Delayed email verification lets brand-new members into your community with just their email on their first login, without waiting for a login code. They then have 7 days to verify their email. New communities have it on by default. Communities created before this setting existed have it off until an admin turns it on.
How to turn it on or off
Go to Settings > Community and, under Member defaults, toggle Delay email verification for new members.
What new members see
A new member who joins through a public Sign Up Link enters their email, completes your onboarding and lands in the community without a login code.
We email them straight away with a Verify your email button, and a banner in the community reminds them until they click it. Logging in with a login code also verifies their email.
The code-free session lasts 7 days and is not extended. After that, or any time they log in again, they need a login code as usual.
Until they verify
Unverified members can read and post in your community, but they can't:
- Send or reply to Direct Messages
- Report content
- Join another Heartbeat community
- Use any permissions from their Role, or be given a Role with permissions
Other members can't find them in directory search. Admins and moderators still can, and see an Unverified badge next to their email in the directory and in Settings > Members. If you open a Direct Message with one of them, you'll see a note that they haven't verified their email yet.
Someone joining through a Moderator Sign Up Link also gets in without a code, but their moderator permissions only switch on once they verify their email.
Who still needs a login code on their first login
- Anyone who already has a Heartbeat account, including members of other Heartbeat communities
- Anyone joining through a private Sign Up Link, an email invite or a pre-approved list
- Anyone joining with a Role that can manage community settings, Roles, Groups or Workflows
- Anyone who doesn't pass our automated spam check at sign up
Is it right for your community?
Leave it on if getting new members inside quickly matters most to you. Turn it off if you want every new member to confirm they own their email before they get in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this on by default? Yes, for new communities. Communities created before this setting existed keep requiring a login code until an admin turns the setting on.
Do my existing members log in differently now? No. The setting only applies to a new member's very first login. Existing members keep logging in with a code.
What if someone signs up with an email that isn't theirs? The verification email has a This wasn't me link. If the real owner of that email clicks it, the session ends straight away.
Does it work in the mobile app and branded apps? Yes, new members get the same code-free first login there.
Can I turn it off later? Yes. Toggle it off in Settings > Community and every new member will need a login code again.