How to Join The Phoenyx Nest on Matrix

What is in this guide?

Steps 1 - 3 walk you through all the essential steps you need to join us on Matrix, and steps 4 - 6 give you some additional info to make it your own!

What is Matrix?

Matrix is an end-to-end encrypted messaging protocol (like Signal!) that is both open source and self-hostable, but functions more like Discord. The Phoenyx Nest is now hosting a Matrix server!

End-to-end encryption means that no-one can read the messages on The Nest server who hasn't been invited, and no one, not even the admins, can read private chats like your DMs.

The server supports having many different rooms (equivalent to Discord's channels), voice and video calling, and custom emojis and stickers!

The server is also set up with two levels of vetting in order to join, first to make an account, and second to be added to The Nest space itself. The server is also not federated, meaning that is is isolated from the larger Matrix network, and people must pass through the vetting steps in order to access it.

The server hardware is rented from the German company NetCup, and is physically located in Nürnberg, Germany. NetCup has strong privacy policies and is not directly subject to US regulations, and German privacy law is generally far stronger than the US.

Step 1: Creating an Account

  1. First, go to https://auth.phoenyxnest.com
QR Code linking to https://auth.phoenyxnest.com
  1. Next, click Sign up
Screenshot pointing to sign up button
  1. To register an account, you'll need the invite code. To get the invite code, talk to an Admin, or if you're at an event, look for a paper with the trans flag background. It will have the code written in the center.
Image showing a pink and blue striped border around a piece of paper
  1. Type in the code
  2. Then press Continue
Screenshot highlighting the invite code field and continue button
  1. Type in your username
  2. Type in your password both times
  3. Then press Continue

Note:

Your username (which will show as @username:matrix.phoenyxnest.com) cannot be easily changed, but you can easily change your display name at any time.

Screenshot highlighting the username and password fields, and the continue button
  1. Now you can set your display name. By default, it is set to your username, but feel free to change it to whatever you'd like! You'll also be able to change it again later
  2. You also have the option of adding your email. Your email is not required, but adding it here will allow you to reset your password with a link, rather than needing to reach out to an admin
  3. Then press Continue
Screenshot highlighting the Display Name and Email fields, and the continue button
  1. After a moment of loading, you'll be logged into your new account, and taken to the Applications screen!
  2. To open Matrix, press Matrix
Screenshot pointing to the Matrix button

Step 2: Joining The Phoenyx Nest Space

By creating an account, you're now able to log into the Phoenyx Nest Matrix server (equivalent to Discord as a whole platform), but you'll need to be invited into The Phoenyx Nest's space (equivalent to a Discord server).

Either:

  1. Click Matrix on the Application screen at https://auth.phoenyxnest.com

Or

  1. Go to https://webchat.phoenyxnest.com
QR Code linking to https://webchat.phoenyxnest.com
  1. Click Continue with Phoenyx Nest Account
Screenshot pointing to Continue with Phoenyx Nest Account button

Checkpoint:

You've now joined The Phoenyx Nest Matrix "Home server", the equivalent to joining Discord as a platform. Lets take a brief moment to go over the UI, and then we'll have you join The Phoenyx Nest's space.

On the left side of your screen, there is a sidebar which lets you navigate to:

  1. The server "home". This is where rooms (i.e. Discord channels) that aren't assigned to a space (i.e. a Discord server) live. If you create a room to chat with people on the server, this is where you'll find it!
  2. Your DMs. This is where all of your DMs can be accessed.
  3. Your inbox. This is where you can see your notifications, and invites to join private rooms and spaces
  4. User Settings. This is where you can update your username and profile picture, add custom stickers and emoji, and manage your Recovery Passphrase and Recovery Key.

We'll talk about all of these more later.

Screenshot showing the Home, Direct Messages, Inbox, and Settings buttons

In the center of the screen, you can see a list of the Rooms that you are in. When you join the server, you get added to Unvetted Chat.

  1. Press Unvetted Chat to open it
Screenshot pointing to Unvetted Chat
  1. If you were already in the Discord server, paste your Discord username in the chat. If you are just joining the Nest, go ahead and say hi!
  2. Press Send
Screenshot pointing to the message editing box, and the send button

Checkpoint:

After an admin sees your message, they will double check that you are vetted, and then will send you an invite to The Phoenyx Nest's space. This might take a second, especially if a lot of new people are joining at once!

  1. To see your invite when it comes through, press Back
Screenshot pointing to the back button
  1. Then press Inbox
Screenshot pointing to the Inbox button
  1. Press Invites
Screenshot pointing to Invites
  1. Then press Accept
Screenshot pointing to Accept

The Phoenyx Nest's space will automatically open, and you can see it in the left sidebar, similar to a Discord server.

Note:

Unlike Discord, where you see all of the channels in a server, in a Matrix server, you choose which individual channels you want to join, or to leave later.

  1. To see the list of all the channels available in the server, press Lobby
Screenshot pointing to Lobby

You can now see a list of rooms, and the four public "sub-spaces" (I know 😉) in The Phoenyx Nest!

  1. To join a room, like Intro To Matrix, press the Join button
  2. To join a sub-space, like Phrolicking Phoenyx, press the name itself, or the small plus icon
Screenshot pointing to the Join button
There are currently four sub-spaces within The Nest. They are:
  1. ✨Magic Signal Portal✨, which is a bridge between the Signal announcements chat and the Matrix server. It allows vetted people to see the announcements posted to the Signal group from within Matrix, so you can read all your Nest related messages in one place!
  2. ✨Magic Discord Portal✨, which is a bridge between the Discord server and the Matrix server. Every message sent in Discord shows up on Matrix, and visa versa. This is temporary for during the transition to Matrix, and will eventually will be replaced with encrypted Matrix rooms.
  3. Phrolicking Phoenyx, which is the encrypted space for NSFW channels and conversations.
  4. Tech Support, which is where you can ask for help, report bugs, and suggest custom stickers and emoji to add to the server!

Known bug:

When you first press join on the sub-spaces, they will say No Rooms

Please refresh the page, and the rooms will load

Screenshot showing Spaces with no Rooms listed
  1. Now you can join rooms within the subspaces by pressing Join
Screenshot pointing to Join button
  1. Once you've joined all the rooms you'd like, press Back
Screenshot pointing to Back button

This interface now looks and functions very similar to Discord, and you can press any of the room names to view that room.

Encrypted rooms will show only "Unable to decrypt message"

When you first join The Nest, and look in any of the encrypted rooms (which is all of the non-Discord ones), you will see a lot of messages with the text Unable to decrypt message.

This is an essential part of how end-to-end encryption on Matrix works, and it is a good thing for privacy and operational security! It means that even if someone who wasn’t supposed to be in a room got in, they can’t see the old encrypted chats.

This protects both the Nest as a whole, and also any private messages and groups you may have with other members. You will be able to see all of the new messages that are sent in the future.

Screenshot showing the Space overview screen

Step 3: Creating a Passphrase and Recovery Key

Before you do anything else, you’ll want to create a Passphrase and a Recovery Key for your account! Matrix is end-to-end encrypted, which ensures that no one else can read your messages, including admins at The Nest!

When you log into a new device / window with your Phoenyx Nest account, you’ll need to verify that it is your device to access your old messages. This ensures that even if someone gets access to your account, your messages still stay protected.

There are two ways of doing this verification. One is to use another device you are already logged into, but if you are logged out of every other device, you need to use a passphrase or recovery key.

You should create a Passphrase and Recovery Key as soon as possible, to make sure you don’t lose any messages.

  1. Press your profile image to open User settings
Screenshot pointing to the User Settings button
  1. Press Devices
Screenshot pointing to the Devices section
  1. Next to Device Verification, press Enable
Screenshot pointing to the Enable button
  1. Enter a recovery passphrase you will remember. For best security practices, this should be different from your password, but nothing will stop you from making it the same.

    I highly recommended you write this down in some way, if you use a password manager, add it there!
  2. Press Continue
Screenshot pointing to the passphrase field and the continue button

As part of this process, you also get a randomly generated Recovery Key.

  1. I recommend you Copy it somewhere safe that you will have access to. Ideally, that would be a password manager, but your Notes app or Email would also work!
  2. You can also Download a text file of the key onto your device.

Please do at least one of these options!

If you forget your passphrase, and do not have this key, you will lose access to all of your previous encrypted messages.

Screenshot pointing to the Copy and Download buttons

✨🎉 You did it! 🎉✨

You're now all set up on The Phoenyx Nest's Matrix server! The following sections give you more information on the fun stuff, like customizing your account, and sending DMs, but you can also stop here.

Step 4: Customizing Your Account

  1. To change your profile picture and display name, first press User Settings
Screenshot pointing to the User Settings button
  1. Next, press Account
Screenshot pointing to the Account Settings section
  1. To change your Display name, first press your name, and make any changes.
  2. Then press Save
  3. To change your profile picture, press Upload and choose and image from your device
Screenshot pointing to the Display Name field and it's save button, and the Upload button for an avatar

Step 5: How to send DMs

The easiest way to send a DM is to use the Member pane in one of The Nest’s rooms!

  1. Open a room within the Phoenyx Nest that both you, and the person you want to DM, have joined.
Screenshot pointing to a Room
  1. Press the three dot menu in the upper right
Screenshot pointing to the More Options button
  1. Press Room Settings
Screenshot pointing to the Room Settings section
  1. Press Members
Screenshot pointing to the Members section
  1. Either search for the person you'd like to DM, or find them in the list
  2. Press on the person's name
Screenshot pointing to the Search bar, and to a user card
  1. Press Message
Screenshot pointing to the Message button

Known bug:

When you press message, the new message screen appears behind the Members and Room Settings screens. You may need to hit the X to close both screens before you can see the Create Chat screen

The Create Chat screen will then appear, with the person's full username already typed in. You also have the option to disable end-to-end encryption.

If you disable end to end encryption, it is technically possible for anyone with admin access to the server to read the messages in that chat. I highly recommend you keep encryption on.

  1. Press Create
Screenshot pointing to the Create button

Step 6: Making Cinny Look more like Discord

If you'd like to hide the messages showing when users join and leave a room, you can do so on a per-device basis in Cinny's settings! You can also enable URL previews, so you can see some information about links that are sent in chat.

  1. Press your user profile picture to open settings
Screenshot pointing to the User Settings button
  1. Press General
Screenshot pointing to the General section
  1. Scroll down and toggle on the option Hide Membership Change
  2. Optional: If you'd like, you can also enable Url Preview in Encrypted Room, which will allow you to see information about URLs that are sent, without needing to fully open them, such as:
    Example of a Url Preview
Screenshot highlighting the Hide Membership Change and Url Preview in Encrypted Room toggles