can click on the parents tab, select forgot password, enter their email adress and follow the instructions given to change his/her password afterwards. The link to this page is here.

Trivia

 * The chat log was restricted to members for a long period when an update in 2013 grayed out the button to access it for non-members, but this was later reverted back on November 17, 2016, and non-members are once again able to access the chat log.
 * The ability to click names in the chat log so that Player Cards would appear was originally only available in the Play Wild mobile game, but it was added to Animal Jam sometime around January 2017.